Cheddar Bacon Beer Soup

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the diced bacon and let it cook through for about 5 minutes while the yummy bacon fat renders out. Once that is done, add the onion, red bell pepper and celery. Let them get soft and fragrant for a minute or two.
2. The flour goes in next. Stir it in with the vegetables and bacon while it cooks off for about two minutes. Then pour in the beer, chicken stock, heavy cream and salt and give the soup base a big stir. Bring it to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to medium low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
3. When that is done, slowly add in the grated cheese while whisking it in to make it smooth. Once the cheddar is all whisked in add the mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire and Sriracha. Give everything a final whisk, then move the pot off of the heat and turn off the burner. Take out your immersion blender and blend the soup thoroughly until it is smooth. You could also carefully pour the hot soup into a regular blender in small batches and puree it that way. Do not fill the blender all the way and make sure to use a towel on top of the blender to prevent an unsafe mess.
4. Once the soup is pureed, ladle it into pretty bowls or crocks and crumble in a little goat cheese for extra creaminess. Top with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and serve immediately while hot!