History
Wisconsin beer cheese soup emerged from the state's brewing and dairy industries in the 1940s and 1950s, when German immigrant cooks combined leftover sharp cheddar with the abundant local lager to create a thick warming soup. By the 1970s it was a Wisconsin tavern staple; The Coopers Tavern on Capitol Square in Madison and many supper clubs still feature it on the seasonal menu. It is the unofficial soup of the Wisconsin winter Friday night.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 60g unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 60g all-purpose flour
- 500ml chicken stock
- 350ml Wisconsin lager
- 350ml whole milk
- 400g sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 0.5 teaspoon dry mustard
- Salt, pepper, paprika
- Crumbled bacon and chives to garnish
Method
- Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook 6 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Slowly whisk in chicken stock, then beer, then milk. Bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the shredded cheddar a handful at a time, letting each melt fully before adding more.
- Stir in Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper and paprika.
- Simmer 10 minutes to thicken. Adjust seasonings.
- Ladle into bowls. Garnish with crumbled bacon and chopped chives. Serve with a soft pretzel or rye bread.
Tip from the editors. Don't let the soup boil after adding cheese; it will break. Use sharp aged cheddar; mild makes it taste flat. Wisconsin lager is canonical.
Where to eat wisconsin beer cheese soup
Wisconsin beer cheese soup in Madison
The Coopers Tavern ★ 4.5
The Coopers Tavern on West Mifflin off Capitol Square, the craft-beer-and-Wisconsin-pub flagship, runs a kitchen until 23:00 on Fri-Sat with a fish fry.
TryGastropub menu, fish fry and Wisconsin tap beer
The Old Fashioned ★ 4.7
The Old Fashioned on North Pinckney, the Wisconsin-tavern flagship on Capitol Square, pours hundreds of Wisconsin beers and the brandy Old Fashioned standard.
DrinkBrandy Old Fashioned sweet, the city's standard
FoodWisconsin supper club menu, fish fry, cheese curds
Tornado Steak House ★ 4.4
Tornado Steak House on South Hamilton, the Capitol Square supper club, pairs a white-linen wine list with aged steaks and the Friday fish fry.
PourSteakhouse-paired California red or Wisconsin sparkling
WineSupper-club bottle list with steakhouse-friendly reds
FoodWisconsin supper club menu, steaks and Friday fish fry
Wisconsin beer cheese soup in Milwaukee
Mader's Restaurant ★ 4.2
Mader's on Old World Third Street has served German food in Milwaukee since 1902, with sauerbraten, schnitzel and a Knight's Bar of beer steins on the wall.
OrderThe sauerbraten with potato dumpling and the schnitzel a la Holstein.
TipLunch is the value play; the steins on the wall include over 200 vintage German pieces.
Old German Beer Hall ★ 4.2
Old German Beer Hall on Old World Third Street downtown serves Hofbrau liter steins, giant pretzels and Bavarian schnitzel in a stein-lined hall.
DrinkHofbrau Original liter
FoodBavarian pub food
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