Last weekend I purchased a 5+ yo aged Cheddar, I absolutely love the ultra sharpness but something I really dont like is that it contains very small hard and crunchy bad tasting “crystals” in it. I am thinking that they are maybe Lactic Acid Crystals that have formed over time? Anyone else experience this? If so, how old can I go before these form do you think?
Whammo, me boyo, let them form until they cut into your tongue.
There is no such thing as “too sharp” cheese.
Five year old cheddar? :eek:
:drools:
I’ve never run across crystals of anything in old cheddar (5-yr, 7-yr, whatever). Perhaps you should take it back.
Those crystals are considered a Good Thing in aged Parmesan cheese, and I’ve run across them in aged Cheddar as well. If you don’t care for them, you can send the cheese to me for proper handling. 
Crystals in aged cheddar are usually calcium lactate. Aged goudas also can have these crystals. They aren’t toxic, and many people consider them a sign of a well-aged cheese.
Why do you say the crystals are bad-tasting? They’re small and distributed throughout the cheese, so how can you distinguish their flavor from that of the rest of the cheese?
Drools along with you 
I bought some STRONG cheddar with cranberry during the week. Very tasty indeed
Mmmm… best consumed with a robust red wine
Even if it does not dissolve the crystals, it will make both wine and cheese taste mindblowing.
I wonder if there is a correlation between cheddar-crystal appreciators and brie-ammonia-rind afficianados.
Had the protein crystals in my 11 year old cheddar! Very yummy!
According to this paper, Cheese milk composition and calcium lactate crystals in Cheddar cheese, it depends.
Ooooh…a good, extra sharp, aged cheddar is worth its weight in gold. Hell, if I had the choice, I think I’d take the cheddar!
There was a recent thread on this topic.
Just add me to the droolers. I love the crystals, but don’t usually find them in 5 year old cheddar, you are lucky. Usually they begin to appear in 7 year old cheddar, in my experience.
Beechwood sells some 7 year old cheddar with the crunchy bits, I’ve discovered. The cheesemaster gave me a nice tour of the facility when I stopped there. Their 3 year old isn’t bad either, if still a little juvenile.
Trader Joe’s and Bristol Farms both have excellent aged cheeses. Two we’ve gotten recently that had crystals were a Dubliner age unknown and a Trentingrana aged 22 months (had that one last night, actually).
Yummy.
We have a lovely little cheese shop in Carmel, CA, that we visit every year. We usually spend at least an hour tasting!
Where does one go to get such cheeses? Our Trader Joe’s is OK with cheese, but nothing like 5 YO cheddar. Can I get unpasturized cheese? I love cheese. I really love cheese. Those folks with the fresh ground parmesian at the Olive Garden would save a lot of bills on repetitive stress injuries if they just handed me a bucket of the cheap stuff. Not much into sharp cheddar, but maybe something good would change my mind.
Why, at one of your local cheese factories, of course.
What do you mean, you don’t have local cheese factories? I drive within a few miles of at least 4 small operations, and 3 larger factories which produce for supermarket chains.
Well, one of the free-standing specialty cheese shops in your area should do, then. I have at least two that aren’t terribly out of my way.
What??
You can try our favorite Carmel cheese shop- they ship!