How To Make Beer Cheese Dip

What Is Beer Cheese

Beer cheese is a smooth cheese dip made from cheese, beer, and a myriad of other flavorings. You can eat it with a variety of foods, from crackers and chips to burgers and hot dogs. Beer cheese is savory, creamy, and just plain delicious.

Beer cheese is not usually made from just one kind of cheese rather, it is a variety of cheeses mixed together. Common choices include sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey jack, but almost any kind of cheese works as long as it melts down well.

The reason its called beer cheese is obviously that one of the main ingredients is beer. Flat beer is usually used to maintain a smoother texture, so if you make it on your own, youll need to let the beer go flat before starting.

Another critical ingredient that goes into beer cheese is the seasoning, which varies widely depending on what the creator is going for. Common ingredients include salt, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and even hot sauce if youre looking for a little more spice. Beer cheese goes well with a variety of flavors, and so the extra ingredients can easily fit into any palate.

The best part about beer cheese is that pretty much anyone can make it. Its a simple recipe, and the ingredients are almost always easy to find. This accessibility makes beer cheese one of the most popular snacks to go along with beerand it even makes an appearance in many other dishes.

How To Make Beer Cheese Dip

This cheesy appetizer is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and will probably be enjoyed just as quickly! This starts with a roux to make a thick sauce.

Tip: Shred your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheeses have additives that keeps it from sticking in the bag so it may not melt nicely.

What Is It Made Of

The best beer cheese is made with four main ingredients:

• a good melting cheese
• a milk fat

The latter two help the former two form a better, more cohesive union.

In addition, a number of flavor agents can be added to boost the overall taste. These include:

• aromatic vegetables like onion and garlic
• various seasonings

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Beer Cheese Dip Video

I didnt snap many step-by-step photos of this recipe since the entire process is on the stovetop, so I filmed a quick how-to video instead. Its really important that you see the base of the dip come together. The combination of butter and flour is called a roux and forms a thick paste before we add the remaining ingredients.

What To Serve With Beer Cheese Dip

• Pretzels: the first, best, and most obvious choice – soft, squishy, and salty.
• Bread: if you can’t get your hands on a soft pretzel, go for a soft, fresh bread that’s either dense or chewy . Cut into cubes or tear into bite-sized pieces.
• Veggies: keep it simple with carrot and celery sticks, but don’t sleep on cauliflower and broccoli florets!
• Crispy bites: pretzel rods, tortilla chips, crostini, and even crackers will work, but thinner snacks like potato chips may not hold up.

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Pretzels With Beer Cheese Dip

Need a perfect appetizer to serve to friends for a game night or while watching the game. I got you covered. Whats a better combo than hot, soft pretzels with beer cheese dip? Nothing.I mean the gooey sauce dipped into pretzels are just perfect for an easy and quick throw together dish. If anything pairs well with beer, its a salty snacklike pretzels.Today is National Pretzel Day, how will you celebrate National Pretzel Day? I hope its with this recipe and a cold brewsky.

Making cheese sauce at home is not difficult. Its actually one of the easiest and quickest little recipes around. There is no excuse to buy anything from a can or from a jar. Homemade cheese sauce, made from real cheeses, is the only way to go. Plus, it tastes so much better. All you have to do is throw the ingredients together, mix and bake. Thats it. Easy peasy.

If I was ambitious enough I would make the pretzels myself too, but sometimes I just dont want to be and Im ok with that. When I can get these soft pretzels and all of the other great ingredients from my local Fred Meyer, part of the Kroger family of stores, to cut on prep time, Ill take it. I also use these pretzels a few different ways besides dipping them in cheese. Cut them in half and make a delicious breakfast or lunch sandwich. You must try that too, so good.

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What Youll Need To Make Beer Cheese Dip

Before we get to the step-by-step instructions, a few notes about the ingredients:

Lager is a family of beers that includes bright lagers, amber lagers, dark lagers, Oktoberfests, and pilsners. I used Fat Tire because that what I had on hand, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy!

For the cheeses, its important to buy blocks and grate them yourself the pre-shredded stuff is mixed with an anti-caking agent that will negatively impact the texture of the dip. For the Cheddar, you can use a good supermarket brand, like Cabot or Tillamook. For the Gruyère, look in the gourmet cheese section for a Swiss-made cheese that bears the AOP seal, which shows that the cheese is authentic.

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Why Is Beer Cheese Dip The Best

Beer cheese dip is creamy, cheesy, and has the most amazing taste! It is so delicious and all of the cheeses and hints of garlic and paprika make this the perfect blend of flavorings. The texture is to die for! Its thick and will stick to anything that you dip in it. I love dipping bread, vegetables , and even pretzels or chips. I especially love how versatile it is and how it goes with just about everything!

This beer cheese dip is so easy to make and it is one that everyone will go crazy over! It only takes a few minutes to whip up so its a great one to bring to a last-minute potluck or party. And if you really want to make it fancy then you should make these homemade pretzel rolls to dip in it! This is one of my favorite recipes and I cannot wait for you to try it! Im sure that you will love it as much as I do!

All The Ingredients You Need

You only need 10 ingredients to make this thick and creamy beer cheese dip. Below are the ingredients you need with a few suggestions of substitutions.

• Butter and flour: create a roux that thickens the dip. Make sure to fully incorporate the roux into the milk before adding the cheese.
• Milk: helps thin the sauce so its easy to dip. If your dip becomes too thick after adding the cheese, thin it with a few tablespoons of milk.
• Beer: we are using a lager but you could also use a pale ale, blonde ale, or wheat beer. Just avoid stouts and sours!
• Cheese: we love the combination of mozzarella and cheddar it melts smoothly and gives great flavor! But you could swap out the cheese for what you have on hand gruyere, fontina, monterey jack, etc.
• Garlic powder: adds a bit of earthiness to the dip.
• Ground stone mustard: mustard give the dip that classic pretzel and cheese flavor. Yum! Feel free to swap it for dijon mustard.

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How To Make Creamy Beer Cheese The Recipe Method

First, melt some butter in a pot and stir in your flour. This is what is called a roux. Cook this down, swirling often with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes or so to cook out the raw flour taste. Learn more about How to Make a Roux.

Next, add in your preferred seasonings. Im using spicy chili flakes and some salt, but you can vary it up here, or add none at all for an easy cheese sauce.

Some flavor ideas for you include garlic powder, cayenne pepper for some heat, a few splashes of hot sauce. Worcestershire sauce is a nice touch, too.

Next, swirl in your beer.

In this particular case, I used a cream ale from my own home brew batch, though you are free to use any type of beer you would like.

I suggest a full flavored light colored beer, as a darker beer can affect the appearance, though perhaps that is what you are looking for.

I judge not!

Truly, any beer is good, though a simple light beer probably wont add much flavor. Keep stirring until the roux becomes nice and thick.

Next, swirl in the cream cheese until it melts through. This should take 6-7 minutes or so.

Once that is melted through, add in the shredded cheese a bit at a time and stir constantly until it is incorporated and melted evenly.

Like the beer, you can use many different types of cheeses, so long as they are melty cheeses. Like to use a sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack.

Some wont melt as well, so avoid those harder cheeses or ones that dont melt consistently.

SUPER YUM. And super easy, too.

Reasons Youll Love This Recipe:

• Beer Cheese Dip for pretzels takes your soft pretzels to a whole other level.
• Serve it with assorted breads, veggies and even apples, for a cheese fondue experience.
• Its delicious and versatile with a variety of foods. We love dippingAir Fryer Potato Wedges in it, and it makes a fantastic topper for baked potatoesand cheeseburgers.
• This recipe is flexible, you can use different cheeses, beers and spices.

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Best Beer For Cheese Dip

What kind of beer do you like best? Then that is the beer you should use!

• Dark Beers like stouts, and malts will produce deep and bitter flavor.
• Light Beers like ales and IPAs will give a lighter kind of flavor .
• Non-Alcoholic beers work just fine in this recipe too!

Consider what you are serving with the dip and choose the flavor from there! The darker beers are best with pretzels, pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, and bread. For the lighter-flavored version, use carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower florets or zucchini rounds.

How To Make The Best Beer Cheese Dip Step By Step

STEP 1: Add the butter into a medium saucepan. When the butter is melted and bubbling add the flour.

STEP 2: Whisk until combined.

STEP 3: Gradually add the beer, whisking constantly, until combined. Cook for a minute over low heat.

STEP 4: Add the milk.

STEP 5: Add the spices: onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cayenne. Cook over medium-low heat for a minute, whisking from time to time. Reduce the heat to low.

STEP 6: Add half of the cheese, whisk until melted.

STEP 7: Add the remaining cheese, whisk until melted.

STEP 8: When all the cheese has been incorporated, season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Leave to cool and thicken .

Enjoy!

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What Is The Best Cheese To Use In Beer Cheese Dip

We went with a combination of extra sharp white cheddar and sharp cheddar. Both of these cheeses are known for their amazing melting capabilities. We like the flavor of good sharp cheeses, but if you prefer yours more on the milder side, you might want to switch these out for a gouda cheese or even a gruyere cheese. Just stay away from cheeses that are low in moisture and typically dont melt well .

How To Serve It

My favorite way to serve this is as a warm dip, along with homemade soft pretzels. I like to make my soft pretzels with beer in the dough, so pairing them with beer cheese dip is really a match made in heaven!

Heres a link to my recipe, if you want to give it a try: Homemade Soft Pretzel Recipe.

This also works great chilled as a spread. You can spread it on hard pretzels or on a hearty, crunchy cracker- maybe something whole grain would be good.

Ive also used this as a topping for cooked veggies, a crudite dip, or as a sauce on cooked macaroni.

You could even dilute it with chicken or vegetable stock and serve it as a soup!

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What Does Beer Cheese Taste Like

It tastes like a cheese sauce or dip with a pronounced underlying richness that cannot be described precisely. Beer cheese has an enigmatic taste element to it that can feel like umami or a mild sweetness or a bready, biscuity undertone from the malt base of the brew.

What it does not taste like is straight up beer.

You have to try it for yourself. Most likely you will love it.

What Is The History Of Beer Cheese

While the origin of beer cheese is debated, most agree it was initially created in the 1930s in Kentucky. Bar owners and innkeepers made it to offer more snacks to go along with the beer that they were serving. The salty, spicy taste of beer cheese served to whet their guests appetites and enhance their overall experience in the bars.

Since then, countless varieties of beer cheese have been created, all of which, of course, pair perfectly with beer. Theres even an international beer cheese festival that celebrates this historic snack and encourages creativity in the making of this delicious snack.

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Beer Cheese Recipe List

All the images below are of the actual dish and the descriptions contain links to the corresponding recipe.

Classic Beer Cheese Dip Pictured above, a typical dip for a wide variety of foods, it can also be drizzled over nachos. Here is the recipe.

Beer Cheese Fondue the only way to believe it is to try for yourself a melted cheese pot prepared with beer tastes richer than the classic using white wine. Beer is less acidic and has an unparalleled depth of flavor when compared with wine. Try this easy recipe.

Feta Beer Fondue this recipeis specifically for lovers of the superb tang of feta cheese. The sharp flavor is mellowed down with a bit of ricotta, which also adds creaminess to the sauce. The beer of choice is unequivocally Czech style pilsner with its bready sweetness and elegant herbal hoppiness.

Jalapeno Fontina & Ale Dip Pictured above is a variation of the classic dip flavored with fresh jalapeno. You can control the heat by removing the seeds and/or ribs from the pepper. This dip is a perfect addition to Mexican food themed spreads and loves tortilla chips. Here is the recipe.

Obatzda known as German beer cheese this cold mixture of soft cheeses, spices, onion and German lager is on the menu of practically every beer garden in Germany. It is an integral part of traditional brotzeit and an essential appetizer for Oktoberfest parties. Here is how to make it.

Ingredients In Beer Cheese Dip

Most of these ingredients you will already have on hand in your kitchen! There are just a few that you may have to pick up at the store. So read this over, grab what you need, and get to cooking! Once you try it, you will know exactly what you need for next time and it will be so easy! See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.

• Butter: I use unsalted butter in this recipe.
• Flour: Mixing the butter and flour will make a roux which is what helps thicken up the dip!
• Milk: Mix this in and whisk until it thickens. Dont give up, it will happen!
• Beer: Any brand of beer will work.
• Sharp cheddar cheese: I like to make sure that my cheese is freshly grated. Freshly grateed cheese blends in better making a smooth texture.
• Gruyere: This adds in the most amazing flavor to the dip!
• Paprika: A sweet spice that adds to the overall flavor.
• Garlic: I loooove whenever garlic is added into a recipe, especially a dip!
• Dijon mustard: This gives it a bit of a zesty tang without being to mustard flavored.

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Why Is It Called Beer Cheese

Its as simple as this: Beer and cheese are the two main ingredients of this crowd-pleasing dip.

This beer dip starts by making a roux with melted butter and flour, then beer and milk are whisked in. Its cooked until the mixture is thickened and creamy, then grated cheese is added a handful at a time and heated until its rich and melty. Its as simple as that.

This Beer Cheese Dip Is:

• Ready in 15 minutes
• The best friend of soft pretzels everywhere

We LOVE THIS STUFF and youll be pleasantly surprised how quickly and easily it comes together with basic kitchen ingredients. Its quite possibly the perfect party food, Super Bowl snack, holiday appetizer, or lets indulge Saturday night activity.

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