Beer Mac and Cheese

Begin by bringing your 24 ounces of beer and water to a boil in a large pot. Season with salt. Add in the pasta and cook to just before al dente (a tad short of the package instructions for al dente), as we are going to finish the pasta off in the oven. During this time, cook the bacon until it is nice and crisp, and set aside until cool enough to crumble.

Next, get a large enough pan that will hold the pasta, as we are going to make the sauce and combine everything together. If you do not have a large pan, don’t worry, as you can combine the two in a mixing bowl before placing in the oven to finish cooking.

Bring the pan to a medium heat, and toss in the butter. Let this melt until it is nice and bubbly. Add in the flour. Stir this with a wooden spoon and cook the flour until it is a nice golden color, then slowly add in the half and half. Continue stirring until all of the lumps are out, then add in the six ounces of beer. Continue stirring until everything is nice and smooth.

Toss in the black pepper and mustard powder. Stir. Toss in your cheeses, and continue stirring until you have a nice and creamy cheese sauce. Super easy. Super delicious. Things should start smelling like beer. That’s good.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Now, add the drained and cooked pasta into the cheese mixture along with the crumbled bacon. Give this a good stir.

I cooked mine in a cast iron skillet which I simply slipped into the oven, however if you are going to transfer everything to a casserole dish, simply spray the inside of a large baking dish with cooking spray, or rub lightly with some butter.

Place this in the oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.

You will notice the aroma of the beer right off the bat. I liked it. I actually loved it. The great note of the beer infused into the pasta, then the hops flavor from the IPA beer. If you are looking for something different to make for a mac and cheese dish, this might be the one.