Beer Cheese Dip
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Made with lager, sharp Cheddar, and nutty Gruyère, this beer cheese is perfect for game day or any casual get-together.
Perfect for game day or any time you’re having friends over, beer cheese is a melty cheese dip made from lager, sharp Cheddar, nutty Gruyère, and other seasonings. It’s essentially a twist on Mornay sauce, the classic French cheesy sauce that forms the basis of traditional mac and cheese, only instead of milk, the liquid used is a combination of half & half and beer. My family, especially my college-aged son, loves this dip with homemade soft pretzel bites, but the dipping options are endless – tortilla chips, baguette slices, crackers, or crudités are all great options. The dip is also delicious slathered on top of a juicy burger. This recipe comes together very quickly, so be sure to have everything measured and ready to go before you start cooking.
What You’ll 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, it’s 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 (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) seal, which shows that the cheese is authentic.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add the flour.
Whisk until the flour is completely absorbed. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. A flat whisk is the best tool for the job, as it’s easy to reach the corners of the saucepan.
While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the beer and half & half. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
With the heat on low, add the cheeses a handful at a time.
Whisk between each addition, until the cheese is fully melted before adding more.
Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh chives, if using. Serve immediately.
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Beer Cheese Dip
Made with lager, sharp Cheddar, and nutty Gruyère, this beer cheese is perfect for game day or any casual get-together.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup lager beer (see note)
- 1½ cups half & half
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Scant ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 oz (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese
- 4 oz (1 cup) shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is completely absorbed. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 minute.
- While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the beer and half & half. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
- With the heat on low, add the cheeses a handful at a time, whisking between each addition, until the cheese is fully melted before adding more. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh chives, if using. Serve immediately.
- Leftover beer cheese can be covered and refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until warmed through.
- Note: 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 in the house, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy!
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 4 tablespoons
- Calories: 254
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 270 mg
- Cholesterol: 62 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can I sub in gluten free flour blend to keep it gluten free?
Sure!
Just made this for office holiday party. The taste and seasonings were very good. One suggestion, cut back on half & half to 1-1/4 cups, as the dip was little thin.
Easy to make, comes together quickly, and loved by all! Thanks Jenn!
Would this dip be ok kept in a mini crock pot during a party on warm setting?
Hi Shanna, I haven’t tried it, but I think it will work. Enjoy!
Can this be made a day ahead and reheated w/o the consistency being degraded? Thank you!
Sure, Anni — reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until warmed through. Hope you enjoy!
In Canada, we have something called Half & Half. It has 10 % milk fat. It is often called coffee cream. That’s what we use it for. Wish I could upload a picture of the container.
I made a double recipe that is in the oven now. The smell is divine!
Hi,
What is half&half? Is it kind of cream? I ask because in my country there is no something like that or I don’t know it is 😅What can I use instead of half&half? The recipe seems to be tasty and I wanna try 😉
Hi Joanna, Half and Half is just a mixture of half whole milk and half cream. I’m not sure where you live, but in the UK, it’s referred to as half cream. Hope that clarifies!
I’m from Poland. We don’t have half&half, but we have cream with different fat content, e.g. 12%, 18%, 30% or 36%. The first and second are good for soups and the last for whipped cream 🙂
Thank you very much! For now I know how to make a dip 🙂
Hi Joanna, I’d go with the 12% or 18%. Please LMK how it turns out!
Jenn – I’m from the states so am familiar with half & half but have lived in the UK for the past 20 years and have never heard of half cream. If a recipe calls for half & half, I just use single cream or combination of double cream and 2% milk. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe – sounds great!
No metric for this recipe? 🙁
Oops! Just added 🙂
I need a little clarification on the cheese. Is it 4oz before shredding and one cup after? I am not sure how much of each cheese to add.
Thanks!
Hi Nancy, 1 cup is the volume you’ll need and it’s the equivalent of 4 ounces. (The 1 cup is volume whereas the 4 ounces is what it would weigh if you put it on a scale.) Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!