Why did this fondue become grainy and lumpy? We made some fondue the other night, and instead of being a nice smooth dippable fondue texture, it came out grainy and lumpy.  What went wrong?

Here's the recipe that we used:


1 clove garlic
3/4 cup Dark Ale or Other Beer
1 cup Emmenthal Cheese, Shredded
1 1/2 cups Gruyere Cheese, Shredded
1/2 cup Appenzeller Cheese, Shredded
1 tbsp Corn Starch


Slice garlic in half, rub in fondue pot.  Warm beer without boiling.  Mix cornstarch and cheeses.  Stir cheese into beer, one handful at a time, allowing to melt in-between additions.
I suspect that your cheese curdled.

This happens to me if I overheat the mixture- especially in the presence of acid. (I don't have any experience with using beer.) The cornstarch is there as a safety net to prevent this but obviously it is not infallible.

Turn down the heat and try adding a little more corn starch- it may not get back to perfect fondue but you may be able to pull it back to edible.