There’s nothing quite like a hearty, chunky one-pot soup to warm you up on a chilly day. This beer cheese soup, made with tender broccoli florets and grated carrots, packs a punch of flavor with the addition of tangy extra sharp cheese, spicy brown mustard, and a bottle of your favorite lager beer. When served with a side of fresh bread, muffins, or biscuits, this soup becomes the ultimate comfort meal.
As the end of the year draws near, I’m getting closer and closer to caving into “The Idea” of making one new soup recipe for each week of 2024. Thoughts? Will B.O.B. Bob and I boycott soup for the rest of our lives after the year is over? Will the love of my life secretly poison my soup after six months because he just can’t stand the sight of another bowl of butternut squash soup? Will McKenna attempt to draw blood each time I boil the bones of a store-bought rotisserie chicken for stock because I won’t allow her on the stove to lick the broth? Or, will life be a wee bit easier because soup is so very easy to make and there are so many combination possibilities? I just can’t decide. Should I go for it? After all, B.O.B Bob did mention that I don’t make chili nearly often enough.
Ingredients:
- 8 Teaspoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 (12-oz.) Bottle of Beer
- 2 to 3 Carrots, Peeled & Shredded
- 1 (16-oz.) Bag Frozen Broccoli Florets
- 1 Tablespoon Spicy Brown Mustard
- 2 Teaspoons Hot Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Nutmeg
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 8-oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Shredded
Directions:
- Place the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
- When the butter is melted, add the flour to the stockpot; cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Very slowly add the broth to the flour mixture, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the bottle of lager, stirring constantly.
- Add the carrots, broccoli, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, and nutmeg to the stockpot. Stir to combine and then cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Very slowly add the milk to the stockpot, stirring constantly. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Add the cheese to the soup in very small batches. Stir the soup between each batch of cheese to ensure that it melts evenly into the soup. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Suggestions:
- I used a heavy-bottomed pot for this recipe. The heavy bottom ensures that the soup doesn’t burn as easily.
- When you add the broth to the flour mixture, it will absorb immediately and become a very thick paste. Just keep slowly adding the broth and constantly stirring. If you add the broth too quickly, it will create floury lumps in your soup.
- I used a bottle of Samuel Adams Octoberfest in this soup, which is a lager-style Märzen. Use your favorite lager, just make sure not to use one that is too heavily flavored. A sweet, nutty, or neutral lager works best.
- I used broccoli florets in this recipe because I wanted lots of texture. If you don’t want large pieces of broccoli in your soup, you can thaw and chop the broccoli before adding it to the soup, or use frozen chopped broccoli instead.
- The hot sauce in this soup doesn’t make it spicy, it simply adds flavor.
- Do not forget to turn down the heat before adding the milk and the cheese.
- Don’t add all of the cheese at once. If you add it slowly, it gives it time to slowly melt into the soup without breaking. Also, make sure to shred your own cheese for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese has a non-caking agent which will not work well for this recipe.
Improvements:
- Replace the frozen broccoli in this soup with frozen cauliflower.
- Don’t be afraid to play around with different varieties of cheese. Try using havarti, gouda, jack, or fontina in this recipe.
- Garnish with freshly ground black pepper or hot sauce.
- Use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth for a vegetarian or Meatless Monday version of this soup.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
Ingredients:
- 8 Teaspoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 (12-oz.) Bottle of Beer
- 2 to 3 Carrots, Peeled & Shredded
- 1 (16-oz.) Bag Frozen Broccoli Florets
- 1 Tablespoon Spicy Brown Mustard
- 2 Teaspoons Hot Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Nutmeg
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 8-oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Shredded
Directions:
- Place the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
- When the butter is melted, add the flour to the stockpot; cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Very slowly add the broth to the flour mixture, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the bottle of lager, stirring constantly.
- Add the carrots, broccoli, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, and nutmeg to the stockpot. Stir to combine and then cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Very slowly add the milk to the stockpot, stirring constantly. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Add the cheese to the soup in very small batches. Stir the soup between each batch of cheese to ensure that it melts evenly into the soup. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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