Most of us suppose that beer cheese must have originated somewhere in the Dairy State, home of cheeseheads and more bars per capita than anywhere. But according to Garin Pirnia, author of The Beer Cheese Book, the creamy spread was invented in her home state, Kentucky, which hosts the Beer Cheese Festival every June in the otherwise sleepy town of Winchester. Origin stories aside, Pirnia includes recipes that spruce up the spread with everything from Worcestershire sauce and cayenne to garlic and jalapeños. And yes, before loyal Badgers march on Kentucky with pitchforks and flaming torches, Wisconsin gets several pages in The Beer Cheese Book. Wisconsin Cheese Mart is mentioned along with Chef Kristin Hueneke for her iteration of beer cheese made from that Dairyland favorite, cheese curds, soaked in Lakefront coffee stout.
