This Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup recipe is hearty, smooth, smoky, and stout making it the best rich indulgence to help ring in the holiday season.
Today we're talking soup...and Octoberfest and beer and cheese.
But mostly just beer and cheese.
Here in SC it's still hot as Hades, with the heat index still maxing out in the 90's, but we're starting to move into the end of October, and I had a hankering for some beer cheese soup in my life.
Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup to be precise.
I've actually had this recipe in my arsenal since last year (when I fully intended to post it), but if 2020 has taught us anything at all, it's that life sure is unpredictable ain't it?!?!?
The great thing about Beer Cheese Soup, though, is that it is versatile too so you can mix and match and switch the ingredients around to fit the time of year.
What's the Best Beer for Beer Cheese Soup?
The best beer for beer cheese soup is truly up to you.
You can use all kinds of different beers to suit your mood or the holidays. The most important fact to remember, though, just as when cooking with wine, if you don't like drinking it, you won't like eating it.
Darker beers like stouts or Irish Reds would make for a fantastic Beer Cheese Soup for St. Patrick's Day, but keep in mind the darker bitter beers like IPAs will pass along their bitter flavor to the soup.
German Pilsners, light lagers, and any of the standard domestic beers on the market are also ok: Kolsch, Budweiser, Bud Light, Becks, Fat Tire, Sam Adams, Killians, etc. are all great choices.
Pumpkin Beers, Ciders, and Non-Alcoholic beer are just as delicious too!
Today we're going for a tried and true favorite, Octoberfest, because it's the perfect time of year for it!
What's the Best Cheese to Use for Beer Cheese Soup?
The best cheese to use for beer cheese soup is easy. Use the best cheese you can find! Some may argue with you, but the cheese really is the star of the show in Beer Cheese Soup.
Two important rules here:
- Be sure to use a high-quality cheese, and switch it around for the seasons too! Irish cheddar for St. Patricks Day, etc. You can use any kind of cheese you wish, really, but I prefer to use sharp cheddar and gruyere because their strong flavors balance nicely with the twang of the Octoberfest beer and they both melt really well.
- You *CANNOT* use pre-shredded cheese from a bag. REPEAT. You *CANNOT* USE pre-shredded cheese from a bag for beer cheese soup! Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents in it which will prevent it from melting, causing your Beer Cheese to be stringy and gritty. Bleck.
Tips for Making Beer Cheese Soup
Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup is a souper (see what I did there) quick recipe to make, and following these simple tips will offer smooth sailing to suppertime:
- Make sure your cheese, beer, stock, and cream are at room temp or at least have the chill off of them. This will allow for even mixing and will help prevent clumping.
- Pour beer in slowly, gently whisking after each addition until bubbles dissipate.
- Do not let the temperature get too high! Cook over medium heat and allow the temperature to rise slowly.
- Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the cheese. Adding cheese to a soup that's too hot will cause the cheese to separate and look curdled.
- Don't like chunky soup? Puree the veggies in a food processor before cooking or follow the tips at the end of the post to puree the entire batch of soup!
Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ½ onion (1 cup) minced
- 2 ribs celery (1 cup) minced
- 1 carrot (1 cup) minced
- 2 cloves garlic (2 tsp) minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 (12 oz.) bottles Octoberfest beer I used Sam Adams
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 16 ounces extra sharp cheese shredded
- 8 ounces gruyere cheese (or more sharp cheddar)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Smoked paprika, pretzels, bacon crumbles, fresh parsley, extra cheese and a drizzle cream, for garnish
Instructions
- Line a plate with a paper towel and set aside. Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, and add bacon. Fry until golden and crisp to your liking then remove to the paper towel-lined plate and reserve the drippings.
- Add butter to the drippings followed by the onion, celery, carrots, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften. About 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until well incorporated and the rawness has cooked out. About 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the beer, followed by the stock and cream, whisking constantly until the mixture smooths out and thickens. Heat until just bubbling then lower the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, whisking often to ensure the bottom doesn’t scorch.
- Sprinkle in the cheese, a handful at a time, whisking after each handful until the cheese is completely melted into the soup. Stir in the mustard, nutmeg, and black pepper. Adjust salt if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a sprinkling of smoked paprika, crunchy pretzels, salty bacon, bright fresh parsley, and a drizzle of cream.
For a Super Dreamy & Creamy Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup:
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until silky smooth.
- If using a blender, allow the beer cheese soup to cool for 5 minutes before pureeing.Puree the soup in batches in a high powered blender. Add a few ladles full of soup to the blender, replace the lid, hold a thick towel over the top, then puree until the soup is completely smooth.
- Once all of the soup is pureed, add it all back to the stockpot and heat until steaming and warm. Garnish and serve.
Lisa says
Looking forward to preparing this recipe. Out of curiosity, do you put the bacon back into the soup or is it reserved for the garnish? Thanks! Lisa
Amber says
It’s reserved for an edible garnish at the end to eat by the spoonful. Hope you love it!
Patty Johnson says
Curious about your measurements. 2 stalks of celery would be significantly more than 1 cup. Do you mean 2 ribs of celery? 1 carrot doesn’t seem like it could be 1 cup nor does 1/2 onion. Would it be safe to assume these ingredients should just be 1 cup and forget about the quantity?
I know sizes vary of vegetables but I’ve never seen measurements like these before.
Amber says
Hi, Patty! As you mentioned in your last sentence, the sizes of vegetables can vary and are dependent on brand, varietal, time of year, and an individual's preferences. Some of my readers prefer whole carrots, some like baby carrots, and others purchase or borrow individual ingredients rather than buy entire bags worth of produce for just one recipe. I live in the south where our carrots and onions are huge and can EASILY cut up into the measurements notated. Also, I say a stalk of celery which equals a rib of celery, and either way, two of them will cut up into a cup. ToMAto-toMAHto, don't read too much into it! It all means the same thing, and the recipe will yield the same result, which I hope you love!
Rod Anderson says
Quick question: What do you consider a serving? Thanks!
Amber says
It’s really rich so probably anouit 1/2 cup to a cup? Depending on how you're serving it.
Tamra Cox says
This looks delicious 😋
Kathleen says
Can you make this ahead? If so, would it be as good two days in the refrigerator?
Amber says
Hey! Yes, this can be made in advance, but not too far in advance unless you plan to freeze it. Beer Cheese Soup will last 3-4 days in an airtight container. It’s just as delicious, if not better, on day two!!!
Sam says
trying this recipe today for a friend's soup party. I'm going to get mini pretzel bread bowls to serve in.
My question is about the nutmeg. I usually do not like it but I'm wondering if I should add for the party 🤔 do you think the nutmeg is make or break for the soup?
Amber says
Absolutely not necessary. It just gives it a touch of depth of flavor, but it is NOT a make it or break it ingredient. Yaaaaaaaaaaas, to the pretzel buns!!!! Fantastic idea!!! Let me know how it turns out!
Nancy says
I’m throwing out my old cheese soup recipe from the Driskilk Inn—this soup is amazing and perfect for a cold winters day. I also used the Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer which is a must!
Amber says
Yaaaaaaaay!!!! Thank you so much!!! Such an awesome compliment!!!!