Beer and Cheese Soup
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For some people soup is a cool weather only treat. That makes sense. It’s a warm you up, stick to the ribs treat. It’s certainly not a food that will help cool your body down after a long day of hiking, kayaking, or some other warm day activity. But in spite of all that, and also in spite of the fact it may make me a bit odd, I love soup three hundred and sixty five days out of the year. And…Beer and Cheese Soup is at the top of my list.
More popular in states such as Wisconsin where, not only good dairy and great beer are readily available but, the climate is much more soup fitting. So it can be difficult to find this soup on menus in the Bayou State where Gumbo and Shrimp and Corn Soup (the de facto soup du jour in most joints) rule the bowl and spoon roost. Fortunately, thanks to the many fantastic breweries in Louisiana and the fact that Beer and Cheese Soup is easy to make, you can make the good stuff at home.
Usually made with a lager or amber, you can substitute an IPA if you’re a fan. Be warned though, your soup will carry the wonderful sweet and bitter taste that IPAs carry. Which some folks, believe it or not, do not like. So if you’re cooking for a group, it’s probably better to stick with a lager.
Now you can feel free to enjoy this soup in any month of the year…and don’t let your stuck up foodie friends give you any guff either.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound of bacon
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 onion diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 stalk of celery diced
- 4 cloves of garlic diced
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 1/2 cup of beer (Amber, Lager, or IPA)
- 2 cups of stock
- 1/2 cup of cream
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 cup shredded cheddar, colby, or monterey jack cheese (or any combination of all)
- Salt and pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
Instructions
Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and chop. Reserve one tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan.
Add butter and bacon grease to a large pot and melt. Add veggies and thyme and cook on medium heat until translucent.
Add flour and cook for about five minutes, stirring until a blonde roux is formed.
Add beer, stock, cream, mustard, and milk. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for about ten minutes.
Blend with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender.
Strain and discard solids and return soup to the stove.
Add cheese a handful at a time until all is added and melted.
Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped bacon, green onions, and some cheddar.