Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

When I was young, I remember going to a street fair every fall with my mom.  Food trucks weren’t much of a thing then, so vendors at street fairs were a real novelty.

Each year, my mom would seek out a specific vendor that served Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup in a bread bowl.  My mom and I loved it! Cheesy and delicious with little bits of ham and that bread bowl to devour at the end.

It’s been years since then and while that street fair still exists in my hometown, I have no idea if the soup does.  So when Sunday Funday challenged members to use beer in a recipe, that soup sprung to mind and I decided to remake it.

The soup was just as I remember, thick and cheesy but a perfect balance of flavors.  Sometimes beer soups can be overly beer-y, but since the beer is added before any other liquid and allowed to cook off just a bit, it ends up melding in perfectly.  I decided to forgo the bread bowl this time, but if you're so inclined, it would be delish!

Sunday Funday

Beer

• Beer and Garlic Marinated Chicken Breasts from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Beer Batter Fried Shrimp/Prawns with Green Tahini Sauce from Sneha's Recipe
• Michelada from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Spicy Guinness Marinated Chicken Thighs from Food Lust People Love
• Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup from Amy's Cooking Adventures

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 ounces ham, cooked

¼ cup flour + ¼ cup cold water, whisked together

1 (12 ounce) bottle beer

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon cayenne powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups half and half

16 ounces freshly shredded cheddar cheese, about 4 cups

Place 1 tablespoon butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and celery.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ham and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the beer and cook for about 5 minutes, allowing about half the liquid to boil off.  Pour in the water and flour mixture and whisk, allowing the mixture to thicken.  Add the chicken broth, mustard, worchestershire, cayenne, and black pepper; bring to a low boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Reduce heat to low.  Add the half and half and cook until steaming.  Stir in the cheese until smooth and melted.  Serve.