This quick and easy recipe is a surefire winner for any party. There’s a catch, though. If you want this to be anywhere near passable, you can’t go using a run o’ the Miller…or Bud or Coors. You are going to need some real, full-flavored, put some hair on your chest, make you want to bow down to the gods of hops, beer. And don’t be fooled by pretenders to the crown because there are lots of blue kugel tops out there posing as real craft beer, but in reality they are Potemkin villages. Go ahead, take a minute and Google Potemkin village …Okay, got it? Know what I mean now? Okay, back to the recipe…
Now, I’m going to hit you with some more knowledge: the style of beer you use matters to this recipe. Here are some guidelines: Darker beers like porters, imperial stouts and doppelbocks will mellow out the sharp cheddar cheese and garlic in the recipe. Hoppier beers like pale ales, IPAs and Double IPAs will cut through the cheese and garlic to give your dip a nice hop bite. Other, sweeter beers such as Belgian styles and wheat beers will, yup, you guessed it, give you a sweet edge to the flavor. Really, you can’t go wrong making this dip because it’s all about what you want it to be. In fact, I encourage you to make it multiple times and try different styles of beer because, as you’ll see below, half the fun is making the dip!
The Ingredients:
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8 ounces of spreadable sharp cheddar cheese
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8 ounces of block of cream cheese
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Dash of garlic
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6 pack of a fine, well-crafted brew…you’re only going to use ½ a cup of it, but you will need the whole thing…trust me.
Begin by letting the sharp cheddar cheese and the cream cheese sit out and soften up…go ahead and pop a beer while you wait…in fact, maybe it would be better if you had a 12 pack handy rather than just a 6 pack.
Once the cheeses have softened up, put them in a mixing bowl and sprinkle a dash of garlic over them. Open another beer, take a sip, then pour…er…wait, take another sip…ok, now pour ¼ cup of beer into the bowl with the cheese. Sip some more beer…ahhh, it’s so good once it hits your lips.
Using a mixer, begin blending the cheeses, garlic and beer. Keep sipping your brew as the ingredients blend together. If you can, save another ¼ cup of beer to be added to the mix as it blends. Mix until the dip has a smooth consistency.
Now dip with pretzels, veggies, chips or your fingers and be sure to sample the rest of those beers!