Lively Run Goat Dairy

The Finger Lakes Gold Reserve aged goat cheese won first place in its class of “Goat’s Milk Cheese Aged Over 60 Days” and was a best-of-show finalist, ranking it in the top 15 out of 1,742 products submitted in the 2019 American Cheese Society (ACS) Cheese Contest.

The annual American Cheese Society Contest is one of the most prestigious cheese competitions in the USA. This year, the ACS conference took place in Richmond, Virginia and 257 companies from all over North and South America entered different products across a broad spectrum of categories. ACS judges are chosen every year for their deep knowledge of high quality cheese.

Our Cayuga Blue was also awarded first place in its class at the 2017 American Cheese Society Contest.

The Finger Lakes Gold Reserve

The Finger Lakes Gold Reserve is a hard goat cheese that is aged for 10+ months with a slightly crumbly texture. It is perfect for snacking right off the wheel or grating over pasta. An off-dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes pairs nicely with the nutty and caramel flavors of the cheese. The Finger Lakes Gold Reserve is named after its beautiful yellow-golden rind.

We also make a version of the Finger Lakes Gold that is sold when it is 3-4 months old, which has a mellower flavor.

Head Cheese Maker, Pete Messmer, developed the recipe for the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve over a 5-year time period. Inspired by the Finger Lakes Wine Region’s innovative culture, Pete wanted to create a cheese that was uniquely American. When developing the recipe for the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve, he combined elements of a few traditional old-world cheese-making techniques and added a unique culture blend.

“We are really proud that the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve got picked as one of the best-of-show contenders, particularly because it is a cheese that tells the story of the amazing food culture of the Finger Lakes Region. We are excited to bring the medal back home to the Finger Lakes,” said Pete.

Where can I get a taste of it?

A limited supply of the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve will be sold in the Lively Run farm store starting Labor Day weekend. It will be featured on the menu of a few restaurants in the Finger Lakes Region, and in the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.

Stop by our farm to try our nationally award-winning cheeses! Come while supplies last.