besides the tangy goodness of Cabot extra sharp or sharp cheddar this classic creamy soup gets a lot of its rich flavor from the addition of a traditional Irish ale like New England's harpoon Celtic start the soup by cooking some thick sliced bacon to crumble over the top at serving time you can use a skillet but the microwave speeds things up and keeps meth to a minimum layer the slices between paper towels on a plate and microwave for a few minutes until crisp checking often now melt four tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat add a half cup of minced onion 1/4 cup each of minced celery and carrot and small bay leaf let the vegetables cook stirring them often just until they are soft and translucent this will take about four minutes and this base of sauteed vegetables adds a nice complexity to the soup stir in 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour once it's blended in continue to stir the mixture for about 3 minutes this takes away any of the raw taste of the uncooked flour next whisk in 12 ounces of ale adding it gradually to avoid any lumps when the mixture is bubbling and thickened you can add the milk and chicken broth it's a good idea to heat the milk and broth in a saucepan or the microwave so the soup comes to a simmer faster whisk in a teaspoon of dry mustard for a subtle extra zip mustard is a great addition to macaroni and cheese as well bring the soup to a simmer stirring it often so it doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan finally a handful at a time stir in about four cups of grated extra sharp or sharp cheddar keep stirring until the cheese is melted and the soup is nice and hot but don't let the soup boil which can make it curdle take the soup off the heat and remove and discard the bay leaf taste the soup and season it with salt and ground black pepper ladle the hot soup into bowls and crumble some of the crispy bacon on top hot rolls and a salad of baby spinach and sliced apples we'll make it a meal