Beer and Smoked Sausage Corn Chowder

This beer brat (or smoked sausage) corn chowder is a delicious midwestern-style soup. It's loaded with sausage, corn, cheese, and beer. It's creamy, cheesy, and hearty. 

This beer and smoked sausage corn chowder is smoky, cheesy, and loaded with fresh sweet corn. A bowl of this chowder is super filling. All you need is a salad, a glass of wine, and maybe a slice of bread, and you have lunch or dinner. 

This recipe is adapted with permission from the book, Incredible One-Pot Cooking by Megan Marlowe of Strawberry Blondie Kitchen. The book is focused on creating meals with just one pan with a simple list of ingredient. There are 60 recipes in the book, all designed to be made in one pan, pot, or baking dish. 

This chowder is totally delicious. I adapted this corn chowder by using smoked pork and turkey sausage instead of beer brats (which I couldn't find here). I also used 3 ears of fresh sweet corn in this chowder. You can also use frozen corn in this soup when fresh corn is not available. The chowder will be just as tasty.

Ingredient Shopping List: 

Produce: Fresh or frozen corn kernels, garlic, onion, scallions, and jalapeño.

Beer: Use a lager beer, which is the most commonly consumed in the U.S. 

For the soup base: Besides the beer, you will need beef stock and half and half. 

Cheddar cheese: I used sharp white cheddar. 

Sausage: Preferably beer brats or a related sausage. 

From you pantry and refrigerator: Butter, flour, dried oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. 

P.S. If you enjoy this soup, be sure to try pressure cooker beef and beer soup too. 

What if you don't want to include beer in your soup? 

You can substitute more stock or water, but you might want to include some lemon juice or vinegar. This is a super cheesy soup and acid helps the cheese thoroughly melt into the soup. There is something about the acid that helps the cheese dissolve and not get all clumpy.

How to make beer and smoked sausage corn chowder:

First, you sauté corn kernels in butter for five minutes. Next, you add onions, garlic, and jalapeño and continue to cook them for 10 minutes.

After that, you add some flour, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper, and then whisk in the beer, beef stock, and half and half. Once this mixture is boiling, you add the sausages and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Finally, slowly add the cheese by handful while stirring to melt it into the soup. Serve the soup garnished with more cheese and scallions.

Tips for Successfully Adding Cheese to Soup:

Sometimes, when adding cheese to soup, it will clump up and not melt into the hot liquid. It has something to do with the protein seizing up when it hits the hot liquid. 

Beginning with a roux (a mixture of flour and fat) and using a cheese that melts easily and isn't too dry helps, as well as adding the cheese as the last step in preparing the recipe. 

First, make sure your cheese is room temperature and be sure to grate it. In addition, your soup should not be boiling hot. Adjust the heat to "low" and whisk the soup quickly as you slowly add the cheese, one handful at a time. Be sure that each handful of cheese is fully blended into the liquid before adding more. 

P.S. For another great cheesy soup, be sure to try sopa de queso. 

You need to try this soup! It's incredible, and it's so easy to make!

More recipes that include beer from the Sunday Funday group to celebrate National Beer Day, which is April 7!

•  Beer and Smoked Sausage Corn Chowder from Karen's Kitchen Stories
•  Dirty Shrimp from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Beer Marinade  from Palatable Pastime
• Spicy Beef Mince Beer Chilli  from Sneha's Recipe 
• Steak & Ale Pie  from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Stoverij - Akin to Belgian Chili Cheese Fries from Culinary Cam

First published April, 2020, updated April, 2024. 

Beer Brat Corn Chowder

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

This beer brat corn chowder is a delicious midwestern-style soup. It's loaded with sausage, corn, cheese, and beer. It's creamy, cheesy, and hearty.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/3 cup (40 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 ounces lager beer
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 19 ounces beer brats, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 2 cups (240 grams) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese 
• 2 scallions, sliced 

Instructions:

How to cook Beer Brat Corn Chowder

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or 6 to 8 quart pot over medium low heat. Add the corn and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeño and cook over medium low for 10 minutes. 
2. Sprinkle the flour, oregano, paprika, and salt and pepper over the vegetables. 
3. Slowly pour in the beer, stock, and half and half while whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the brats. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. Add 1 1/2 cup of the grated cheese by the handful to the mixture and cook until the cheese has melted into the soup. 
5. Serve, garnished with the remaining cheese and the scallions. 

Calories
408.00

Fat (grams)
29.68

Sat. Fat (grams)
12.59

Carbs (grams)
15.98

Fiber (grams)
1.06

Net carbs
14.92

Sugar (grams)
2.90

Protein (grams)
16.77

Sodium (milligrams)
1015.51

Cholesterol (grams)
77.91

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/04/beer-and-smoked-sausage-corn-chowder.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

soup, chowder, corn, sausage

Soup

American, midwestern

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of the cookbook, Incredible One-Pot Cooking. All opinions are my own.