Beer cheese soup - the name says it all. Except maybe it should say best beer cheese soup recipe EVAAAAA. Cause this is it.
With a few simple ingredients you can have this creamy, velvety, super cheesy and savory soup on the table in under 45 minutes. And let me tell you, this is a stick-to-your-ribs, soup-as-a-meal bowl of soup. This beer cheese soup is not for the healthy, and if you are disappointed than you didn't read very well. Beer and cheese - neither invoke thoughts of healthiness. But they do invoke comfort, fun and deliciousness, and that is what this recipe is all about.
But you don't like cheese...
I know, I know. Sometimes I feel like I sound like a HUGE liar here or the master of contradiction. But let me explain. The things I don't like about melty cheese are the following -
- the texture
- the oiliness
- the separation
This soup doesn't have any of this, the cheese is melted into a thick and creamy béchamel and cream base. it is velvety smooth and has a sharp cheddar flavor. This soup is all about the cheddar, a good sharp one - this is my all-time favorite.
What else makes this the best beer cheese soup recipe?
To start, bacon. Actual bacon and its fat. The roux is a combo the rendered bacon fat and butter. And the bacon is in the soup and a garnish, giving this a salty and smoky element. Some Tabasco adds a nice amount of heat, a little Worcestershire for some tang that unmistakable flavor it brings.
What is the best beer for beer cheese soup?
This really depends on you. I love beer - strong beer that tastes like beer. Something hoppy and pretty bitter. And you should most definitely use what you drink in this soup. I use Fat Tire most of the time, or a Sierra Nevada IPA or the Founders All Day IPA. But I have also used Stella Artois and even Miller Lite in a pinch, it just doesn't taste so much like beer. So choose based on what you have and what you like.
Last thing - all soup needs bread. And you before you say anything - this already is not some healthy, low calorie meal. This is a meal about comfort warmth and deliciousness. So you might as well carb it the f--- up with some killer pretzel bread. Make your own or buy some, but I HIGHLY recommend a big hunk of pretzel bread for every one.
Beer cheese soup
Ingredients
- 4 slices of bacon cut into pieces
- 1 small red onion diced about half cup
- 3 celery celery stalks finely diced
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- ¾ cup flour
- 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 cups of whole milk you can use 2% if that's what you have but do not use skim
- ¾ pound of extra sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon of Tabasco
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup of beer warmed
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or a dutch oven, cook the bacon, stirring over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the butter, the onion and celery and cook until the onions and celery are softened and translucent.
- Add the flour and cook whisking for about 4 minutes to cook out the flour until it smells nutty. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Simmer for about 15 minutes but DO NOT bring to a boil after you add the milk.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until melted and smooth. Whisk in the tabasco, Worcestershire and the warm beer. Stir back in the bacon and season with salt and pepper.
