Game Days: Obatzda, a Bavarian Beer Cheese Dip

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

With so much football all winter long, it’s great to have a few go-to cheese dishes in rotation. While my favorite Rhode Island cheese shop, Wedge, makes an incredible pimento cheese, this year I’m excited to make Obatzda, a traditional Bavarian beer-cheese dip. The key is a very ripe wheel of bloomy, Camembert-style cheese, such as Blue Ledge Farm’s Camembrie.

OBATZDA: BAVARIAN BEER-CHEESE DIP

8–10 ounces bloomy rind cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely sliced green onion (including greens)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
4 ounces pilsner (I recommend Idle Hands Brewer’s Select Pilz)

Note: All ingredients should be at room temperature before starting.

Chop the bloomy rind cheese into chunks for easier blending. Add the cream cheese and butter, then use a fork to mash the mixture together to a chunky, paste-like consistency.

Fold in the green onions and paprika.

Blend in the beer, an ounce at a time, until the mixture reaches a dippable consistency. A thicker mixture is better for spreading on bread, soft pretzels and vegetables, while a thinner mixture works better for dipping crackers, chips and hard pretzels.

This recipe appeared in the Winter 2026 issue as part of a larger story: The Winter Cheese Cycle.