I know I’m supposed to keep the curd warm in the press.  How long should this be - the first one or two pressing cycles, or the entire 12 hours?  Second, when brining, what should be the brine be - room temp or cold?  Third:  my first Gouda was very mild tasting, while the others were all quite sharp.  What should it be?  The recipe I used (Ricki Carroll’s) says it should be “tangy.”

I don’t know Ricki’s recipes. Personally, I like the cheese is tangy. As for the pressing temperature, I didn’t find any specific definition. About brining temperature, the theory says, the cooler the brine is, less “taste” of it will be absorbed into the cheese.
The brine I mostly use is:
1 liter water
200 grams salt (Na+Casein causes sticky layer on the cheese)
1 shallow ts CaCl (to neutralise the above)
3-4 Tbs 5% natural vinegar (optional to add some acidity)

PS: The brine may be stored in the fridge for 1-2 years, it’s for multiple use. When you make new brine and start using, because the cheese absorbs part of the salt and CaCl, you have to add the next 3-4 times salt until saturation and some CaCl per your best estimation.

I just read a Dutch book devoted to the making of Dutch style cheeses. All these cheeses are based on the recipe for Gouda. In the chapter about pressing, there is one paragraph which talks about the importance of heat retention in the pressed curds. I will try to translate it here as best to my ability:
“It is extremely important that the cheese does not cool during filling of the form and pressing. Wooden forms are pre-warmed before being filled with the curds; this is very beneficial for the rind formation of the cheese. Especially with the use of plastic forms it is very important to avoid cooling of the curds. While pressing, they are often covered with plastic. Sometimes specially designed press-boxes are used. Avoid all drafts from windows and doors.”

Another note on this subject says: “Too much whey will remain in the edges of the cheese if this cools too much. The fermentation of lactose into lactic acid is slowed down.”

No times are mentioned, but as far as I understand it try, to prevent cooling as much as possible. Here are some pictures from the book.

Good luck

brine should be @ 15 C

But for me, i put it in fridge 5C or so and prolong the bringing time. for 8 gallons milk Gouda wheel i brine for 48 hours in fridge.

it is important that u put ur curds quickly into mold before it gets cool, do not be panic too much, of course i am not expecting u to press in room with wind draft and less than 15 C !! why , because meso need to complete it’s work in the first 12 to 20 hours during pressing, and should not be so cold.
Gouda must be brined not dry salted like cheddar ...

regarding taste, u need to make a less moisture Gouda by cooking higher to 38-39C and age it longer than 3 month (at least).

Thanks for the input you guys.  I did the Gouda yesterday.  The mold was a sched. 80 PVC, so it was rather thick-walled.  I preheated it in hot water.  Then, after adding the curd to the press, I wrapped it with a towel to hold in the heat.  After the first two pressing cycles it was still quite warm to the touch.  However, when I removed it at the final press, it was not well compacted - there were noticeable air spaces and the wheel felt quite spongy.  I’m about to take it out of the brine in another hour or so.

“it was not well compacted - there were noticeable air spaces”

how much weight did u use ? this is not OK, and the cheese should have firm closed rind… dip it in hot water 60C for 30 minutes and then repress it

Yeah, I’ve never had a Gouda turn out like this one.  I used 110 lbs for the press.  After brining is felt quite firm, but the texture is not what it should be.

did u press under whey?

No.  But I never had before either; so that does not account for the difference.