Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

Name: Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Great Lakes · Wisconsin
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons butter; 1 onion, finely diced; 1 carrot, finely diced; 1 celery stalk, finely diced; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 1 bottle (12 ounces) mild lager, or alcohol-free lager; 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock; 1 cup whole milk; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; ½ teaspoon paprika; 12 ounces sharp cheddar, freshly grated; Black pepper and salt to taste; Plain popcorn or pretzel pieces, for serving

By Staff Writer · October 6, 2026

Beer cheese soup fits Wisconsin’s cheese-and-brewing traditions. Sharp cheddar and a mild lager give this smooth soup its characteristic flavor.

A bowl of beer cheese soup — Beer cheese soup made with Stilton and cheddar; illustrative serving, not this recipe. Photo: stu_spivack · Beer cheese soup / CC BY-SA 2.0. Displayed without cropping or color edits; scaled to fit the page.

Serves 6 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: about 30 minutes

State & Nation home-kitchen version. Timing is approximate; use the doneness cues in the directions.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 bottle (12 ounces) mild lager, or alcohol-free lager
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
12 ounces sharp cheddar, freshly grated
Black pepper and salt to taste
Plain popcorn or pretzel pieces, for serving

Directions

Melt butter in a pot. Cook onion, carrot and celery for 8–10 minutes.
Stir in flour for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in beer and stock; simmer gently 12 minutes.
Add milk, mustard and paprika. Warm until steaming, then remove from heat.
Stir in cheddar a handful at a time until melted. If needed, return briefly to very low heat; do not boil.
Season to taste and top with popcorn or pretzel pieces.

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