Irish Pub Cheese

Irish Pub Cheese is a sharp, tangy and creamy cheese spread made with Irish Cheddar and Irish Lager blended with a hint of spice! It is the perfect appetizer to serve on St. Patrick’s Day or any time!

Back in the 70’s, I remember going out to dinner with my parents, waiting for our table in the bar area. There always seemed to be a complimentary crock of creamy cheddar cheese with crackers to nosh on. It was so good I could have made a meal of it along with my Shirley Temple!

While I haven’t seen that in many a decade, today the charcuterie has become a trend. This creamy cheese is ideal when creating your own special board. As a soft spreadable dip, it is great for crackers, pretzels, and bagel chips. It also lends itself to dipping veggies like celery, carrots, cucumbers and radishes.

Although beer cheese, or pub cheese, seems to have been invented in Kentucky in the 1800’s using German beer, what makes this Irish is the use of good quality Irish cheddar and lager.

The Method Of Irish Pub Cheese

This honestly has to be one of the easiest recipes you will ever make! Toss everything into the food processor and give it a whirl! Every year on Christmas we spend the day grazing on appetizers and I always have a cheese board with pub cheese. No longer will I buy the little plastic tub when I can make it fresh the day before! The best part of making your own is that you control the texture of it. Thick with flecks of cheese or thin more like a dip. It all depends on the amount of beer you add.

Ingredients:

• Irish cheddar…grate your own!
• cream cheese
• ground mustard
• garlic powder
• dried parsley
• cayenne
• Worcestershire sauce
• horseradish
• salt
• Irish Lager
• chives for garnish

Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature. Grate your block of cheddar and let that come to room temp. Throw everything but the beer into your food processor and blend until incorporated. Slowly drizzle in your lager, anywhere from 1-6 ounces depending on the consistency you desire. Scrape into a serving crock and sprinkle chives on top for garnish.

Cook’s Notes:

I adapted my recipe from the Kerrygold recipe which is on the thicker side of a cheese spread. You can totally add more lager to thin it out a bit more for a thinner or more incorporated dip.

This recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd.

Cover and refrigerate leftovers. It will keep for several days, although I doubt you will have to!

The Essential:

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars!