White Cheddar and Herb Beer Bread

0 Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
1 In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, thyme leaves, and lemon zest. Use your hands to gently rub the thyme and lemon zest into the sugar (this will infuse the entire bread with herb and lemon flavor). 
2 Add flour, baking powder, salt, and about 3/4 of the cheese (reserve some for topping) to the bowl and stir well to combine. 
3 Pour in the beer and stir until everything is just combined. (The mixture will be very lumpy, but don’t over mix.)
4 Spread batter out evenly in prepared loaf pan. 
5 Top bread with melted butter and reserved cheese.
6 Place loaf pan on a sheet pan. (This is important! Depending on the size of the loaf pan, some butter may drip over the sides while it bakes, so be sure to have a sheet pan underneath to catch it.)
7 Bake until a tester inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. (If using a metal loaf pan, the lower end of the range should be enough, but a ceramic or glass loaf pan will take longer.)
8 Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing.
9 If making the hot honey butter, stir hot honey into softened butter.
10 Slice. Spread hot honey butter onto bread if using. Enjoy!