Good Beer Hunting

GBH Provisions

GBH Provisions #3 — Anchor Liberty Ale Cheese Dip

If you have a food processor, you're practically already done with this awesome recipe. 

My GBH Provisions collaborator, Emily Berman of 52meals, wanted to make some simple beer cheese dips, but of course, she wanted to give them a little more edge than the heavy, sweet, waxy dips we're so used to getting from the store. So she started experimenting with adding blue cheese to the recipe for some next-level flavor and funk. With such a sharp taste, the blue cheese needed a beer that could provide more than just a novelty in the recipe — it needed to cut through the blue cheese bite. 

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Anchor's Liberty Ale provided exactly that. It's almost hard to believe that this pale ale has been brewed since 1975, commemorating Paul Revere's ride, given it's aggressively hopped Cascade profile. Cascade hops were first used commercially by the now-defunct New Albion Brewery around the same time, securing its place as the hop of choice for American Pale Ales. In that same vein, Liberty ale has a ton of grassy notes, spice and fruit in the finish. It still tastes like a contemporary approach to the style, even after all these years. It was the perfect way to balance out the dip. 

Let's get started (have a beer).

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So here it is, Emily's recipe for Anchor Liberty Ale Cheese Dip — something zesty to eat with all those sweet Thanksgiving leftovers. 

Anchor Liberty Ale Cheese Dip
serves 6-8

8 oz cream cheese
8 oz aged cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
4 oz Anchor Liberty Ale
fresh thyme to garnish

Give your ingredients about 30 minutes on the counter before you begin to get them to room temperature. Combine cheeses in a food processor and give a few pulses to combine. Add the Liberty Ale and process until smooth and creamy. Transfer the spread to a ramekin or serving bowl and refrigerate covered for at least an hour before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with crackers, bread, or apple slices.

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Words + Photos, Michael Kiser Styling + Recipe, Emily Berman