Name: Beer cheese (home recipe)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 450g extra-sharp cheddar, grated; 180ml flat lager or pale ale, room temperature; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 1 tsp dry mustard; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 0.5 tsp cayenne, plus more to taste; 0.25 tsp salt

History

Johnnie Allman began serving cousin Joe Allman's beer cheese at his Driftwood Inn on the Kentucky River near Winchester in the late 1930s, a salty, cayenne-hot spread designed to keep customers drinking. Hall's on the River now operates on the Driftwood site, Winchester runs a 13-stop Beer Cheese Trail, and the spread long ago colonised Lexington menus, where it arrives with saltines and celery before dinners and ballgames alike.

Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 3 cupsHands-on 15 minTotal 2 hr 15 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

450g extra-sharp cheddar, grated
180ml flat lager or pale ale, room temperature
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
0.5 tsp cayenne, plus more to taste
0.25 tsp salt

Method

Let the beer sit open for 30 minutes so it flattens; cold, fizzy beer makes the spread grainy.
Blitz the cheddar, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, cayenne and salt in a food processor until crumbly.
Stream in the beer with the motor running and process until the spread is smooth but still thick, about 2 minutes.
Taste and push the cayenne to the edge of uncomfortable; beer cheese should bite back.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving with saltines, celery sticks and pickles.

Tip from the editors. Extra-sharp cheddar and a genuinely spicy dose of cayenne are non-negotiable; mild versions taste like plain pub cheese.