A good beer cheese dip takes an easy cheese dip recipe and ramps up the flavor. This tavern style cheese dip is flavored with beer and seasonings to give it a slightly spicy and smoky taste.
I love this smoky beer cheese dip recipe because it comes together quickly and has great, subtle flavors that combine into a spicy, smoky, creamy but cheesy appetizer dip. Served warm, this dip pairs well with other appetizers for game day snacks and family get togethers.
Great with chips and crackers, this is the perfect beer cheese dip for pretzels. While this dip goes well with both hard and soft pretzels, it was written specifically for my homemade soft pretzel bites.
Homemade beer cheese dip is great because not only is it easy to make, but it is endlessly versatile. Making it at home allows you to make a cheese dip as thick or thin as you like, and lets you play with numerous types of cheeses and seasonings.

While I love this recipe as it is written, read some of the information below on beers and cheeses to consider for beer cheese dips. Use that information to tailor the recipe into what you love and experiment to find your favorite combination of flavors.
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🥘 Ingredients for Beer Cheese Dip
The ingredients for any beer cheese dip are mostly pantry staples with the addition of a chosen cheese or cheese blend, and a beer of your choosing. Once again, use this as a base recipe and adjust some of the flavorings to your own taste.
Roux – Start the cheese dip with a roux to help thicken the sauce. I use butter for the fat and all-purpose flour to create the roux here.
Milk – Adding milk or cream to the roux creates a bechamel, which is the base for the cheese sauce. You can use almost any milk or cream here, though I don’t recommend skim or buttermilk. I use half-and-half for this recipe, but whole milk or heavy cream are also great. Higher fat content will increase the richness and creaminess of the beer cheese.
Beer – I have more information below on beer choices, but for a basic beer cheese dip, I recommend looking at pilsner or lager style beers that have a crisp, clean favor. The biggest thing to keep in mind for beer cheese is that the beer should enhance the flavor without being the main flavor.
Worcestershire Sauce – I like adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce to beer cheese because it adds a bit of both umami and a smokiness to the dip.
Mustard – This is not a mustard-flavored pretzel dip, and this addition doesn’t make the dip taste mustardy. Without it though, the dip tastes like it’s missing something in the flavor. You can use Dijon mustard, German mustard, stone-ground mustard, or mustard powder.
Seasoning – The seasoning here includes a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, and a bit of salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you make the dip. Also, adjust the salt depending on the saltiness of the cheeses you use.
Cheese – The main star and flavor of the beer cheese dip, the type of cheese you use will heavily influence the flavor of the whole dip. Here I use a combination of sharp cheddar and smoked gouda. Read below for more ideas on cheese options.
🧀 Best Cheeses for Beer Cheese Dip
Opinions on the best cheese for cheese dips, beer cheese, and queso can vary wildly as everyone has their own preferences. Two of the biggest things to keep in mind when choosing a cheese, however, is to use younger, soft cheeses that melt easily, and to cut, shred, or grate the cheese yourself. Buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself literally takes about a minute, and results in better flavor and melting.
Pre-shredded cheeses are typically tossed with cellulose, which keeps them from clumping, but can make even-melting more difficult. Some companies have moved away from cellulose and use things like tapioca or potato starch instead. The problem with this is when used in certain recipes, like this, it can increase the thickening of the cheese sauce in harder to control ways.
With roughly 2,000 varieties of cheese in the world, I can’t detail every possible option but use this list to find comparable cheeses you enjoy. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, Swiss, provolone, gouda, smoked gouda, Gruyère, Havarti, fontina, muenster, mozzarella, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, etc. all make great options. Again, younger, less aged versions of these cheeses have a bit less flavor but melt more easily.
Cheddar makes a great base for a beer cheese dip recipe for pretzels, because it is both mild and sharp at the same time. It pairs well with other cheeses that are described as buttery with a nutty flavor, such as Gruyère, gouda, or Havarti. You could also pair mild cheeses with different flavors like mozzarella and Monterey Jack and tweak the seasonings for stronger flavors.
🔪 How to Make Beer Cheese Dip
Start by shredding the cheddar and smoked gouda and setting them aside.
In a medium saucepan or braiser pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the flour, a little at a time, and whisk into the melted butter until a roux forms. Continue whisking to cook the flour until a blonde roux forms, about 2 minutes.
Slowly pour in the half-and-half and beer, whisking constantly until a thick but smooth looking sauce forms. Do not let it become hot enough to bubble and simmer.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and seasonings and whisk to combine thoroughly.
Lower the heat and add in the shredded cheddar and smoked gouda. Whisk or stir together until the cheese has melted, and the beer cheese is fully combined and smooth.
The beer cheese dip will continue to thicken as it cools. If you would like it a bit thinner, add some more beer or half-and-half. Pour the cheese sauce into a serving bowl for dipping and serve warm. Alternatively, add to a small slow cooker to transport and keep warm while serving.
🍺 Best Beer for Beer Cheese
The most important part in choosing a beer for a good beer cheese dip recipe is that the beer should enhance and add to the flavor without overpowering the overall flavor. Using too strong of a beer style will make the beer the star flavor of the dip and dull the flavor of the cheese.
Look for beers that are smooth and mild, with a clean and crisp flavor and full body. Great options for beer cheese dip include American style pilsners, a crisp amber, most lagers, or a German hefeweizen. Avoid flavored beers or overly strong styles like IPAs, stouts, and porters. Most IPAs tend to be too bitter, citrusy, or hoppy, while stouts can be a bit too bitter with strong notes of coffee or chocolate.
While I recommend against IPAs and stouts, they can make great beer cheese dips, but you’ll need to adjust the cheese dip. Stronger beers will need stronger, funkier cheeses to offset their flavor so that the cheese flavors remain the star.
Alternatively, if you want to make a non-alcoholic beer cheese dip, look for similarly styled non-alcoholic beers. A lot of companies make their own versions these days, so you have a lot more options than you used to.
❄️ Storing Beer Cheese Dip
If you have leftover beer cheese dip, it will need to be stored in the refrigerator since it contains dairy. Once cooled completely, transfer the beer cheese to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for about a week.
When reheating beer cheese, be sure to heat it low and slow. This will help keep it from separating or becoming grainy. I suggest heating on medium-low to low heat on the stove in a small saucepan. As it begins to heat up, whisk or stir often until heated through evenly and smooth again. You may want to adda splash or milk or cream to help thin it out as you heat it as well.
I do not suggest freezing leftover beer cheese. When it thaws, it tends to separate and is more difficult to reheat without becoming grainy and watery. There are ways to fix this, with things like sodium citrate, but it’s honestly easier to just make a new beer cheese at that point.
📋 Recipe
Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half-and-half, or whole milk
- ⅔ cup beer, see note
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder, or Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
Directions
- Start by shredding 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese and 1 cup smoked gouda cheese and setting them aside.
- In a medium saucepan or braiser pan, melt ¼ cup unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add ¼ cup all-purpose flour, a little at a time, and whisk into the melted butter until a roux forms. Continue whisking to cook the flour until a blonde roux forms, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in 1 cup half-and-half and ⅔ cup beer, whisking constantly until a thick but smooth looking sauce forms. Do not let it become hot enough to bubble and simmer.
- Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon mustard powder (or Dijon), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, and ½ teaspoon salt and whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Lower the heat and add in the shredded cheddar and smoked gouda. Whisk or stir together until the cheese has melted, and the beer cheese is fully combined and smooth.
- The beer cheese dip will continue to thicken as it cools. If you would like it a bit thinner, add some more beer or half-and-half. Pour the cheese sauce into a serving bowl for dipping and serve warm. Alternatively, add to a small slow cooker to transport and keep warm while serving.
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