Beer Cheese Soup (Beer cheese soup)

Overview

Beer cheese soup is a thick, velvety American soup of melted cheese and beer, best known in Wisconsin. Onion, carrot and celery are softened in butter, flour is stirred in, and then beer and broth are whisked in to make a smooth base. Milk or cream follows, and finally plenty of grated sharp cheddar is melted in off the boil, with mustard, a dash of hot sauce and a pinch of paprika. The soup is rich, tangy and slightly bitter from the beer. It is served with popcorn, croutons, soft pretzels or crumbled bacon on top, and is a favourite in taverns and on game days.

History

Wisconsin, known as America's Dairyland, has both a strong cheese-making tradition and a long brewing culture brought by German immigrants in the nineteenth century. German beer soups and cheese dishes merged into this soup in local taverns and supper clubs. It is now a classic of the state and of the wider Midwest, and is often made with a local lager.

Main ingredients

Beer, sharp cheddar, milk or cream, onion, carrot and celery, butter and flour, mustard. The soup is built on beer and cheese and is usually served hot. Diet: vegetarian; not usually gluten-free.

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Recipe

4Serves

45 min15 prep · 30 cook

~520kcal / serving

EasyDifficulty

Method

1. 1
   8 min

   Soften the vegetables in the butter for 8 minutes.

2. 2
   10 min

   Stir in the flour, then whisk in the beer and broth and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the milk and heat through.

4. 4

   Take off the heat and stir in the cheese a little at a time.

5. 5

   Season with mustard, hot sauce and paprika and serve.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 45 min from start to bowl.

Sources

• Cuisine of Wisconsin (Wikipedia)
• Beer soup (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.