From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
An American cheese first made in Wisconsin about 1870 by a family of German descent, known in the old country as "box cheese." There is some speculation that an actual brick was used to press the cheese into its trademark form. Brick cheese is made with whole milk, has irregular boils, or eyes, and can be considered a semisoft cheese. It's sweet and mild when young, cream-color and firm-textured, and for this short period it belongs with bland cheeses. As it ages it acquires a formidable potency.
