Bringing new dimensions to Cincinnati’s pre-Oktoberfest festivities, executive chef Jared Bennett is teaming up local author Garin Pirnia for a multi-course dinner based on her book The Beer Cheese Book.

The dishes crafted for this four-course meal will highlight beer cheese in unlikely combinations that challenge the perceptions of what this gooey, culturally rich, and completely gratuitous condiment can become. Beer pairings will accompany each course from Cincinnati’s local breweries Oktoberfest selections including MadTree, Rhinegeist, Braxton Brewing Co., Taft’s Ale House, and Fifty West Brewing Co. The evening will also include chef and author-led comments before each course. Price is $55 per person.

> Seating is limited! Reservations should be made by calling Metropole at 513.578.6660.

ABOUT THE BEER CHEESE BOOK
The ingredients are simple – beer, cheese, and spices – and the result is delicious. Still, beer cheese is a rarefied dish, not commonly found in cookbooks or on menus. Since the 1940s, this creamy appetizer with a kick, traditionally served with pretzels, has quietly found its way into pubs and restaurants throughout the South and Midwest. The original recipe is cloaked in a mystery nearly as deep as the JFK assassination. Ask most makers and they’ll act demure about the contents of their dip. Some refuse to disclose what kind of beer or cheese they use or which extra spices they add. Others keep their preparation instructions secret.