Beer Cheese Soup

I'm visiting the Twin Cities from the southwest, and there's a little bar back in Vegas started by a guy from Wisconsin that specializes in Beer Cheese Soup.

Before I head back next week, I'd like to try a real Midwestern interpretation of the soup... any suggestions on where to look?

No stop is too far away...

Mojave-

My husband owns a bar & grill in New Glarus, WI, which is about 20 miles south of Madison, and in the heart of cheese country. If you know what day you are coming, I could make sure that beer cheese is the soup of the day (as long as its not Friday - we always do clam chowder with the fish fry). They do make awesome soup with local ingredients. We also make the best beer in the midwest here in New Glarus IMO.
www.tofflers.com
www.newglarusbrewing.com

-Kris

quote:

Originally posted by Kirsby

Mojave-

My husband owns a bar & grill in New Glarus, WI, which is about 20 miles south of Madison, and in the heart of cheese country. If you know what day you are coming, I could make sure that beer cheese is the soup of the day (as long as its not Friday - we always do clam chowder with the fish fry). They do make awesome soup with local ingredients. We also make the best beer in the midwest here in New Glarus IMO.
www.tofflers.com
www.newglarusbrewing.com

-Kris

I love the area around New Glarus, Mt. Horeb and Monroe! Looks great, I'll have to stop sometime for that Stinky burger!

Your menu looks great~! I love cheese curds- if I ever get that far into Wisconsin, I'll check the place out. I've only been as far south as Spooner(from Manitoba).

I love those prices. Is there a horse track nearby? Chow Jim

Salsa- the cheese curds are made 5 miles down the road at my cousin's factory in Monticello. Unlike most cheese curds around here that are made from cheddar, these are made from brick, which is a white cheese. They are awesome.

Jim- Nope, no horse tracks, just dairy farms and cheese factories. I guess the cost of living is just lower around here. Some of the other places in town cater to Chicago tourists, with prices to match. We like to cater more to the locals. They carry us through the winter.

Mojave- Sorry for hijacking your thread. I guess I should start my own when I have some time. I hope you enjoy your time in Wisconsin!

-Kris

New Glarus and Monroe have some of the best food in Wisconsin. Most Roadfooders would enjoy a stop in Green County. Festival times might not be the best time to get a true flavor of the area but the cheese, breweries, sausages and scenery (the Swiss settled here because it reminded them of home) can't be beat. Kalberwurst and röesti potato's are both local treats.

This website may help. We enjoy a trip to the cheese places around Monroe, it is a very pretty area as well.

www.greencounty.org

Anyone have a recipe for beer cheese soup?

Here is one from THE BEST OF BEYERLY'S, A Recipe Collection. Byerly's is an upscale grocery in Minneapolis/St. Paul and they published this in a book for customers 21 years ago. I've made this recipe a few times and like it the best.

"1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup minced onions
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 (10-3/4 ounce) can chicken broth
4 cups milk
1 (12 ounce) can beer [please use bottle of ale]
3 cups finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (12 ounces)
popcorn

Melt butter in large kettle; saute onion until soft. Blend in flour and seasonings; gradually stir in broth, milk and beer. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese; heat and stir until smooth.

Ladle into soup cups or bowls. Garnish with popcorn."

I tend to add a little more onion, use nothing but premium hoppy ale like an IPA that will come through on the taste rather than the BudMillerCoors bland lagers, and go a little thicker with the cheese. If you want super rich substitute some half and half for some of the milk or use whole milk. Since you are going to go into cardiac arrest eating this concoction you might as well enjoy it fully and use the butter instead of the margarine.

Davydd,
that recipe is very similar to
my father's recipe for welsh rarebit.

Kris.. That menu looks darn tasty! My brother lives in Madison.. Maybe next time I visit him I'll stop in (beer cheese soup or not, but that fish fry sounds tasty!).

UncleVic-

I'm sure you will not be disappointed with the fish fry. We have quite a regular following. We also have great clam chowder on Fridays. We were joking when we were in Maine last week that if we just had fresh clams here our chowder would knock the socks off any that we had out there. No offense to you New Englanders, I'm sure there is great clam chowder out there, we just didn't find it on our trip.

As a matter of fact, I think I'll go get some of that Friday fish fry right now!
-Kris

Kris,
We hope to go to Monroe for the Berghoff Blues fest next week. If we do go, we'll stop in and say hi and have a brew or two. I always stop in New Glarus for both Ruef's http://www.ruefsmeatmarket.com/ and that great bakery next door http://www.newglarusbakery.com/ .
Mike

Kris-we will be taking a bike trip your way on Sat,Sept.16(wanted to do it tomorrow but weather looks bad..)Would love to stop in for a meal and a chat.What are the hours of operation? I know I will be getting the prime rib sandwich!!I also look forward to visiting the stores milwfoodlovers mentioned.Sounds like a great destination!

I don't want to steer you south of New Glarus, but I will probably be spending most of next weekend at Cheese Days in Monroe, just 20 miles south of New Glarus. I will be working at the information trailer on the square from noon - 3 PM on Saturday and will be at the Blues Fest for a while at least. Loyd will probably be at the bar in New Glarus most of the weekend. If you stop at the bar, please mention roadfood and he will know what you're talking about. The prime rib is excellent! Be sure to get the cheese curds, my cousin makes them in Monticello, which is half way between New Glarus and Monroe. Hope to see you soon!

-Kris

Here is a recipe for beer cheese soup, my uncle always makes at his Super Bowl Party.


3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup butter
1 cup a-p flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 (10 oz) cans chicken broth
2 cups half and half
2 cups shredded shard cheese
1 (12 oz) beer

In a skillet cook the veggies in the butter until they are soft.

Stir in the a-p flour, and seasonings.

Gradually stir in chicken broth, heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Boil and stir 1 minute, reduce heat and gradually stir in the 1/2 & 1/2, cheese and beer.

Cook gently, stirring until the cheese is melted.

Serve and Enjoy

A few weeks ago I had really good Beer Cheese soup at Hall's on the River, near Lexington, Kentucky.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Photo.aspx?RefID=4746&PhotoID=10314

What surprised me was that the menu listed it as being spicy. I certainly didn't find it spicy.

I don't have a recipe for beer cheese soup, however here is the recipe for "Canadian Cheese Soup" from the late Hudson's department store in Detroit.

For some reason I've been craving it recently with a Maurice Salad and Chicken Pot Pie.


CANADIAN CHEESE SOUP (from Hudson's)

4 T. butter
1 T. very finely diced yellow onion
1/2 c. very finely diced celery
1/2 c. very finely diced carrot
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. corn starch
1/8 t. paprika
1/8 t. baking soda
3 c. whole milk
3 c. chicken broth
2 lb. aged sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 drops of Angustura Bitters
salt and pepper to taste
fresh minced parsley for garnish

Melt the butter in a large saucepan; add onion, celery and carrot. Cook gently stirring often (about 10 minutes) until vegetables soften. In a small dish, mix flour, corn starch, paprika and baking soda together. Add to vegetables and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Slowly add milk and broth and whisk til smooth. Heat to a simmer; cover and cook gently stirring often (about 10 minutes) til carrots are tender. Remove from heat; add cheese SLOWLY and stir til smooth. Add Bitters, salt and pepper to taste and stir til incorporated. Serve hot with a sprinkling of parsley.
(makes 8 (1 c.) servings)

Sonny,

Just add a bottle of beer to that Canadian Cheese Soup and you would have Canadian Beer Cheese Soup. The ingredients are not too much different than the previous two recipes in this thread. Maybe Hudson's was just trying to be politically correct and provide a recipe for non-drinkers and children even though the alcohol should cook out. Good to see this thread revived. Beer Cheese Soup is what I will make for dinner tonight.

PS. I'll use Summit ESB ale tonight since bitters is called for. ESB = Extra Special Bitters

PSS. The soup is simmering right now. I used the recipe I posted with the addition of finely chopped carrots and celery from the other posted recipes.

... and Canadian beer at that. A tasty addition.

With regard to their original recipe not having beer in it, I don't think they were worried about P.C. at Hudson's ...
"Please, no cigar smoking in the elevator" was probably about as PC as Hudson's ever got.
Ah, the good old days ;-)

Sonny, I am not sure how far you are going back in remembering Hudson's. I know Dayton's bought them out decades ago, changed their name to Dayton Hudson Corporation then bought Marshall Fields in 1989 and changed the Dayton and Hudson store names to Marshall Fields in 2000 while at the same time changing the corporate name to Target Corporation. Target then sold the department stores to the May Company a few years ago and then Federated gobbled up May and changed the name again to Macy's. But in all that time Dayton Hudson Target was very PC. I know. I worked for them.

Anyway, here is my beer cheese soup from last night and lunch again today.

Mrs MFL plans on making your soup. That sure looks great.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Sonny, I am not sure how far you are going back in remembering Hudson's. I know Dayton's bought them out decades ago, changed their name to Dayton Hudson Corporation then bought Marshall Fields in 1989 and changed the Dayton and Hudson store names to Marshall Fields in 2000 while at the same time changing the corporate name to Target Corporation. Target then sold the department stores to the May Company a few years ago and then Federated gobbled up May and changed the name again to Macy's. But in all that time Dayton Hudson Target was very PC. I know. I worked for them.

Anyway, here is my beer cheese soup from last night and lunch again today.

I'm going back to the days when they guy who ran the elevator wore white gloves.

Though J.L Hudson and the Dayton Company merged in 1969, J.L Hudson operated as an independent entity until it's closing.

Hudson's in downtown Detroit closed in 1983.

In the early 1960's their downtown Detroit store was the tallest department store in the world. The building was over 2.2 million square feet and employed over 2000 people. It had the largest PBX phone system in the world other than the pentagon.
In 1989 it was the tallest, and the largest single building ever imploded.
It's hard to describe how amazing a department store it was.
They had great food ... the cheese soup was awesome.
Going there at Christmas time was incredible.
Some serious nostalgia.
The holidays always does this to me.

btw: the soup looks deeelish.

Does anyone have the recipe or one close to A1A Ale Works Restaraunt in St. Augustine FL for Cheese Beer Soup. They add barley to it and it is simply the best!!