Beer Cheese Soup with Fini cave-aged cheddar

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• ½ chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped garlic
• 1 qt (3 - 12oz bottles) of your favorite local ale  
• ½ cup flour
• 1 qt 1% milk
• 1 qt heavy cream
• 1 tsp smoked paprika ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp Worcestershire
• 1 tsp Tabasco
• 2 lbs shredded Fini
• 2 cups popped popcorn (optional, for decoration)

Directions

• Melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan/stockpot and add onions, celery, and garlic. Sweat until soft.  
• Add beer and boil until it is reduced by half.  
• Take beer, onion, celery, and garlic mix and blend until smooth. Then put through a sieve.  
• Set purée aside.  
• Make roux on pot by adding 1 stick of melted butter and flour.  
• Heat until lightly browned.  
• Slowly add cream and milk and bring back to a simmer for 15 mins (do not boil).  
• Then add purée, stirring constantly.
• Turn off heat and stir in paprika, cayenne, Worcestershire, Tobasco, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Serve with shredded Fini and popcorn.