Lime-Beer Soft Pretzels and Cheese Sauce!

Recently I found a couple of recipes on Leinenkugel's website that I wanted to try and make-Soft Pretzels and Beer Cheese Spread.  They sounded so easy to make and, as I learned today, they are (and tasty!)  To view the recipes go to their site www.leinie.com , (sorry-I can't link the recipes because they're a beer site, so you have to enter your bday), and on the left side of the page click on "Peg's Kitchen" and then choose "Breads and Breakfasts" and you'll see the soft pretzel recipe.  For the cheese spread click on "Appetizers" and you'll see it.  Both these recipes call for Leinenkugel beer so I was happy to add that, but when I got to the store today, they didn't have the kind I wanted.  Instead I subbed it with Miller Chill (a light lime beer).  I also grabbed a couple of limes to throw into the recipe.

For the bread I added, along with the lime beer, the zest from one lime in with the flour, and a half of lime's juice on top of the pretzels to help the salt stick instead of using an egg.  When I bit into the warm, soft pretzel it was so fresh tasting because of the lime!  Very refreshing!

For the cheese spread (really more a sauce) I added, along with the lime beer, a half of lime's juice instead of the horseradish.  It turned out to be a good spread, but ended up being a little tart from the sharp cheddar it calls for along with the lime flavors that I added.  I suggest using mild cheddar or a mix of white and yellow cheeses.  Enjoy and if the store doesn't have the beer you're looking for, just be clever and mix it up!

When in doubt of what beer you think you'd like to try, ask someone who knows!

Ok-you got me! This post is not a craft or decoration or food, but it does make life more fun and enjoyable...which I would say is clever :)

Last week I stopped into my local Whole Foods in search of the beer that I've been loving lately, Rising Moon by Blue Moon. Blue Moon's site describes Rising Moon as "Wheat Ale with extra zest...Crisp with a subtle citrus taste...Brewed with fresh Kieffer lime leaves and peel." It's fresh-tasting without being too heavy, but enough flavor so it's not a bottle of water. The lime hints are in sync with my anticipation for spring!

Back to the story: I got to the beer section and noticed an employee stocking brew. After looking at the bottles I was sad not to see my Moon. I turned to the employee and asked him if there were any citrusy beers like Rising Moon. He told me that it was a little early in the season for the store to carry the limey-lemmony flavored beers that I was craving, so instead he suggested that I try Wittekerke.

I learned that Wittekerke is a wheat beer imported from Belgium He said it was, "what Blue Moon is trying to be". I bought it, brought it home, and determined that it's a great beer! It's fragrance isn't necessarily citrusy, but more floral. It's full flavored and not bitter. I love it! I would have never tried this beer if I hadn't been steered towards it. So I say to you, when in doubt of what beer you think you'd like to try, ask someone who knows! Thanks clever Whole Foods beer guy! :)