The photo shows Gouda out of the brine and beginning to air dry in the cheese cave.

Gouda is an example of a washed-curd cheese, and this is the first time I have made one.  When making a washed-curd cheese, one of the steps is to drain some of the whey from the curds and to replace it with hot water.  This was done twice with this Gouda, and the process removes some of the lactose and lactic acid from the cheese, thereby making the cheese milder and quicker to mature.  Colby is another example of this type of cheese.

Here is a summary of the steps and the time that they took.  One extra step I took was to redress and flip the cheese midway through the 50 lb. pressing to help make the cheese a more even cylinder.  When I started pressing, the curds barely fit into the cheese mold.  I used leftover brine from the last batch of Parmesan topped up with additional brine made from 2 cups of boiling water and 2 oz. of salt, cooled to room temperature.