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Smoky Beer Cheese

This smoky beer cheese is the perfect vegetarian appetizer for fall! Serve with your favorite IPA or hard cider for Sunday football!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Tbs Salted Butter
  • 2 Tbs All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup IPA Beer
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
  • Black Pepper
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
  • 1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
  • 8 oz Sharp Cheddar
  • 4 oz Asiago

Instructions
 

  • First, hand-grate your cheese and set it aside.
  • Add the butter to a medium saucepan on low heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the flour and stir for about 45 seconds to a minute.
  • Then, add in the beer, milk, salt, spices, mustard, and maple syrup and whisk for about 1 minute, or until mixture is warm.
  • If you have an electric stove, keep the burner on the lowest heat possible. If you have a gas stove, turn the heat off at this stage.
  • Slowly add in your cheese, whisking constantly. If you have an electric stove and the cheese isn't melting, turn the stove back on low heat for up to 30 seconds so that the mixture warms again.
  • Keep adding in all of your cheese until the mixture is totally melted.
  • Serve beer cheese with your favorite pretzels or chips.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  1. DO NOT use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese found in bags contains an anti-caking agent (usually starch) that can make the texture grainy when melted. Be sure to buy a block of the cheese you want so that it can be shredded by hand.
  2. For this recipe, I recommend an IPA or another strong ale. You can use a lighter lager if you want, but you may not need the maple syrup if that's the case. For IPA's and stronger beers, the sugar keeps the cheese from becoming too bitter.
  3. It is imperative that the heat be kept as low as possible while making this recipe, so that the cheese doesn't "break". You'll be able to tell this has happened if the sauce becomes grainy and droplets of oil separate from the melted cheese. But don't worry, I have found that many broken cheese sauces can be saved if you *very carefully* pour the sauce into a high-speed blender, and blend on the highest speed for 45-60 seconds or more.
  4. If you haven't made a cheese sauce or dip before, PLEASE do not skip on the flour. The flour keeps the dip homogenous and is a key ingredient!
  5. Most standard cheese blocks are sold in 8-oz blocks. This should help you measure out your cheese!
Keyword asiago, beer, cheddar, cheese