Cheddar Beer Soup

I'm a beer kind of girl. Not the light, horrible tasting kind of beer, but the amber colored ales that are full of flavor. They are the perfect type of beer to use in this recipe. You could use a stout, the real dark beers, but I find them too biter. I used "Honey Brown" which is one of my favorites to drink and it worked great for this recipe. You also want a good sharp cheddar cheese. White or yellow, it doesn't matter, but get it from the cheese case in your local grocery store. Not only is it a better quality cheese when compared to the shredded stuff in the dairy isle, but you can get varying degree's of sharpness to suit your taste.

What You Need:

4tbs butter
4tbs flour
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c chicken broth
12oz beer
1 c milk
1/2 to 3/4lb cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1 ring of smoked polish sausage

What To Do:

In a large soup pot, melt the butter and sautee the onions, celery, carrots and garlic until tender. About 5-10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Slowly add in the chicken broth, while stirring to help prevent lumps, then add in the beer. Bring to a gentle boil and slowly add in the cheese, stirring until smooth. Add in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened.
While the soup is simmering, slice the smoked polish sausage on a biased into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Place in a sautee pan and cook over medium heat until they have a bit of color and is heated through. Serve by pour the soup over a few pieces of the smoked polish sausage.