Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (2024)

by Amber · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

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.

Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (1)

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.

Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (2)

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!

Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (3)

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (4)

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 Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (5)

Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup

Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (6)Amber

THIS OCTOBERFEST BEER CHEESE SOUP IS HEARTY, SMOOTH, SMOKY AND STOUT MAKING IT A PERFECTLY RICH INDULGENCE TO HELP RING IN THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Entree, Soup

Cuisine American, German

Servings 12

Calories

Ingredients

  • 8 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • ½ onion (1 cup) minced
  • 2 stalks 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
  • 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.

Keyword beer, beer cheese soup, cheddar cheese, cheese, octoberfest, sharp cheddar, shredded cheese

Tried this recipe? Let us know!Mention @slimpickinskitchen or use or tag #slimpickinskitchen

Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (7)
Octoberfest Beer Cheese Soup Recipe | Best Beer Cheese Soup (2024)

FAQs

What's the best beer for beer cheese? ›

I used Fat Tire because that what I had on hand, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy! What brands of cheese do you recommend? For the Cheddar, you can use a good supermarket brand, like Cabot or Tillamook.

What is beer soup made of? ›

The early beer soups were typically based on dark beer, cream and egg yolk thickened with fat and flour cooked together in a roux. Eventually they were flavored with onions, salt, pepper, spices and cheese to create a more substantial and satisfying dish.

Why did my beer cheese soup curdle? ›

Why did my beer cheese soup curdle? This happens when the proteins separate and bind together. Your soup is no longer smooth and creamy; it's grainy and unpleasant. If your soup has reached this state, take your soup off the heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded Velveeta cheese.

Does beer cook out of beer cheese soup? ›

Roughly speaking: Beer cheese sauce, bourbon caramel and other sauces brought to a boil and then removed from the heat typically retain about 85 percent of the alcohol. Diane, cherries jubilee and other recipes that flame the alcohol may still have 75 percent of the alcohol.

What beer is Oktoberfest beer? ›

The Festbier, also known as the Weisn, is a strong German golden lager and is currently the official beer served at Germany's Oktoberfest. It's a pale lager that uses a Pilsner malt, giving a biscuity, toasty flavor and is light and clean in color.

How much alcohol is in beer cheese? ›

Temperature and timing also impact how much alcohol remains in your finished dip. Beer cheese and other sauces that have been cooked over a stove and brought to a boil for a brief period retain approximately 85% alcohol from added spirits.

How do you make beer soup less bitter? ›

This is especially true of more bitter, hoppy beers, like IPA. When cooked down too much, it can render your dish unpalatably bitter. There are two solutions: Choose a more mild-flavored beer with less hops, or reduce the beer separately and add it to a simmering soup, stew, or chili towards the end of cooking.

What does adding beer to soup do? ›

Beer adds a rich, earthy flavor to soups and stews that makes them taste like they've been simmering for hours. Beers with a sweet or nutty taste can add depth to desserts. And don't worry about getting drunk – virtually all of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.

What beer to add to soup? ›

Soups and Stews

When making stews or soups, make sure to replace the stock with stout or ale. If you're making a seafood soup or chicken soup, you can use wheat beer instead.

What kind of cheese melts best in soup? ›

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

Why does cheese get gummy in soup? ›

But when heat is introduced, the protein structure falls apart and the emulsion breaks—the fat globules come together into a greasy pool and the proteins congeal to form a stringy mess. But American cheese is specifically designed to be extremely meltable and nearly impossible to break.

How do you thicken beer cheese? ›

But you can also grab a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup of your existing cheese dip and a little flour or cornstarch (try 1 teaspoon at a time), and whisk to combine over low heat. Add this back in to your other pan of sauce and stir until incorporated (repeat as necessary to get the consistency you're after).

Can an alcoholic eat beer cheese soup? ›

The science is unmistakable: alcohol is still present in food after preparation and cooking. Even after long periods of heating, trace amounts of alcohol remain, which could adversely affect a recovering alcoholic. Individual vulnerability to relapse is difficult to determine.

Can a kid eat beer cheese? ›

Can I serve beer cheese dip to kids? It's a little tricky. Most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving just the beer's flavor behind. While some residual alcohol could remain, it's a very minor amount.

Can kids eat beer bread? ›

Keep in mind, the alcohol evaporates in the baking process, so it is safe for the kids to enjoy as well. Add in cheese if you like, it's not necessary, but it is delicious. Drizzling butter on top helps it have a nice crust. This beer bread comes together in less than 5 minutes and bakes in less than an hour!

What kind of beer is best for beer bread? ›

Lighter beers, such as lagers, ales and pilsners, will give your bread a lighter color, and mild taste that just about everyone loves. Darker beers like stouts and porters make a darker-colored loaf and have a stronger beer flavor. Hoppy beers like IPAs will give your bread a more bitter taste.

What beer goes best with Philly cheesesteak? ›

Pale Ale and Philly Cheesesteak

Although flavorful, a cheesesteak has a mild taste that pairs perfectly with a pale ale. The slight hoppiness stands up to the onions and hearty meat, and the cleaner finish is refreshing after the salty beef and cheese.

Is Stella Artois good for beer cheese? ›

Stella Artois' crisp carbonation and fermentation-led style help lighten the acidity and cut through fat in foods such as cheese.

What is the best beer to cook with? ›

Wheat beers are great for chicken and seafood. If you're cooking pork, beef, and lamb, you will need ales, porters, and stouts. Hearty meat goes well with belgian ales. Stews pair well with ale.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Gregorio Kreiger

Last Updated:

Views: 6750

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (57 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gregorio Kreiger

Birthday: 1994-12-18

Address: 89212 Tracey Ramp, Sunside, MT 08453-0951

Phone: +9014805370218

Job: Customer Designer

Hobby: Mountain biking, Orienteering, Hiking, Sewing, Backpacking, Mushroom hunting, Backpacking

Introduction: My name is Gregorio Kreiger, I am a tender, brainy, enthusiastic, combative, agreeable, gentle, gentle person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.