Beer Cheese Soup

I've been asked by my darling wife to post my recipe for Beer/Cheese Soup, so here goes.

My source for this recipe was the Art of Manliness blog, but I modified the recipe after the first go, as I'm not a fan of small chunks in my creamy soups¹.

Final Product

Dramatis Personæ

1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Flour
4 tsp Onion Powder
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Tabasco
Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
2 cups Beer²
3 cups Chicken Broth
4 cups Whole Milk
4 cups Sharp Cheddar, grated
4 cups Gouda, grated
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Crumbled bacon (as garnish)

Instructions

1. Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 4-5 minutes. While stirring, add in onion powder and garlic, as well as a few dashes of Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper and stir until the smells overwhelm you with awesomeness.

2. Slowly add the beer and chicken broth. Bring to a slow boil, stirring regularly. You really want this stage to be nice and warm, so your cheese melts evenly, so err on the side of warm. While the mixture is heating up, this is a great time to drink the beer left over when you measured out 2 cups from 12-oz beers.
   
   This is the point at which, if you've got the time to do it right, everything can be transferred to a crock pot for a nice, long, slow simmer.

3. Slowly fold in all 8 cups of glorious cheesy goodness. I tend to blend the cheese in advance, then fold it in in thirds, stirring until everything is melted smoothly before I add the next batch.
   
   Note: While the recipe calls for half-and-half sharp cheddar and gouda, feel free to be adventurous. I still want to try butterkäse at some point.

4. Mix in the mustard, Worcestershire³, and 2 cups of milk. Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for as long as you can stand it. Before serving, add milk to texture. I like mine thick-ish, so I tend to either let it simmer down for a few hours with all 4 cups of milk or, if it should be served quicker, I'll go with 2 or 3 cups instead.

5. Serve topped with a sprinkling of bacon and a good dark bread. Serve to friends, as this makes 6-8 servings. Pair with a good beer

¹ - Large chunks, like potatoes or broccoli, that are the purpose behind the soup, I get. But when the purpose of the soup is to taste like beer and cheese, I feel like it should be as smooth as possible, mostly because chunks in my beer or cheese are normally bad things.

² - I've used Shiner Bock, Guinness Black Lager, and a few of my friends' homebrew selections for this recipe. I prefer going with darker beers with good "bread"-y flavor, but without odd spices or fruit additions.
³ - While I've got your attention, I'd like to point out that it's pronounced worse-ta-shure. Not war-chester-shy-er or woo-ster. Don't be like me (and this guy) and agonize every time you say it.