The fall always makes me want to prepare soup, Le Cellier Canadian Beer Cheese Soup is a favorite of mine. Le Cellier is a restaurant located at Disney’s Epcot Center, in Florida. If you have never had Canadian Beer Cheese Soup, you are in for a treat, this soup has a smooth and hardy texture that will satisfy you. This soup is made with chicken broth, a hearty beer, cheddar cheese, red onions, and celery. Looking to fill up an Oktoberfest menu, my version of Le Cellier Canadian Beer Cheese Soup is just what you are looking for.
Le Cellier Canadian Beer Cheese Soup
Do not make this soup if you are in a hurry, you need to let the cheese melt gently into this soup, rushing through this soup will not give you good results. I normally do not make brand name suggestions, but I will here if you can get Tillamook cheese, use this type of cheese. America’s Test Kitchen recommend this cheese, and I think they are correct about this being a tasty cheese. Do not try to save time and buy shredded cheese. An agent is placed on the cheese to keep it from sticking together, and it may not give you good results when you are trying to melt this cheese. Also, if you are not a beer drinker, or looking for a non-alcohol solution, please bypass this recipe, or realize the beer really adds flavor to this and is a key ingredient. Now, get your arms ready, and let’s get ready to stir.
Do you love soup? Be sure to check out these other cheese soup recipes
Restaurant Style Cream of Potato Cheddar Cheese Soup
Gallagher’s Cheddar Cheese Soup
Le Cellier Canadian Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound apple wood smoked bacon sliced into small pieces
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup flour
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 pound aged white cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon Tobasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bottle quality dark beer ** see note
Instructions
- Open bottle of beer, and set on the counter so it will warm up if refrigerated. In a large stew pot, over low heat add sliced bacon. Do not try to brown the bacon, you want to release the fat from the bacon only. W
- hen a couple of tablespoons of fat have been released and the bacon begins to look cooked add the 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted turn heat up to low-medium setting and add chopped onion and celery. When the chopped onion begins to look translucent and the celery is tender add the 1 cup of flour.
- This will look crumbly and may appear you have too much flour. Cook through for a couple of minutes, so the raw flour taste will be cooked out. Add chicken stock a cup at a time, stirring until the mixture looks thick and gravy like. Add the second and third cup of chicken stock stirring to incorporate each time.
- This mixture will look like a thick gravy now. Add 1/2 pint of heavy cream, and then stir until incorporated, then add remaining heavy cream and stir. Add grated cheese by thirds into soup, stirring until all of the cheese is fully melted. Add Tabasco sauce, dry mustard, pepper, Worcester sauce, and stir until fully blended.
- Slowly pour in beer stirring until well blended. Serve soup immediately. Notes on beer: Use a good quality dark beer, brands/styles that I like: Shiner Bock, Saint Arnold's Amber, Abita Beer Amber, any Oktoberfest style of beer. Reheating notes: if you must reheat the soup, do so very gently over low on the stove, you may need to thin with milk.
Amanda
I just made this, I added 3 petite red skin potatoes( diced and sautéed before I added them) to thicken it up a little, I used Cabot white and yellow cheese, and fat tire beer, didn’t add Tabasco, but it is yummy!!
80sgirl
They use Moose head beer in the original, the brew it where I live in Saint John, New Brunswick Canada. I believe black Diamond is the cheddar brand the use.
stephaniemanley
Thank you for your input!
MichelleW
If you have ever eaten at Le Cellier and ordered the beer cheese soup for which they are notably famous for, they give each patron a recipe card to take home with their cheese soup on it. Its undoubtably the ultimate in cheese soup recipes and best enjoyed in that basement restaurant in Orlando with their pretzel bread sticks! Amazing experience and the at home recipe is spot on if followed to the letter. It doesnt mention specific use of Canadian beer or cheese.
Stephanie
When I was there for their food and wine festival, they were emphasizing the Canadian beer and then the Canadian cheese. I guess they wanted to emphasize that they were representing Canada.
stephaniemanley
When I was at the food and wine festival they were specific about the types of cheese and beer that were used.
Beth
I just dined there in March, ordered the soup, but was not given a recipe card. That’s why I’m here looking for it. I’ve ordered that soup many times before, and no recipe card was mentioned. Maybe next time I’ll ask about it. Never heard about that before.
BTW, it’s “Tabasco” and “Worcestershire”
canadian beer drinker
i wonder if (unlike this recipie) the original Epcot soup actually uses canadian beer and chese?
Stephanie
Excellent point! I bet they use Canadian cheese and beer, I didn’t find any Canadian cheese at my grocery store.
Judy
I will make this soup again…but I will leave the beer out…because I think it tasted much better without it. I am glad I found this recipe and site…we can always add or change things…Thanks for posting…
Stephanie
Their soup is definitely a beer cheese soup. But it was tasty without the beer as well.