Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Jay D's Bites: Coffee Rub Braised Short Ribs with Grits

You can never go wrong with the enticing aroma of falling-off-the-bone beef short ribs. The longer the short ribs are braised, the more they pack in flavor. The sweetness of the barbecue sauce paired well Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub to balance the richness of the grits. We served the short ribs with the braising liquid or jus so to saturate the creamy grits. The flavor complexity of this dish is ideal for your next family meal or dinner party.


Coffee Chile Rub Braised Beef Short Ribs with Grits

Serves 6

Photo: Jordan Hefler Photography
Photo: Jordan Hefler Photography


6 beef short ribs
½ cup onions, small dice
½ cup celery, small dice
½ cup carrots, small dice
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
¼ cup green onion whites
1 quart beef stock, divided
2 Tbsp Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub
1 cup Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce
1 cup grits
1 quart heavy cream
Pinch kosher salt
Brown short ribs over medium high heat, with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove and set aside. Cook onion, celery, carrots and garlic until soft. Deglaze pan with ½ cup beef stock. Add Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub and Barbecue Sauce. Add the rest of beef stock and braise 3-4 hours covered.

Instructions for Grits:
In a saucepan, heat up 1 quart heavy cream to a simmer and whisk in grits and salt. Simmer about 20 min or until absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Monday, February 26, 2018

Burgers with Chuck: Building Dreams at Burgersmith

by Chuck P

Here’s a question I’d like to pose to you that I’ve been asked numerous times:

If you were building your dream burger, what would be on it?
Sounds like an easy question right? But really it takes some thought. The amount of toppings you can put on a burger is almost infinite. You have to carefully consider the consistency of the bun, the variables of wet and dry ingredients and how the flavor profile of your selected toppings will mix with the choices you’ve made. There are a number things that could turn building your dream burger into your worst nightmare.

With that being said, I was recently put to task with creating a “dream burger” of sorts that would be all around blog worthy by the boss man himself Jay Ducote at one of our recent Between The Buns recordings at Burgersmith on Perkins. In between segments, we were trying to decide which burger to order when Jay thought it would be a good idea for me to create my own burger and make it as crazy as possible. Far be it for me to back down from a burger challenge! I happily agreed and began going over their list of toppings on the menu.

My brain was in overdrive looking over all the choices that were offered. But before I could get too excited I had to take a step back and think of what flavors would work perfectly on this burger.

My first choice was the patty itself. The brisket patty seemed to be calling out to me. If you’ve never had a burger with that patty I highly suggest you do. Next were the toppings. I decided to go with some of my favorites-- cheddar cheese, bacon and a fried egg. I then added the creole mayo, but still felt something was missing. Looking over the offerings again I spotted the one choice I knew would be a perfect addition: the house-made chili.

Sitting back and looking over the choices my mouth was watering. Now I just needed to finish it off and choose a bun. I looked over at Angie, Burgersmith’s Marketing Director and asked one simple question, “Could I get grilled cheese sandwiches as buns?”

She replied, “Yes but you should probably use the child’s size so the bread won’t be as thick and you can bite into it better.” She knew what I was getting at.

With that answer, my dream burger was on its way to becoming a reality.

As we continued to record radio segments with Angie I couldn’t keep my mind off of this potential beauty. I felt pretty solid in my choices, but sometimes just because you think you’re right doesn’t mean it always works out. I’ve burned myself a few times trying to go crazy with burger toppings that seemed like they’d work but didn’t.

And then...it arrived! My dream burger aptly named The Chuck P Over The Top Burger had come to fruition.

The Chuck P Over The Top Burger at Burgersmith
The Chuck P Over The Top Burger at Burgersmith


It completely exceeded my expectations. This burger looked EXACTLY like I pictured it in my head. The ends of the bacon glistening, the chili pouring over the toppings like a waterfall of deliciousness and the beautiful buttery grilled cheese buns almost moved me to tears. It was almost too perfect to eat. Almost...

Biting into my dream burger was euphoric. The flavor combinations couldn’t have been more perfect with the chili battling everything else to be the star of the show. Every topping I picked came through in each bite. It was a glorious achievement that met every delicious expectation that I had and then some.

After taking a few pics and posting to my Facebook and Instagram pages, my feeds were flooded with a sea of comments from those who were in complete awe of my burger baby!

There were even a few folks who went to Burgersmith and actually ordered my creation!

After the smoke had settled, I sat back and reflected on what I had just brought to life from the top of my grease soaked brain. What a delicious accomplishment, but could such a thing be tried a second or third time? Could I match or even top what was just laid before me?

Stay tuned true believers...

Friday, February 23, 2018

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Juju Imperial IPA

by Eric Ducote

Hey everyone, welcome back to another Feature Beer Friday!  Initially I had another beer in mind for this week's post, but that was before I swung by Tin Roof Brewing last weekend and tried their latest release, the Juju Imperial IPA.  This isn't Tin Roof's first attempt at an Imperial IPA, but it is the first one to be canned, and the improvements shown at Tin Roof over the last few years had me really excited to give it a try.

The crowd was already pretty solid when I got there about 30 minutes after opening, but it didn't take long at all to get a pour of the Juju from Greg behind the bar.  My initial thought was that the color was on point for the current overwhelming trend of hazy juice-bomb IPAs.  The recipe for this one is essentially a doubled up Voodoo, aiming for twice the abv (alcohol by volume) and using twice the amount of hops, which are limited to the simcoe and citra varieties.  I was also informed that even though the can labels list the abv at 9%, it actually fermented stronger than expected all the way to a 10.5% beer.  Personally I think this really helps the beer as the yeast chewed through even more of the fermentable sugars leaving less residual sweetness and a more minimalist canvas to showcase the hops.

The aroma on this one is pure hops, citra dominates with expected tropical citrus flavors that fill the nostrils.  The taste is more of the same with a silky smooth mouthfeel, an explosion of citrus hoppiness and a bit of a bitter piney backbone due to the simcoe hops as well. It was an exceptionally easy drinker considering the 10.5% abv.  After a few rounds at the brewery I bought a couple of 4-packs to take home, as this was definitely a beer I wanted to try again. 


Most of the Bite and Booze team was also at Tin Roof enjoying some Juju, so I figured I'd ask them what they thought as well.  Jay said, "Boozy, hoppy and juicy - a great combination of flavors that hold up to the Imperial IPA name while building on the strength of the Voodoo Pale Ale backbone. I couldn't stop drinking them at the release party, and that's rare for me and a double IPA like this." Blair agreed that she couldn't stop drinking them, and referred to it as "sneaky."  As John Turturro would say about this beer, "I fear you are underestimating the sneakiness."

The general consensus among everyone I spoke to is that Tin Roof really hit a home run with this release.  This is a welcome addition to the local beer scene and it's on par with the hops coming out of other breweries in the state.  I'm pretty sure it's all sold out by the time I'm even writing this, let alone posting it but there are plans to make some more (from what I'm told, a 30 barrel batch compared to this 10 barrel release) in the near future.  In the meantime if you have a friend that wants to share, take them up on the offer!  And if you are reading this in time, Tin Roof is planning on releasing a new Haze Hunt Triple IPA this Saturday (2/24/18) so go give it a try.  

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

A Good Day for Coffee

by Elizabeth Courville, intern

February 3, 2018 was a good day for coffee in Southern Louisiana; not just any coffee, but specialty coffee to be exact. Specialty grade coffee refers to the use of beans that are produced in special and ideal microclimates. The SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) makes the standards and scores coffee beans on a 100-point scale, with anything above 80 being graded as “specialty.” The specialty coffee industry in the U.S. is growing more and more each year, but Baton Rouge has been a little behind on the game… until now.

The Cafeciteaux Cupping at Java Mama
The Cafeciteaux Cupping at Java Mama


Cafeciteaux Coffee Roasters out of Baton Rouge hosted a free/public coffee cupping and tasting at Java Momma. Steve and Chris are fairly newer to roasting, but don’t let that scare you off – they are producing some delicious coffees. Participants got to taste 3 of their coffees which included their new, outstandingly balanced and tasty Guatemala San Pedro La Lagunana single origin. Their coffee can be found in multiple local grocery stores here in Baton Rouge including Calandro’s Supermarkets, Redstick Spice Company, Oak Point Fresh Market and Alexander’s Highland Market.

In the same weekend New Orleans hosted the kick-off of Coffee Champs. This was the US Coffee Championships qualifying event hosted by the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America). A $17 ticket bought you access to 2 days-worth of tasting both sponsor and competitor coffees, information sessions with some of the best roasters in the country, learning how to brew - by true professionals, barista competition viewing and tons of awesome merchandise.

Exploring the Roaster Village
Exploring the Roaster Village


In the “Roaster Village” there were two local roasting companies based out of Louisiana – Rêve Coffee Roasters (locations in both Lafayette, and one opening up in the White Star Market in mid city Baton Rouge) and also French Truck Coffee (multiple locations in New Orleans, and one in mid city Baton Rouge). Rêve Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee company that micro-roasts every batch and ships the beans on the day they are roasted – guaranteeing some of the freshest coffee that you will ever taste. French Truck is another local roasting company that uses super fresh beans and roasts in small batches. Representatives from Light House Coffee could be found perusing around Coffee Champs as well. Light House Coffee is a specialty shop with a cause, that is looking to open its doors in March 2018. Light house will be hiring and helping refugees and displaced people coming into Baton Rouge.






The schedule for Coffee Champs looked like 10:00am-6:00pm days, followed by after parties at local New Orleans coffee shops. It was certainly a caffeine packed weekend! There are a lot of new and exciting things happening in the Baton Rouge coffee world! Give these local specialty shops some love whenever you get the chance! Your taste buds will thank you later.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Burgers with Chuck: The Return of Dearman's

by Chuck P

Since opening its doors in the late 1950’s at the Bocage Village Shopping Center as a pharmacy and soda shop, Dearman’s has been a Baton Rouge landmark. Throughout the years their classic cheeseburger became known as one the best in town with people crowding the tables and counter for lunch and dinner to get their hands on one.

Unfortunately, on March 1st of 2016, a fire roared through the back of the restaurant causing over $500,ooo in damages. To add insult to injury, their lease was terminated a week later. With no plans of opening at a different location it seemed like Dearman’s legacy had come to an end.

Eventually with a rallying cry from its loyal customers and Save Dearman’s Facebook Pages being created, the future of this beloved establishment was shining bright once again. With a new 5 year lease in hand construction started to bring Dearman’s back to life and at 11pm on December 18th the doors opened again to greet hungry and loyal fans who were craving one thing: that delicious classic cheeseburger.


Dearman's Classic Double Cheese Burger with Bacon and Grilled Onions
Dearman's Classic Double Cheese Burger with Bacon and Grilled Onions


There’s really not much you can say about the Dearman’s burger that hasn’t already been said before. It’s a simple burger that needs no gimmicks. My only additions when I order are bacon (because...well, bacon) and grilled onions. The juiciness of the perfectly seasoned patties (don’t be a fool, get a double) covered in melted cheese is absolute perfection and the buns are always soft and fresh. Every bite leaves you wanting more. Add to that some tasty house cut fries and one of their signature malts or milkshakes (vanilla milkshake every time), and you’ve got yourself one hell of a meal.

After many years spent eating Dearman’s I was worried that after the fire I’d never get a chance to enjoy one of their delicious burgers again. I’m sure glad I was wrong. It’s good to have such a beloved local staple back in business. Welcome back Dearman’s! A true Baton Rouge classic!

Friday, February 16, 2018

Feature Beer Friday: Fremont Brewing's Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout

by Eric Ducote

Hello everybody, and welcome to the first Bite and Booze edition of Feature Beer Friday!  This is a reprisal of a segment I used to write (nearly) weekly for my old beer blog, BR Beer Scene.  Basically every Friday I'll be featuring a new beer with some background information, a review, and if I'm sharing it, what my friends think about the beer.  I used to score each one based on a 100-point scale focusing on 4 critical aspects, but this time around I think it'll just be a general review.  There is never a shortage of beer laying around the Bite and Booze HQ, so look for an eclectic mix of beers both locally and from around the world.

Today's choice is one from the Bite and Booze cellar, the 2015 Coffee Edition release of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout from Fremont Brewing out of Seattle, Washington. I recently hosted a baby shower (good times ahead!) over at the Bite and Booze HQ, and Jay was more than willing to break this one out for everyone to try! If you think there's a lot going on in that lengthy beer name, you're absolutely right. This stout features layers upon layers of flavor.  The base beer is their Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout, which is then aged for up to 18 months in bourbon barrels, before being blended with barrels of different ages and bottled with coffee added.  Fremont Brewing releases this specialty once a year around the middle of October.

First thoughts on the appearance is that there is minimal head, but that's not really surprising for a 2+ year aged beer that clocks in at 14% alcohol.  As long as it's not flat it should still be good to drink, and this one was perfectly carbonated for an aged imperial stout.

The nose on this one is crazy complex, with roasted chocolate notes coming through from the base beer, coffee present but not as strong and the bourbon aging dominates giving a bright oak and vanilla overtone to the richly dark base.  If I was still keeping score this would earn a nearly perfect mark for the aroma.

The taste is more of the same, just a well layered complex imperial stout where all the flavors play well but also compliment each other.  The bourbon barrel aging is still the star of the show, but the coffee and dark malts support it extremely well.  A bourbon barrel aged beer without a strong and flavorful base can start to taste too much like whiskey without body, and this beer's base more than supports the bourbon flavors imparted upon it.  It finishes smooth, the 14% abv is well concealed by the stronger flavors, maybe too well as this is an easy sipper!

Fortunately I had a few friends to share this beer with, or the strong abv and amazing flavors would have combined to sneak up on me.  If you are ever up in Seattle or see some Fremont Brewing beers on the shelf elsewhere, give them a try.  And if you see some of their Dark Star series, bring me one!  Cheers!

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Jay D's Bites: Pimento Cheese Cornbread

Cornbread is a staple in the typical Southerner’s diet. It is used to soak up your favorite stews, as a side with your collard greens, or simply serve it with butter for breakfast. While delicious just as it is, cornbread adapts to all kinds of personal touches. So we added our famous pimento cheese to this cast iron cornbread. The star in this recipe is Jay D’s Spicy and Sweet Rub; mix it in the butter slathered on top before chowing down.


Pimento Cheese Cornbread

Serves 8-12

1½ cups cornmeal
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
16 oz Jay D’s Pimento Cheese (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350℉. Combine dry ingredients. Add all wet ingredients plus pimento cheese. Mix until combined. Place in buttered cast iron skillet. Bake 35-40 min or until golden brown and is pulling away from skillet.

Jay D’s Pimento Cheese:
2 Tbsp Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard
12 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
12 oz Smoked Gouda Cheese, grated
1, 4-oz jar diced pimentos, rinsed

Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl and allow to marry flavors for at least 30 minutes.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Wakey Whiskey: Cane Land Distilling's Original Mississippi Floated Whisky

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, and a fantastic Mardi Gras to you all!  My employer graciously gives us all the day off for Fat Tuesday, so what better way to celebrate the culmination of Carnival than a little wakey whiskey?  For this morning's selection I went over to the Bite and Booze HQ and found a local Louisiana whiskey from Cane Land Distilling in downtown Baton Rouge.  Cane Land is a relative newcomer to the Louisiana alcohol scene, having opened their doors on St. Phillip St. in 2017.  They produce their rum and vodka from their Louisiana sugar cane plantation and mill, making it a true "estate" product that is harvested, mashed, distilled, and bottled all by the same company.

Cane Land's whisky on the other hand is not grown locally but instead hails from the historic practice of floating barrels of American whiskey on barges down the rivers of Kentucky and Tennessee into the Mississippi and subsequently South to the ports of Louisiana. Cane Land recreated that process by sourcing Tennessee whiskey at a minimum of 5-years aged and transporting the filled oak barrels by barge all the way down to Louisiana, and then finishing the spirit in cognac vats before being bottled locally.  Harking on this process, Cane Land refers to their whiskey as Original Mississippi Floated Whisky. I reached out to Cane Land and their GM John Landry told me that so far they have brought down one barge full containing 150 53 gallon barrels, and they intend on doing it again. They bottle their whisky at 80 proof, or 40% alcohol and it's sold directly out of the tasting room, in local retail outlets, and can be found at several local bars.

OMFW Original Mississippi Floated Whisky from Cane Land
Cane Land's OMFW - Original Mississippi Floated Whisky

Enough background, it's time to get into the whisky. The color is in the amber range, darker than straw but not quite getting into copper territory.  The aroma is extremely pleasing, a strong oak presence followed up by a fruity sweetness from the cognac finishing.   I feel like the cognac really improves the aroma by balancing out the candy corn sweetness typical from a corn mash whiskey.

The taste is more of the same, surprisingly smooth, with delicate fruity sweet notes playing well with the more bold oak char flavor of the barrel aging.  The alcohol sensation is minimal, and there is a lingering vanilla and cinnamon finish that adds an additional layer of complexity.  I think it was a smart move by Cane Land to source their whiskey rather than start out with a young and unpleasant offering.  I don't know for sure if they intend to produce their own whiskey mash in the future, but we can only hope that it turns out as tasty as this offering.

With that, I hope you all have a fantastic Fat Tuesday, enjoy yourself a #wakeywhiskey of your own, and cheers!

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Beers with Chuck: Attacus Atlas from Parish Brewing

by Chuck P

I know I’m a bit late to the party with my review of this beer. After I received these from my good friend Buddy Etheridge things got pretty busy here at Bite and Booze HQ. Then I was attacked by the vicious flu not once, but TWICE which put me and my taste buds out of commision for about a month. Now that I’m back from what felt like the grip of death I felt the time to break out my 4-pack of Attacus Atlas from Parish Brewing had come.




This Triple IPA is packed with a crazy amount of Galaxy hops and Idaho 7, a fairly new hop that was released in 2015, to counter the amount they had to use to get the high 9% ABV. Honestly, I didn’t get a lot of booziness from it as I expected but I’m sure after a few of these it would creep up on you.

Attacus Atlas pours a nice yellow/orange mimosa-esque hue which is pretty much what most of the juicy IPA’s tend to look like, at least to me. The aroma is a mild mix of orange and mango, but my nose still may not be 100% yet. Taste wise the hop juice hits you right off the bat in a big way. The citrus notes come in nice and smooth with a bit of creaminess. There was some bitterness on the finish but to me it’s very mild.

Once again Parish knocks it out of the park with another strong entry into their ever growing hop portfolio. I’m glad my taste buds were able to get back to normal so I could truly enjoy this beer. Let’s all hope this one shows itself more often.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Jay D's Bites: Bánh Mi Burger

Burgers are one of the most versatile dishes anyone can make. From the type of protein used to the flavor profile, a burger can take on many forms. We wanted to steer away from the traditional type and do a play on a Vietnamese sandwich favorite, a Bánh Mi. We seasoned our pork patty with Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub along with a hint of ginger and green onions. For the sauces we used a cilantro yogurt and converted Jay D’s BBQ sauce into an Asian glaze then topped it with pickled carrots, cucumber and jalapeño.


Bánh Mi Burger

Serves 4

Pickling Brine:
1 cup water
1 cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 large carrot
1 cucumber
1 Jalapeno

Using a vegetable peeler, cut ribbons of carrot and cucumber. Thinly slice the jalapeños. Put carrots, cucumbers, and jalapenos in separate containers. In a saucepan combine water, rice wine vinegar and sugar over medium heat. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, pour brine into each container until vegetables are submerged. Keep covered and refrigerated overnight.

Pork patty:
1 lb ground pork
¼ cup green onion
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub
¼ cup panko
Season pork and form 4 patties using recipe above. Sear on each side until golden brown and cook for 4-6 minutes total.
Cilantro Yogurt Dipping Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Asian BBQ Sauce:
1 cup Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce
3 oz pineapple juice
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1½ Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3½ Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp mirin
2 tsp cornstarch

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 15 min.
Top patty with BBQ sauce. Toast bun, add cilantro yogurt on both sides, and top patty with pickled vegetables.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Wakey Whiskey: I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon


by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, and welcome to an unfortunately Saints-less Super Bowl Sunday.  I was really hoping to be drinking this morning in support of the Black and Gold, but I guess I'll just raise an early morning toast to football as a whole. I honestly don't know who I'm going to be cheering for this evening... I'm not partial to either team, I don't have some sort of irrational hatred of the Patriots, I don't have any affinity for the Eagles... so I guess I'll just be hoping for some thrilling football.  The best way to start off a day of thrilling football?  How about a hopefully thrilling glass of wakey whiskey?

This morning I raided the Bite and Booze whiskey stash and found a media sample of an I. W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.  This sample was bottled at 82 proof, and upon a little research is one of two I. W. Harper bourbons on the US market, the other being a 15-year aged variety of the same base mash.  Personally, I had never heard of I. W. Harper, so off to the Google I go... and it turns out this brand has been around since the 1870s, created by German immigrant Isaac Wolfe Bernheim.  He ended up settling in the Louisville area and started a distillery creating the I. W. Harper (thoughts are he changed the last name for marketing reasons) brand.  Currently the name is owned by Diageo, and the whiskey is still produced at the I. W. Bernheim distillery in Louisville (a more modern version of, at least) before being aged at the Stitzel-Weller facility, then bottled at a Diageo facility in Tennessee that is associated with George Dickel, another Diageo brand.  For some time this brand focused on foreign markets, particularly Japan, but in 2015 I. W. Harper was brought back to the American market.

Okay, enough history, how about the whiskey, right?  As for the color, I'm looking at a mid-range amber, not richly deep bordering on ruby red like the recent Super Blue Blood Moon, but not as light as straw either.  The nose is innocent and inoffensive, with hints of honeysuckle, a bit of vanilla, and a fructose sweetness from the corn in the mash.  There's nothing bad here, but nothing that really gets me excited either.  On to the palate, my first impression is that the body is a little on the light side, maybe this could have been cut down a little less and bottles at 90-100 proof instead of 82?  The ethanol flavors are pretty strong in this one despite the low proof, and there is a lack of complexity on the tongue, with a bit of oak, and a stronger dash of licorice.  All in all, a fairly forgettable whiskey, unfortunately.


And on that note, let us all hope that this is not a forgettable Super Bowl.  I'm not a fan of either team, so I just want to see some good football!  Cheers!


Friday, February 2, 2018

Jay D's Bites: Molasses Mustard Beer Cheese

by Jay Ducote

I'm excited to share that I've teamed up with Morton Salt to help #EraseFoodWaste, which is especially timely with The Big Game taking place tomorrow! Did you know that this Sunday is the second biggest food consumption day of the year? Yep, only beat by Thanksgiving! That means lots of leftovers, and lots of great options for next-day meals to reuse that extra food!

If you're entertaining like me, I can pretty much guarantee that you've already got two of the most essential ingredients for any football party: beer and cheese! I’m making my Molasses Mustard Beer Cheese - the perfect dip for pretzel bites to enjoy during The Big Game. The best part about this recipe? You can use the leftover pretzel buns and beer cheese to make pulled pork sandwiches for Monday night dinner!

Along with Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard, this dip featuring both beer and cheese will warm your body and soul no matter who you're cheering for. We used Avery Brewing Co. TWEAK Stout to add a deep flavor along with the Molasses Mustard, which balances well with the tangy and sweet notes of the mustard, and a touch of Morton's Kosher Salt to bring it all together.

For a perfect dip, we used some local pretzel brioche buns from Rösch Bakehaus, but you can use whatever you’d like.

Molasses Mustard Beer Cheese

Serves 10-12
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard
12 oz stout beer
1 tsp horseradish
1 quart warm milk
3 cloves garlic, microplaned/finely grated
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp Morton kosher salt

In a saucepan, combine butter and flour over medium heat to make a blonde roux; stir constantly. Add milk, stout beer, horseradish, garlic, Molasses Mustard and dried seasonings. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat and whisk in cheese.