Beer Cheese Sauce

One of the greatest things about this sauce is, like any recipe (of mine and not of the baking sort anyway), the ingredients and amounts are merely guidelines and estimations. You really can take the recipe and make it your own. Don’t like hefeweizen? Use a rich stout or hoppy pale ale. Don’t want a smoky flavor? Swap out the smoked Gouda for a Swiss cheese.

Another interesting thing about this cheese sauce is it is very versatile. There really isn’t much of a difference between a cheese soup, a cheese sauce, and a fondue. It’s all in the consistency. If you want a cheese soup you would use more beer, stock, cream or milk to thin it out. To make a sauce or a fondue you’d want more cheese and less liquid. You can also add ingredients to make it your own such as horseradish or make it chunky with fresh chopped tomatoes.

You can pretty much dip anything into this golden goodness. To make it more of a full meal I am using Omaha Steaks Beef Tenderloin Kabobs which have large cubes of beef, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Another plus about these kabobs: they come with metal skewers that are most definitely re-usable. Just wash and save for the next time you feel up to assembling your own. I’m pairing the kabobs and cheese sauce with toasted pretzel bread, roasted squash, and some other snacky items. It makes the perfect meal for a relaxed causal gathering.

Okay, I’m repeating myself here, but another great thing about this sauce: If you have leftovers just throw it in the fridge. When it’s cold it turns into a fantastic pub cheese that you can serve with pretzels or crackers. I feel like you can even taste the beer a little more while it’s in it’s cold state.

Print Recipe

Beer Cheese Sauce

Author: Jillian Schnaebele

Ingredients

• 1 shallot, roughly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 pint hefeweizen*
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
• 4 cups cheddar, shredded*
• 2 cups smoked Gouda, shredded*
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• salt, as needed
• 1 tsp. favorite hot sauce

Instructions

• Sweat the shallots in the butter in a large sauce pot until translucent.
• Add the beer and cream and reduce over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
• Remove and discard the shallots.
• Add the mustard and Worcestershire.
• Slowly add the cheese in small batches stirring until each is melted and all the cheese is used. Finish with the lemon, salt, and hot sauce.
• Adjust seasonings as necessary and to your liking.

Notes

*Shred your own cheese. The pre-shredded stuff is coated in a powder to prevent sticking that will make your sauce grainy. If you go with a craft beer here often times they come in 22oz bottles. This gives you 6 ounces to enjoy yourself while preparing the sauce!