It seems a lot of people have had problems with the thickness of this soup. In case you did not know, thickening agents do not come to their full thickening potential until they come to a boil. Therefore, you can add all the cornstarch and water (known as a slurry) you want (or roux for that matter), but it will not obtain its full thickening power until it boils with the liquid it is supposed to thicken. I would not recommend boiling the half and half, so I would do the first part, adding the slurry to the chicken stock, boil that for a few minutes, adjust thickness if needed with more slurry (cornstarch and water, it works best if the cornstarch is whisked into cold water), lower the heat, add the half and half and the cheese, stir until the cheese melts, and then serve. I have not made this soup, but reading through the reviews, it seems a lot of people have trouble with the thickness so I am just offering a suggestion and/or advice.
I had read many of the past reveiws about the recipe being a little runny so I mad a few changes and it turned out awesome! What I did was started with only about half the beer(you can add more later) and mixed the cornstarch with the chicken stock and left out the water. When I added the cornstartch and chicken stock mixture the soup got thick right away and I also doubled the cheese and wocsteshire. YUMMY!!!
I am afraid to say that if I were to have followed the original recipe I would have been utterly dissapionted. After having discovered the soup was horribly thin, I added copious amounts of corn starch in a hasty attempt to thicken it. I had already added an additional cup of cheese, and with the extra corn starch the recipe was a splendid success. Best when served with garlic bread. This recipe is also quite easy to prepare and is ready to serve in minimal time, but beware: not enough corn starch will leave you unbearably dissatisfied.
I am very confused about everybody's poor review about it being thin and all of the other complaints. This soup is fantastic but it MUST be followed exactly. I think that's the reason everybody is having a problem is they are changing things before they even try it by following the directions. I make this every week and have never had a problem so I don't know why anyone else is.
Very good! I used dark beer one time (Shiner Bock) and Budweiser one time. The dark beer gave it a much more complex interesting flavor. The Bud didn't do much for it at all. I also followed the advice of another commenter and dissolved the cornstarch in the chicken broth then added it and brought it to a boil then added beer and brought to a boil then slowly added the cheese by the small handful (I used sharp cheddar) and let it dissolve before adding more stirring very often. I also cooked and crumbled some bacon for sprinkles and bought a loaf of dense dark German bread which I toasted. Very delicious and easy! 2/26/09 I just noticed a mistake: I add the cream before I add the cheese. But I have changed the way I make this soup! I make it all the time. I have been cooking 1/2 lb. of bacon in pot then cooking the onion and garlic in bacon grease. I changed it around and now use the beer to deglaze the pan then bring to a boil for 3 minutes then add chicken broth and cornstarch and bring to a boil. Next I turn the heat down and add the cream or half-n-half. I do slowly add the cheese by sprinkling it over the surface of the liquid and letting it melt. I stir that in and then repeat til I used all the cheese. I serve the crumbled bacon and sour cream for toppers. I also put a whole yellow onion in and I think it makes the soup more filling. My soup is usually pretty thick so I just add more chicken broth to make it the consistancy I like and that includes
I made this soup twice at 2 grocery store food demos. It was requested that I incorporate a tub of Rondele garlic-and-herb cheese spread so I did. I got many compliments and requests for the recipe.
This is the best beer cheese soup this side of the Yukon River Grill's soup!
I was dissapointed in this soup. I love beer cheese soup but not this one.
Very delicious soup! I didn't use the cornstarch but made a flour/butter roux to thicken.
