The Best Beers for Beer Cheese Soup: Our Top Picks
Beer cheese soup is warming and rich, so you want a beer that both goes in the pot and sits happily in the glass beside it. An amber or pale ale keeps it from feeling too heavy. Here are four that do the job.
| Beer | Style | Our rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale | Amber Ale | 4.1/5 | A smooth, malty base |
| Sierra Nevada Pale Ale | American Pale Ale | 4.3/5 | Cutting the richness |
| Anchor Steam Beer | California Common | 4.4/5 | Toasty depth |
| Newcastle Brown Ale | English Brown Ale | 4.2/5 | A nutty, sweeter soup |
Beer cheese soup is heavy and creamy, so the beer needs to lighten it. A malty amber gives body, a pale ale keeps it fresh.
The Best Beers for Beer Cheese Soup, Reviewed
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
The go-to for the pot. Its toasty amber malt melts into the soup and rounds out the sharpness of the cheese. Read the full New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale review.
- Biscuit malt with light hops
- Nicely balanced
- Easy craft option
- Middle of the road
- Less exciting than it once was
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
A bit of hop here keeps a rich soup lively and stops it turning one-note. Read the full Sierra Nevada Pale Ale review.
- Bright Cascade pine and citrus
- The benchmark pale ale
- Very versatile
- Hop bite is a lot for some
- Not sweet
Anchor Steam Beer
Toasty and lightly fruity, it flatters a sharp cheddar base without overpowering it. Read the full Anchor Steam Beer review.
- Toasty malt with a light hop bite
- Versatile with most food
- Iconic American craft beer
- Harder to find outside the US
- Middle of the road for extremes
Newcastle Brown Ale
Nutty and smooth, lovely stirred in for depth or poured alongside a bowl on a cold night. Read the full Newcastle Brown Ale review.
- Nutty caramel malt
- Smooth and easy
- A classic brown ale
- Slightly sweet
- Low hop character
The tool for a silky soup
Nobody wants a lumpy cheese soup. A stick blender smooths it out right there in the pot, no ladling into a jug and back.
Beer Cheese Soup and Beer: FAQs
What beer is best for beer cheese soup?
An amber ale for smoothness or a pale ale to cut the cream. Fat Tire keeps it mellow; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale adds a hop lift.
Is beer cheese soup the same as beer cheese dip?
They share a base but the soup is thinner and served hot. See our beer cheese dip guide for the dip version.
Related pairings: beer for beer cheese, ale for stew, beer for a BBQ.
