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Beer Cheese Soup Recipe

If you have never heard of a beer cheese soup recipe before, it might sound like an odd combination. In fact, beer and cheese have much more in common than the fact that they both go well with pizza!

First, there is history. Beer was first made from excess grains harvested during bumper crops. Fermentation allowed the beer to last a lot longer than the grains would by themselves, thus preserving the excess produce for leaner days. Cheese, too, was first developed as a means to preserve food, as milk does not keep well when unrefrigerated. By contrast, a hard cheese can last several days in a merely cool environment.

Second, there is taste. Both cheese and beer can have a bit of an "edge" to their respective flavors. Beer can range from mild to bitter, while cheese can range from mild to sharp. Together, when combined with a creamy white sauce, they make for a surprising savory taste with just enough of the "edge" to tease the palate.

Don't worry about preserving, though: this beer cheese soup recipe will be devoured right away!



Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can or bottle of your favorite beer
3 to 4 cups chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups light cream or milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated or shredded

Preparation

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the the butter in soup pot on medium low heat. Add onions and garlic, sprinkle with salt, saute until onions are soft.

2. Add the beer and worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook for a few minutes.

3. Add broth. Bring to a boil, reduce, and simmer while you make the cheese sauce.

4. Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir in flour a bit at a time, stirring to keep it smooth.

5. Cook the butter and flour mixture for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Remove from heat, and add cream or milk slowly, stirring to keep it smooth and lump-free.

6. Return the cream sauce to the heat, and add the cheese a bit at a time, stirring to mix it in as it melts.

7. Slowly add the cheese sauce to the soup. Keep stirring to make sure it does not clump.

Notes

A beer cheese soup recipe, like many that include cheese, benefits greatly from the addition of bacon bits. You can also add green onions or chives for both taste and color, as they make a great contrast to the color of the cheese. Also, some toasted sourdough or rye bread, with the deep flavor of grains, is a terrific compliment to the beer in the soup.

And if you like recipes with Beer Inside, check out Mike Snyder's Beer Recipe Collection.

Tips and Techniques

When you cook with liquids that contain alcohol, there is no reason that the alcohol has to remain. Alcohol is a great flavor carrier, so it is definitely better to use the real thing than a de-alcoholized version. But if you are really trying to avoid alcohol, you just need to give the alcohol a chance to evaporate. byt the time it does so, it will have done its flavor-carrying job.

For this reason, you should add the alcohol when there is relatively little liquid. That way, the evaporation will be mostly alcohol until it reaches a much lower percentage.

So you can still have a beer cheese soup recipe that tastes like beer, but has a lot less booze!

Return from Beer Cheese Soup Recipe to Cream Soups



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