A peppery beer cheese dipping sauce.
Spice up your beer cheese with this jalapeno and pimento beer cheese dipping sauce. The jalapeno adds a nice kick and the pimentos provide balance along with a nice crunch. And well, the beer & cheese are what makes it so damn good.
This take on a Wisconsin staple comes together in under 20 minutes, which makes it perfect for pairing up with some hot soft pretzels. For the beer, I like to choose a nice adjunct lager for that distinct corny/beer flavor. But feel free to experiment with an IPA or even a stout for some unique flavor.
Recipe notes: If you want it to have a bit of a thicker consistency, then add a pinch of corn starch. Otherwise, by getting it to a nice bubbling simmer and ensuring the cheese is thoroughly melted, it should start to thicken up.
Time You Need
- ~5 minutes prep
- ~12 minutes cooking
- Yields: ~4-5 cups
What You Need
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp AP Flour
- 2 ½ cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup of minced jalapeno
- ½ cup of diced pimento
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
- 1 cup of beer of choice
- 1 cup of half and half
What You Do
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add in the minced jalapeno, pimento, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Then, whisk in the flour, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt.
- Cook for about a minute before whisking in the beer, milk, Worcestershire, and mustard. Continue whisking until smooth.
- Cook for about 1-2 minutes, just until the mixture begins to bubble, then reduce to low heat.
- Next, slowly stir in the shredded cheese, working one handful at a time. Wait until cheese fully melts before stirring in more. Repeat until finished.
- Then let simmer on low heat for another 6-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve warm.