Vieux Boulogne: The Beer-Washed Cheese Science Named the Smelliest in the World

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Plenty of cheeses claim to be the stinkiest. Vieux Boulogne has the lab results. In November 2004, researchers at Cranfield University put 15 of France and Britain's most pungent cheeses through an electronic nose and a panel of 19 human sniffers — and this small, beer-washed square from France's northern coast beat them all. A follow-up test in 2007 confirmed the title. It still holds it.

The Cheese

A Modern Invention With an Old Soul

Unlike most famous French cheeses, Vieux Boulogne is young. It was developed in 1982 by cheesemaker Antoine Bernard and the celebrated affineur Philippe Olivier, near Boulogne-sur-Mer in Pas-de-Calais — which is why it also goes by Sablé du Boulonnais. It is a raw cow's milk cheese, unpressed and pre-salted, formed into a distinctive square about 11 centimeters across and weighing up to 500 grams.

Washed in Beer for Seven to Nine Weeks

The secret weapon is the rind. During its seven to nine weeks of aging, the cheese is repeatedly washed in beer. The wash feeds the rind's community of bacteria and yeasts, which mature the paste — and generate an aroma of legendary intensity: moist, orange-red, and funky enough to announce itself from the next room.

The Smell Test

How Cranfield Crowned a Champion

Dr. Stephen White's Cranfield team combined an electronic nose — technology more often used to detect infections — with a human olfactory panel, testing 15 expert-selected cheeses. The results read like a washed-rind hall of fame: Vieux Boulogne first, then Pont l'Évêque, Camembert de Normandie, Munster, and Brie de Meaux. The mighty Époisses, supposedly once banned from the Paris Métro, finished only tenth.

What the Study Actually Proved

The pattern mattered more than the winner: every top finisher was a washed-rind cheese. Washing a rind in brine, beer, or spirits cultivates the bacteria that produce cheese's most aggressive aromas, and no amount of aging gives a hard cheese the same power — Parmesan and Cheddar sat at the bottom of the smell league.

The Twist: It Tastes Mild

A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Here is what the headlines miss. Cut past the rind and Vieux Boulogne is gentle: soft, elastic, creamy paste with a rich, tangy, mushroomy depth, far milder than its perfume suggests. The funk lives almost entirely in the rind; the interior is the reward for getting close. Spread it on crusty bread — locals pair it with dark beer or a rich red wine, echoing the beer that washed it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Vieux Boulogne really smellier than Époisses?

By the only scientific measurement we have, yes. In Cranfield University's 2004 tests — electronic nose plus a 19-person human panel — Vieux Boulogne ranked first of 15 cheeses, while Époisses placed tenth. A 2007 follow-up test reaffirmed the result.

How should I eat it if the smell is too much?

Let it come to room temperature so the paste turns supple, then eat the interior and leave the strongest part of the rind behind. Served on crusty bread with a dark beer, the flavor reads as rich and mushroomy rather than aggressive — the smell is the bark; the bite is mild.

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