I love fondue, I love IPAs, and I love the "beer dip" that a particular set of my friends serve at every party with pretzels. Why not combine them?
Use a high-quality, strong IPA, such as Bear Republic Racer 5 (7% alcohol) or Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA (6% alcohol). This has a strong flavor - if you don't like IPAs (horror!), you can use a brown ale; just substitute 1 1/2 pounds of sharp Cheddar instead of the combined cheeses. Keep the scallions. - MeghanVK —MeghanVK
The cheese pairing in this fondue is brilliant because Gruyere gives your mouth what it expects in a fondue and tangy cheddar (Barbar’s two-year-old vintage English cheddar in this test), compliments the bitter IPA (Bear Republic Racer 5 as Meghan VK suggests). Cheddar also eases the mechanics of tucking into fondue as it doesn’t have endless stretching powers. No worries about cheese strings hanging from your chin with this one! The combo does seem to separate slightly unless it’s fully on the flame, so keep the fuel going under it for best results right to the bottom of the pot. —cheese1227
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