Beer Cheese Soup

A robust Wisconsin pub classic

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Course: Soup

Keyword: Beer Cheese, Beer Cheese Soup, eatfluencer, healthy recipes, instacalories, makecaloriesgreatagain, mcga

Cooking Method: Stovetop

Food Category: Vegetarian

FoodOrDrink: Food

72 oz Beer Less if you want less of a beer taste. You did need 12oz of beer at a minimum.
32 oz Chicken Broth
1 stick Butter Salted
3/4 cup Flour
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Cream Cheese Cubed to help it melt
4 cups Shredded Cheese Cheddar, Gruyere, Monterrey Jack, etc
2 cloves Garlic Minced
2 tbs Mustard Dijon
2 tbs Corn Starch Only if needed
1 ea Popcorn Garnish - Optional
1 ea Bacon Crumbles Garnish - Optional
1 ea Chives Garnish - Optional
1 ea Bread Bowl Optional

Pour the beer into a large pot. Apply medium heat. Note that the beer will foam up a couple times. Turn down the heat each time, then turn it back up.
Continue to reduce the beer until you've got 12oz of liquid remaining. For the amount I used, it took about an hour.
This is what 72oz of Spotted Cow (Light, Farmhouse Ale) looks like when reduced down to 12oz!

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat.
Add the flour and begin stirring
Stir until you have a smooth consistency. This is called a roux and is the foundation for many soups, sauces, etc.
Add the chicken broth, beer, cream, and garlic. Continue to stir. Raise the heat to medium if necessary to get a slight simmer going.
Slowly add the cheeses. Taking time to stir between additions. Make sure the cheese is well blended before adding more.
Add the mustard. A whisk at this point might help you achieve a smooth creamy finish to your soup. Add the cornstarch at this point if you find your soup is too runny.
Serve the soup and garnish as you see fit! ;-)

Beer cheese soups come in all styles, flavors, and textures. This recipe isn't the best I've ever had, but it's closer than most. I'll continue tinkering and update as I improve it.
The more beer you start with, the more intense the reduction flavor will be. I'm yet to have a beer cheese soup that was too overpowering for me.
My wife and kids really like a cream cheese taste to theirs (I don't). If you're someone who likes it, you can consider doubling the amount of cream cheese you use in this recipe.
To create the bread bowl, I just took a round loaf of bread from the store, cut a hole in the top, and excavated the interior.
The brat you see in the final photo of the directions is my recipe for Venison Bratwurst.
I've already received a few questions about the popcorn. Similar to a Brandy Old Fashioned, putting popcorn on top of your beer cheese soup is a Wisconsin tradition. Give it a try. You just might like it!