Sommer auf der Bruuchalp

"We are coming to Bruuchalp for the eighth summer from mid-June to the beginning of September. Life here on the alp is work-intensive, but beautiful. It's nice that the whole family can be together. In our daily work, each family member has his or her preferences: Patrik and I prefer to collect the cows, Laura enjoys feeding the pigs and my husband Hansjörg thinks it's wonderful to make products that you can eat yourself. Above all, it is a confirmation when we can bring home a trophy from the cheese awards. In 2015, we won the day with our alpine cheese." Monika Fiegl (alpine farmer) with Hansjörg Fiegl (alpine farmer) and children Laura (15 years) and Patrik (10 years)

The Bruuchalp was built in 1983 and got its name from the vegetation cover of the alpine pastures. The Sennalp covers approx. 220 hectares of alpine pasture. About 60 dairy cows and 9 – 15 pigs spend the summer here. The cows are all from Heinzenberg; most of them from Tschappina and some from Flerden and Urmein.

The day on the Bruuchalp starts early, at 3.30 a.m. there is day watch. In addition to milking the cows twice a day, cleaning the barn and feeding pigs, one of the main tasks of the alpine farmer is also cheesemaking and caring for the cheese.

Bruuchalp products
Alpine cheese, Mutschli (semi-hard, full-fat cheese), Ziger (cream cheese), butter, yoghurt and quark are produced. All products are sold from the alp. In autumn after the descent from the alps, the remaining products are distributed to the farmers according to a distribution key, calculated according to the number of cows and the amount of milk.

Alpine cheese

An alpine cheese is a cheese that is made from alpine milk and on the alp. Cheese produced in the village from alpine milk may only be called mountain cheese. The special spice of the alpine cheese comes from the varied food that the cows on the alp are allowed to eat in summer. The variety of herbs and grasses makes alpine milk tastier and is healthy for the cattle.

If you prefer the one-year-old alpine cheese even more tangy, you can store it even further in your cellar, which makes it spicier. New taste experiments are always being tried out on the Bruuchalp. Some cheese variations, such as herb, garlic, pepper and wine cheese, are very popular. Other experiments remain experiments, such as blueberry, bread clover and caraway cheese.

At the 2016 International Cheese Olympics, the Fiegls won two gold medals with their garlic and olive alpine cheeses and they were awarded the silver medal with the oregano alpine cheese. The recipe of the winning cheeses remains the trade secret of the alpine family.