Horseradish Pub Cheese
Andrea Potischman
Jan 29, 2020
The Super Bowl is almost here, be ready people. A day of true indulgence, with dips, sandwiches, wings, guacamole, and so much more. My best advice, for the most anticipated game of the year, do whatever it takes to keep your whole squad satisfied, even if the big game happens to go south. And in case it does, I think this old-school horseradish pub cheese will help you.
Super Bowl Fun Facts:
- According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Super Bowl Sunday is America’s “second-largest food consumption day“, Thanksgiving being the biggest.
- Peyton Manning is the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different teams. Indianapolis Colts in 2007 and the Denver Broncos in 2016.
- Phil Simms was paid $75,000 to shout “I’m going to Disney World” on the field moments after his Giants won Super Bowl XXI. Disney also paid Denver’s John Elway the same amount of money to yell the same thing—just in case his team won.
- Tickets to Super Bowl I, which was played on January 15, 1967, ranged between $6-$12. The average ticket to the Super Bowl last year was $5,240.
- In Las Vegas, more than $115 million is (legally) spent on the Super Bowl every year.
- No sitting president has ever attended a Super Bowl. However, four sitting vice presidents—Spiro Agnew, George H.W. Bush, Al Gore, and Mike Pence—have made Big Game appearances.
- In 1993, Michael Jackson’s halftime performance had higher ratings than the game itself.
- The New England Patriots’ Tom Brady has currently won five Super Bowls, more than any other starting quarterback.
Pub cheese (also called beer cheese) is a traditional bar snack in the United States and the perfect make-ahead spread for game day if you ask me. A type of soft cheese spread mixing two things Americans love; cheese and beer. Most commonly made with a mild cheddar cheese, beer (often an ale style), garlic, and cayenne–it’s that simple. Some recipes, like this one, add an extra zing through the additions of dry mustard and horseradish which I think elevates it to a whole new playing field.
Where pub cheese came from truthfully depends on whom you ask. While there are conflicting stories about pub cheese’s origins, it appears to have first been served in the early 1940s at a restaurant in Clark County, Kentucky known as Johnny Allman’s. The owner of the restaurant, John Allman, credits the savory invention to his cousin, Joe Allman, a chef in Phoenix, Arizona.
No matter the origin, this horseradish pub cheese is a simple, go-to favorite for the biggest day in sports of the year, and the best part, is it compliments the the most commonly had drink of game day—beer!
Horseradish Pub Cheese
Ingredients:
- 14 ounces cheddar cheese, small cubes
- 6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup light beer
- 1/2 teaspoon ground prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
- In the bowl of a Cuisinart, fitted with a blade attachment, add the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, beer, horseradish, ground mustard, paprika and garlic powder. Mix on high until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Serve with pitta chips, crackers or bread.
Delicious! I tripled the horseradish per taste. Not all horseradish are the same spiciness. I’m so glad to have this recipe since the pub cheeses you can buy in the stores have so many chemicals. Thanks!
Hi there. Thanks so much for reaching out and for your lovely comment. Glad you enjoyed this recipe, it is one of my favorites. And I agree with you about horseradish, it is absolutely something you must adjust to taste. Between store-bought and fresh, there is always a lot of variation.
I make a similar recipe, but this has a little bit more ‘zing’ so am going to try soon. Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it!
Have you ever tried an IPA beer with this mixture?
Hi Chris-
Thanks so much for reaching out. I have not tried this recipe using an IPA but I think it work just perhaps be even more flavorful, more hoppy, which may be wonderful flavor-wise. Do lmk if you try it. Love IPA’s so this could be a game-changer.
Be well,
Andrea
This is absolutely delicious, and so easy to make! I used extra horseradish because I wanted that extra zing. It really is foolproof. I added a little more cheese than called for in the recipe so added a bit more beer to compensate and it came out beautifully. I’ve made it twice now, it lasts in the fridge for quite a while. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe!
Thanks Larine for your lovely comment. I am a big pub cheese fan and I agree, this recipe is very easy. Love how you modified it to your tastes. I hope you have a lovely holiday and thanks again of reaching out.