I’ve often told others that the best way to find a good cheese is to ask the people behind the counter what they’re loving. The mongers I trust are sampling all day long and they know what’s in great shape. So when a local cheese merchant all but grabbed my arm recently to steer me to a new arrival she loved, how could I leave without some? And I’m in perfect agreement about it. This aged American Gouda is a sure-fire pleaser and a no-brainer for autumn cheese plates with apples and pears. For a slam-dunk pairing, open a malty Oktoberfest brew.

Hootenanny from Pennsylvania’s Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy is the Gouda that so impressed my enthusiastic monger. A firm yet creamy goat’s milk Gouda, it smells like caramel but packs enough salt and acidity to remind you it’s not candy. The creamery describes the aroma as like hickory nuts, which is not in my sensory bank, but the cheese is certainly nutty. This 10-year-old creamery is racking up ribbons in major competitions. Both Hootenanny and the lovely Bamboozle have multiple first-place finishes.

In my view, Gouda doesn’t get interesting until it’s at least six months old. That’s when it starts to develop those seductive scents of caramel, butterscotch and toasted nuts. With a year or more of age, you may get some crunchy bits and fruity notes of cherry or pineapple.

I once asked Betty Koster, a Dutch cheese merchant and affineur, what she looks for in Gouda. “If it’s too salty, I don’t want it,” she told me. “I think it has to be sweet and nutty. You have to taste the crystals, and it has to fill up your palate.”

All the Goudas listed below would meet Koster’s standards, I think. I won’t describe them individually because, apart from the flavor differences imparted by the milk type, they are largely in the same sensory ballpark. Think salted caramel. If you’re not a beer drinker, try an oloroso sherry.

L’Amuse (cow’s milk/The Netherlands): Selected and matured by Betty Koster, L’Amuse is the cheese that opened my eyes to what aged Gouda could be.

Beppie (sheep’s milk/The Netherlands): Selected and matured by the Treur family, affineurs for three generations, Beppie is released a bit younger than most of the Goudas on this list, so it’s a bit less intense and butterscotchy.

Brabander (goat’s milk/The Netherlands): Selected and matured by Betty Koster. Keep your eyes out for the rare Black Betty, an extra-aged version of this cheese.

Jake’s Gouda (raw cow’s milk/New York): Farmstead production by an Amish couple. You can buy young wheels direct from the farm at a great price, but Saxelby’s has 18-month-old wheels that are worth the splurge.

Marieke Gouda (raw cow’s milk/Wisconsin): Nobody gets more ribbons for Gouda at American Cheese Society judgings than Marieke Penterman. This Dutch native has mastered the craft.

Oakdale Gouda (cow’s milk/California): Created by Dutch immigrants in the 1980s and now made by their son, Oakdale Gouda is a textbook example of the style.

Point Reyes Farmstead Gouda (cow’s milk/California): Point Reyes has shortened the aging time on these wheels—from 24 months to about half that. I understand the logistical reasons, and the Gouda is still superb, but I’m hopeful they’ll hold back a few wheels for the extra aging that made them extraordinary.

Rispens (sheep’s milk/The Netherlands): Small-production Gouda from the milk of a single flock of Lacaune sheep, the prized breed used for Roquefort.

Sneek 1000 Day Gouda (cow’s milk/Iowa): Two brothers with Dutch heritage are behind this cheese. One owns the cows; the other makes the cheese. Super-small production but worth the hunt to taste what happens when a Gouda approaches the three-year mark.