Cooking With Beer – Sierra Nevada Brewing Cheese Pretzel Skillet

American Craft Beer|September 6th, 2025|

A warm Oktoberfest beer cheese skillet with golden brown pull-apart pretzel bites arranged around the cheesy dip set on a wooden table alongside Oktoberfest beer cans, a glass of beer, and grilled sausages in the background.

(Courtesy Sierra Nevada Brewing)

Celebrate Oktoberfest season with this sizzling, shareable crowd pleaser that combines three classics everyone loves: beer, pretzels and cheese.

Cheese dip is good. Cheese dip with pretzels even better. But this hot cheese and pretzel skillet infused with a classic Oktoberfest beer is one of the best “cooking with beer” recipes we’ve ever showcased.

First the beer…

While most Oktoberfest beers will do, we recommend this year’s variation from Sierra Nevada Brewing which we’re big fans of.

A collaboration with Störtebeker, an internationally recognized award-winning German brewer, Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is a 6% ABV modern Festbier which leans into its rich, smooth malt backbone with notes of fresh-baked bread and honey. Traditional German hops (Opal, Perle, Spalter Select, Tradition) provide balanced bitterness and herbal-spicy aroma, rounding things out with a crisp, clean finish.

Let’s do this!

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier six-pack with yellow and black packaging and a single black and yellow can, showcasing the collaborative Störtebeker Edition

(Courtesy Sierra Nevada Brewing)

Sierra Nevada Festbier Cheese Pretzel Skillet

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Oktoberfest lager

2 cups hot water

1/4 cup baking soda

1 can (16.3 oz.) refrigerated biscuits

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Combine hot water and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Stir until baking soda has dissolved.
Remove biscuits from container. Slice each one in half and roll into a ball. Dip into baking soda and water mixture. Place dough balls around the edge of a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Slice an “X” across the top of each dough ball. Sprinkle dough balls with kosher salt.
In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, Oktoberfest, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, garlic powder, and salt. Transfer cheese mixture to the center of the cast-iron skillet.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown and the cheese dip is melted and bubbling.
Top with chives and serve.

###

Want more beer recipes? We’ve got them…

OSKAR BLUES CITRUS-CHILI WINGS

DALE’S PALE ALE STUFFED PIZZA BREAD

BEER CAN TURKEY

CHOCOLATE STOUT BROWNIES