Smoked Gouda Cheese is real cheese that is made from pasteurized cow's milk and it's a Dutch Cheese.
Some Artisian Varieties of Gouda Cheese are made using Sheep Milk or Goat milk but other varieties such as the Dutch Gouda Cheese use mostly Cow Milk.
The Gouda Cheese including the smoked Gouda Cheese is one of the most popular cheeses in the world.
The smoked Gouda Cheese is smoked in brick ovens using flaming hickory chip embers which gives it the smoke flavor.
Gouda Cheese just like any other cheeses does eventually go bad especially after you remove the wax wrapping from the Gouda Cheese.
You should keep the wax wrapping on the Gouda Cheese and keep the Gouda Cheese Refrigerated to extend it's shelf life.
When kept wrapped in the wax the Gouda Cheese should be good for a few years and maybe even longer as long as you keep the Gouda Cheese refrigerated.
Once you remove the wax wrapping from the Gouda Cheese then you should eat the Gouda Cheese within a week or two.
After 2 weeks the Gouda Cheese will go bad and if there is any mold or bad smells from the Gouda Cheese then it's bad and should be thrown out.
The reason that Gouda Cheese is wrapped in wax is to help with the aging process of the cheese and help keep mold off the cheese.
The wax on the Gouda Cheese helps prevent unwanted mold growth and retains moisture while the cheese ages.
Some other cheeses have the wax on them as well to help during the aging process.
When you get the cheese make sure to remove the wax before eating it as the wax would not be very tasty and should not be eaten anyway.
However keep the wax on the Gouda Cheese until you're ready to eat the Gouda Cheese as it helps preserve it.
If you remove the wax and don't eat the Gouda Cheese then the Gouda Cheese may go bad sooner.