The Beer Cheese Soup Experiment

A few of my friends made comments today about Beer Cheese Soup, which immediately triggered a craving for Beer Cheese Soup. After ransacking my pantry and freezer, and Googling "beer cheese soup recipes," I stumbled upon several that I had most of the ingredients for. So, of course, I decided to wing it and see what I could make out of what I had. This is the result, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I served it with skillet-grilled kielbasa and baguette.

Beer Cheese Soup
1-1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (12 oz) can or bottle light beer
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups half-and-half
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups shredded mixed cheese -- I used a taco blend with Cheddar and Monterrey Jack 
1 tsp garlic salt (to taste)

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. Add the beer and raise the heat to high and boil for 3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Add the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer.

While the liquids are simmering, combine the cornstarch with 3 tbsp water and stir until smooth. Set aside.

Add the half-and-half and shredded cheese to the pot. Stir constantly until the cheese melts, using a whisk if necessary. Then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly with a whisk until the soup is thick, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic salt to taste. Serve hot.