An easy cheese appetizer that’s great for game day or entertaining guests is beer cheese dip.
Beer Cheese Dip is a welcome addition to any appetizer table because it combines your favorite beer, a range of cheeses, and mouthwatering seasonings. Serve with tortilla chips, vegetables, or even pretzel bites!
Best Beer for Cheese Dip
Which brand of beer do you prefer? Then you should use that beer!
- Stouts and other dark beers will have a strong, bitter flavor.
- Lighter flavors will come from beers like ales and IPAs (this is my personal preference).
- Beers without alcohol work just as well in this recipe!
Choose the flavor based on what you will be serving the dip with! The darker beers go best with bread, tortilla chips, pretzels, and pretzel sticks. Use carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower florets, or rounds of zucchini for the version with a milder flavor.
The Cheeses in This Dip
I combine gruyere, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar. The mozzarella offers a creamy texture while the cheddar/gruyere adds taste.
Any type of cheese can do but bear in mind that a milder cheese will taste milder and won’t go well with a truly strong black beer.
Making Beer Cheese Dip
It’s as simple as 1, 2, or 3, and you’ll probably eat this cheesy snack in no time at all! This starts with a roux, which is a thick sauce made by combining butter and flour.
Melt the butter, flour, and spices. for one minute.
Little by little, stirring after each addition of beer and milk. It will initially appear thick and nearly pasty, but it will level out nicely.
Add the cheeses and stir until melted once the sauce is thick and bubbling.
Use a block of cheese to shred it yourself. Cheese that has already been shredded has chemicals to prevent sticking in the bag, which could affect how well it melts.
Serving suggestions for beer cheese dip
We frequently prepare beer cheese dip and serve it warm, much like cheese fondue, with pretzels. There are countless uses for diapers.
Pretzels or pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, slices of sourdough or French bread, supple breadsticks, and garlic crostini rounds are all examples of bread.
Celery sticks, florets of broccoli, florets of cauliflower, rounds of zucchini, slivers of bell pepper, whole mushrooms, and whole (cooked) baby red potatoes make up the vegetable list.
Fruits: grapes, pears, and green apples in slices.
Alternatively, pair this dip with other traditional appetizers like jalapeo poppers or slow cooker tiny smokies.
How to Make Ahead?
Making Beer Ahead of Time Making cheese dip in advance is quite simple. All you have to do is let it cool and store it in a covered container in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it.
Give it a good stir, cook on low, and add a little milk if necessary to reheat.
The same as the majority of dairy-heavy dishes, beer cheese dip does not freeze well.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup milk
- ⅔ cup beer I used Budweiser
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded
- 1 cup gruyere or swiss cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Melt butter, flour, onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. for one minute.
- After each addition, mix the milk and beer until smooth before adding more.
- Add Worcestershire and mustard to the sauce as you continue to simmer it over medium heat until it thickens and bubbles.
- Just when melted and smooth, add cheeses and reduce heat to low.
- Serve warm with soft pretzels, veggies, or tortilla chips.
Notes
Shred the cheese manually for a smooth sauce; pre-shredded cheeses may include chemicals that prevent them from melting smoothly.
The cheese shouldn’t be heated too much or it will get gritty.
You can substitute mozzarella, pepper jack, or any other cheese of your choice for the Swiss cheese.
Keep heat in a small crock pot or on a cheese fondue warmer.
While a lighter beer will give a lighter beer flavor, a darker beer will have a more bitter flavor. In this recipe, both options will work.
Size of serving: 3 tablespoons