Pub Cheese, beer Cheese, whatever you want to call it. It’s delicious and can be ready to eat in less than 15-minutes.
This pub cheese recipe is an output of an Oktoberfest celebration where beer, cheese, and all things salty are meant to be consumed.
And it all started because I’m a huge pumpkin beer fan. I love tasting allllll the pumpkin beers and luckily my neighbors agreed to host a social distance Oktoberfest celebration this past weekend where we sampled 20 different Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin ales (it was the best!).
To complement the beer we had some traditional Oktoberfest snacks like spätzel, sausages for currywurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and this pub cheese.
Our beer lineup, there’s 19 here but a few more arrived post-photo.
In fact, one of our neighbor’s close friends (Hey Lydia!!!), who’s traveled to Germany many, many times claimed my pub cheese tasted much like what she had in Munich.
So this stuff is legit. Or close enough to it.
Either way, it’s good. And by the end of the night, there wasn’t a lick left in the bowl.
TBH, I’ve never made pub cheese before but as with all my recipes, I looked at a few different versions online before deciding on what mine would consist of. It’s really quite simple and its 100% made in a food processor in less than 15-minutes.
But you need some flat beer.
Before beginning, you need to remember to remove your beer from the fridge, pop the top and, let it come to room temperature. This is so the beer begins to flatten because you don’t want to pour fizzy beer into your food processor.
You can also expedite this process by whisking the room-temp beer in a bowl to help deflate it. Simply whisk it vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Let it rest, and repeat 1-2 more times. You are never going to get it completely flat but the overall frothiness of the beer should die down before you add it to the food processor.
As for the type of beer to use, I’d say any light beer or something amber would be great. I used what I had on hand. However, I’d stay away from anything too robust like stouts, sours, or IPAs.
Other than that, this pub cheese is easy-peasy. It goes great with veggies, crackers, or smeared on to a warm, salty pretzel if that’s your thing. Plus it makes a huge batch so you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
Enjoy!
- 8 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons dried ground mustard
- .5 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (like Frank's or Sriracha, I used Yellow Bird Blue Agave)
- 6 ounces light or amber beer, room-temp and flattened
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onions or chives, optional for topping
- veggies, crackers, or pretzels for serving
- Deflate your beer by letting it stand at room temperature for a while or by whisking it in a bowl for 1-2 minutes, repeating a handful of times until it is no longer frothy. Set aside.
- Place the cheese and garlic in the food processor and pulse until crumbly.
- Add in the Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, onion powder, and hot sauce. Pulse until combined.
- With the food processor running, stream in the flat beer until the mixture comes together. Add in the salt and pepper, pulsing again until combined. Taste and adjust salt & pepper seasoning to your liking.
- Place the pub cheese in a bowl for serving and top with green onion or chives.
