1. Saute the onions with the butter in a kettle, cooking until translucent.
2. Add flour to make a roux, cooking for 5 minutes until the flour starts to turn blonde.
3. Add chicken stock and water, whisking vigorously. Cook until the roux is thickened, about 10 minutes.  
4. Add cheese slowly to the roux mixture, blending with a hand blender until smooth.
   Note: When adding the cheese, lower the heat or take off it off of the heat completely. You do not want the cheese to reach its boiling point, it will curdle in your soup. Also, don’t over stir the soup. While stirring frequently will ensure all the ingredients are mixed and the cheese is melted through, over stirring could cause clumping and lumps in the soup. And no one wants that!
5. Season with pepper and Tabasco.
6. Garnish with chives and serve with pretzel croutons to serve. Enjoy!

Reheating Directions

1. Place the beer on the stove to reheat just to break the chill. DO NOT BOIL! Slowly whisk the warmed beer into the pot of soup and whisk vigorously to combine. 
   Note: I have served this from a crockpot set on low to keep warm. It is good for chilly winter days.