Cheddar and Ale Soup: Best Beer Cheese Soup Recipe

Below you’ll find the most common questions and answers about making this recipe. If you have a question you’d like answered, please drop it in the comments section below!

Also known as cheddar and ale soup, beer cheese soup is a rich roux-based soup made with ale and shredded cheese. It’s typically creamy in texture with a rich, cheesy taste and plenty of nutty ale and umami flavors.

Fun fact: In Medieval times, this creamy dish was served for breakfast; however, now it’s more commonly served as a side or entree at lunch or dinner.

Where did it originate?

Cheddar beer soup is a classic dish that originated in Germany. However, there are many versions of this soup: the European version includes egg yolk(s), while the Sorbian version includes raisins and sweet cream. And, the American-style beer soup as we know it came from German immigrants who brought the tradition with them when they settled in Wisconsin.

The type of beer you select is the key to a great tasting soup, so make sure you use a beer you actually like to drink!

This ale soup tastes delicious with a variety of beers; however, I recommend selecting a beer with either a well-balanced tone, or one with an emphasis on malty flavor. Beers with a malty sweetness or bread-y, almost biscuity flavor will provide the perfect balance to the tang of the cheese and blend harmoniously with the other ingredients in this soup.

• English Brown Ale or Amber Ale. Malt-driven in flavor, these brews have a small degree of sweetness. Use ales that are lighter copper in color for this beer soup.
• American Amber or Brown Ale. These beers are medium to full-bodied with a toasty malt character. Select a beer that has a low hop bitterness for this soup recipe.
• Full Strength American Lager. Clean and crisp in flavor, these beers have little malt character.
• Helles, Vienna Lager, Oktoberfest. These brews have a bread-y, malt flavor and crisp disposition.

Tips for beer selection:

• Avoid beers with a high volume of hops. Highly hopped beers, such as APAs (American Pale Ales) and IPAs (Indian Pale Ales) will add an unwanted bitterness to the soup.
• Steer clear floral or citrusy hops.  Any style beer that is flavored with hops that are floral, citrusy or fruity will not blend well with the flavor of the soup.
• Stay away from craft stouts. Some craft stouts have coffee or chocolate added to them. While those are delicious to drink, they do not add good flavor to the soup.
• Beware of dark brown beers. Brown beers, such as porters or stouts can turn your soup a darker, unappetizing color.

You’ll want to use a cheese that melts well in this cheese beer soup recipe. Sharp cheddar cheese is the most common choice as it lends the perfect buttery flavor and it melts beautifully. But, Colby, Pepper Jack, Gruyère, and Fontina also melt well. I personally recommend pairing two cheeses together for the most robust flavor. And, if you’re looking for a super thick soup, try adding a little room temperature cream cheese.

Sure, although the flavor will differ. You can substitute the ale with extra broth (vegetable or chicken) and consider adding a splash of non‑alcoholic beer for depth.

You’re always free to do whatever you’d like; however, I do not recommend it. Those pre-shredded cheeses are coating in an anti-caking ingredient that prevents them from properly melting smoothly. Freshly shredded cheese melts better and will give you a much smoother texture in the finished cheddar cheese and beer soup.

Yes, simmering the cheddar cheese and ale soup evaporates the alcohol, leaving only the rich beer flavor.

Cheese beer soup should never be grainy. It should be creamy, velvety and very smooth is taste and texture. Follow these tricks to avoid a grainy, gritty soup:

1. Use a good quality cheese and shred it yourself. Do not use pre-shredded cheese or cheese slices as they contain additives that prevent the cheese from melting properly.
2. Low heat when you add the cheese. Make sure the heat under the soup is on LOW or remove the soup from the heat completely when you add the cheese. Adding cheese to a hot, bubbling mixture will cause the cheese to break down and become gritty.
3. Add the cheese in batches. Add your cheese in handfuls and whisk well between each addition. Slowly adding the cheese a little bit at a time helps keep the soup silky and smooth.

To make this cheese beer soup recipe keto-friendly, select a light, low carb beer.