Be sure to pair this with my crusty, airy, No Knead Bread for dipping!
Beer Cheese Soup
This incredible Beer Cheese Soup is like a bowl of cozy heaven. It starts with savory bacon, which adds a ton of flavor to the soup pot. The drippings are reserved and are used to caramelize the onions, which adds a slightly sweet offset to the beer. It has the best blend of seasonings and subtle flavor enhancers that takes this soup to restaurant status, and the combination of cheese options are endless. As for the beer, stick to a variety of beer that you enjoy drinking on its own. (For me, that’s actually Bud Light. 😂) Pale Ale is a great choice as well. More on the cheese and beer in my PRO tips below, don’t miss those!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Cook bacon and set aside. Chop once cooled and reserve bacon drippings.
Add bacon drippings and butter back to the pot along with the diced onions. Cook until browned and caramelized. Add the garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beer in small splashes, stirring continuously.
Add the chicken broth and half and half in the same manner. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle bubble and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheese. Garnish with bacon and green onions and serve!
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup does freeze and reheat pretty well even though it’s dairy based. (The flour helps with that.)
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Kitchen Shears & Kitchen Tongs – To cut/handle the bacon 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven– Great for making soup as it conducts heat really well. Silicone Spatula – To ‘clean’ the bottom of the pot during cooking. (Adds flavor to the broth.) Immersion Blender– To blend the caramelized onions into the broth. (Optional) Box Cheese Grater– Freshly shredded cheese melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese. Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth. Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer. Pinch Bowls– For measuring seasonings, etc. ahead of time. Soup Ladle 16 oz. storage containers I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
