I’ll tell you what, there aren’t many problems that can’t be solved with a hearty bowl of warm cheese sauce. At least that’s what I’m telling myself lately.
I made this cheese sauce for a big ol’ pretzel party I held at The Bakehouse a few weeks back. We went through it. I can’t be sure some people didn’t double dip but really, could you blame them?
The pretzels you might recognize from these Sourdough Everything Pretzel. It’s by go-to recipe but that’s mostly because I try to keep a sourdough starter in my fridge. If you want to get at some soft pretzel action, here’s another recipe that doesn’t require a starter.
Whatever you do… cheese sauce. Mmmmkay, let’s play.
Ok here’s what you’ll need:
- lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- butter and flour, for a thickening roux
- whole milk
- and beer! It is beer sauce, afterall. A light beer will be best, a pilsner.
- whole grain mustard and Worcestershire sauce (I always want to spell it Worchestershire and sometimes do)
- salt and coarse black pepper + chili powder and garlic powder.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter until it spits and crackles just a bit.
Whisk in the flour and cook it down, escaping some of the flour taste. The mixture will be thick, quick thick.
To the thick flour and butter, we slowly pour in the milk, whisking ferociously.
With the milk whisked well, we’ll add the beer.
It’s frothy and satisfying. Get it in there.
Flavor, too! Mustard first.
Worcestershire is important for that deep umami flavor.
Salt and pepper, with the addition of chili powder and garlic for an extra kick.
This is where the cheese goes to melt and make everything right.
I dip, you dip, we dip!
PrintCheddar Beer Sauce
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups beer (something light like a pilsner or amber)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat butter in a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk together to form a paste and cook for a few seconds to develop a nutty aroma.
- Slowly stream in the milk and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the beer and Worcestershire sauce and whisk until smooth, well incorporated and thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the mustard and season with salt and pepper and spices. Remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth.
- Enjoy warm with any carb you want.
- To reheat the sauce, stir over low heat, adding an extra splash of milk to thin the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Lisa
Turned out great! Perfect for our Fondue tonight =)
But it’s a little much… can you freeze it?
Alice
I halved the recipe and it turned out great!
Julie Buck
This looks wonderful – I’m actually wanting cheese-beer soup, and I think this will do the trick – thinned with a little extra milk, of course….
Mary
Wondering how this sauce would do in a crock pot?
joythebaker
Well I think on a low setting!
The Novice
Beer cheddar sauce ? Sounds like heaven!
Ashlyn @ The Pedantic Foodie
So much to love here!
Brittany
This looks AMAZING! I was lucky enough to be able to visit Germany a few years ago and ever since I got back I’ve been craving beer cheese and pretzels every single day (I wish I was kidding!). Definitely going to make this, thanks for the recipe!
Claire, UK
Just curious, do you actually pronounce Worcestershire as “Worchestershire”? That would be pretty similar to how my childhood self tried to say it to the bemusement of all those around me :-D
(It’s really ‘Wus-tuh-shuh’ for those not in the know.)
Worcestershire sauce is, of course, a deeply inferior product to the along-the-same-lines-but-vegetarian Henderson’s Relish that’s pretty much only found in my home city.
Claire, UK
Ack. That sounded a bit catty. It wasn’t supposed to! English place names can be hard to get your head around even when you’re local. There’s a place called Greenhill in my home city. You can always tell a non-local because they pronounce it Green Hill (because why wouldn’t they?) when’s it’s more like ‘Grennel’.
Erika Kubick
I have ruined every beer cheese I’ve ever tried to make in my life but you are my queen so I GOTTA TRY AGAIN! Thanks for all you do Joy! Heading to NOLA this month and would love any must-eats if you have time to share. Much love!
Amanda
Holy $#*&%!!!! So bad, in the best possible way!
Paula
Some day, SOME DAY, I will convince myself to take the time to make my own soft pretzels. I’ll talk myself out of vacuuming and mopping and dusting and pruning and weeding and laundering for a weekend and just do it. Until then, I’m hitting our local pretzel shop to accommodate this dip.
LD
Pretzels were always my “white whale” of cooking (well, that and brioche…and babka….and lots of other things :) But I finally took the time to do it one day and they were HEAVEN. I almost burned my hands from trying to eat them straight from the oven and it was SO worth it. seriously – do it!
Kelsey @ Appeasing a Food Geek
This dip is drool-worthy! The Worcestershire sauce is gold–never thought to put it in my beer cheese! Thanks for sharing :) xoxo