Creamy triple mushroom soup with a delicious malty infusion from doppelbock lager.
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Read on for recipe relevant information and process pictures (2 mins)
As promised sharing the recipe for Chris’ delicious creation in which the earthy flavors of shiitakes, baby bellas and white button mushrooms come together with the rich, malty character and toasty edge of Doppelbock.
Why choose Doppelbock to make this soup?
Few other beers can deliver the same intensity of flavor to accompany a mushroom trio as Doppelbock.
The strongest of the bock lagers, it is quite full bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel. Doppelbock has a very particular dark fruitiness to it (reminiscent of figs, prunes, ripe grapes/raisins) and a faint caramelized sugar presence.
The unobtrusive use of Noble hops balances the sweetness and imparts a hint of herbal notes but no bitterness. Notes of toasted bread and biscuit round off the dominant flavor profile earning the style a food friendly reputation.
We had a few Paulaner Doppelbock bottles at home and Chris used one of them to construct the broth for the creamy triple mushroom beer soup. Paulaner Brewery is in Munich, Germany, one of the six breweries permitted to brew Oktoberfestbier and serve it during Oktoberfest.
The Ingredients of this Creamy Triple Mushroom Soup
We make this Doppelbock beer soup with shiitake, baby Bella and white button mushrooms. Doppelbock lager has a rich, malty character and toasty edge and as a robust backdrop to its merits are butter, onions, double cream and a lot of thyme.
The cleaned baby Bella and white button mushrooms can be cut into pieced in their entirety.
The stems of the shiitakes must be removed and not used as they are extremely dense and become unpleasantly chewy. They could however be used for a home made mushroom broth/base to be added in the soup in lieu of the chicken stock Chris normally uses. If you are interested in creating homemade broths, we recommend this book.
If you’d prefer a very intense umami, almost smoky mushroom flavor, you could soak a few small pieces of dried shiitake in hot water until fully reconstituted and then dice them really small. Their pungent nutty flavor also results in a sense of meatiness when they get added to dishes.
You can also use smoked salt instead of regular to enhance the flavor base.
Dried porcini mushrooms can work too, even though they will impart a less intense flavor than dried shiitakes.
You really should not substitute the butter and double cream with, for example, olive oil and milk. To achieve its luxuriously dense and silky consistency you need the favor of butter and double cream:)
Simply Garnished & Served
We garnish the soup with fresh thyme and add a touch of freshly ground pepper just before serving.
A small bowl is all you really need to serve – it is so deeply satisfying. If you will be making the soup as the first course to a meal, be sure to have it followed by a meaty, hearty dish with loads of flavor. Something that will at least match its robustness, not pale in comparison with it.
Personally, I like to obtain satisfaction with a larger portion of the soup, then finish my meal with simple toasted bread and a strong, pungent and moldy cheese or a few slices of aged gouda or Camembert. And a small glass of Doppelbock. It is a delectable combination and makes for a complete dinner.
If you like the handmade Japanese wooden spoons in the pictures (they really add a rustic touch to the experience of enjoying this soup) you can find them here.
Besides this beer soup, a recipe where Doppelbock and mushrooms have a remarkable interaction resulting in immense pleasure for the taste buds is our Chicken Beersala. A must try!
Creamy Triple Mushroom Doppelbock Soup
Delicious creamy mushroom soup with a malty beer infusion from doppelbock lager.
Ingredients
- 1 lb mushrooms (4 oz shiitake, 6 oz baby Bella and 6 oz white button recommended)
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1/2 stick + 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 12 oz Doppelbock lager
- 1/2 cup double cream
- bunch of fresh thyme (at least 6 sprigs)
- 1 large bay leaf (or 2 small)
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper + more to taste
Instructions
- Clean and slice the mushrooms. You can use the stems of the white button and baby Bella, but do discard those of the shiitakes as they are tough and very chewy.
- In a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat melt the butter and sweat the diced onion until translucent.
- Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and about 1 1/2 tbsp of thyme leaves (gently torn off the stalks).
- Stir and let them cook, add the 2 tbsp extra butter at this stage.
- Once the mushrooms begin to release liquid, add the flour and gently stir until it is incorporated.
- Slowly begin to pour the Doppelbock as you continue to stir gently.
- Add the bay leaf.
- Bring to simmer and let simmer for 4-5 mins for most of the alcohol to evaporate.
- Add the chicken stock slowly as you stir and bring to simmer again.
- Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, partially covered with a lid.
- Add the cream, stir to incorporate and turn of the heat.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately garnished with fresh thyme or transfer to a soup tureen to keep warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 507mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 7gSugar: 7gProtein: 7g
Elizabeth says
This soup is delicious! I couldn’t find dopel bock in our small town, but I was told that bock beer tastes very similar. It turned out really, really delicious.
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Elizabeth. Bock lager works too, even though typically not as sweet and strong as Doppelbock. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Kathryn Griffin says
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing.
CraftBeering says
Yey! Thank you so much, Kathryn!
Rita C at Panoply says
Not only does this soup sound amazing, the photography looks amazing too. Found you on Kathryn’s feature blog (Dedicated House Make it Pretty Monday). I plan to share your blog with my daughter and son-in-law, who is nurturing craft brewing as a hobby. 🙂
CraftBeering says
Thank you so much, Rita!
Agness of Run Agness Run says
I was looking for a good soup recipe and I’ve finally found one of the best recipes. Perfect combo of some nutrient-dense ingredients. What kind of flour do you use for this soup?
CraftBeering says
It is a very good recipe:) Plain all purpose wheat flour works just fine:)
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I’m so into mushrooms at the moment so this sounds perfect!
CraftBeering says
Yes! Thank you, Kat!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
The beautiful pictures portray a sense of warmth, coziness, and comfort. The soup looks and sounds amazingly tasty with the beer, the butter, and cream. We love a good mushroom soup and this is just perfect. Those bowls are so pretty, not only for ice cream 😉 .
CraftBeering says
Hehe, thank you, Nicoletta!
[email protected] says
Mushroom soup is one of my favorites and your version has me all sorts of excited! The ultimate in cozy right here!
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Annie! I do think of Chris’ soup as cozy as well:)
Miz Helen says
Your Mushroom Beer Soup will be amazing! Happy to see you here at Full Plate Thursday and thanks so much for sharing with us.
Miz Helen
CraftBeering says
Thank you Miz Helen, always a pleasure!
Leslie says
I’m not a mushroom fan, but my husband and oldest both LOVE them. This will definitely have to get put on the menu soon. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
CraftBeering says
Our son neither, more for us:) Thank you, Leslie!
Cathy Lawdanski says
What a gorgeous looking soup! The perfect antidote to all this cold weather!
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Cathy!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
Holy cow. I feel like this recipe was created just for me! Mushrooms, especially in soup, are one of my favorite things. This sounds so warming and perfect for a winter chill. Or a summer chill, because I’ll eat this year-round! PS, Your pictures are so beautiful–I know it’s not easy to make soup look good in pics so I’m impressed beyond words 🙂
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Kelsie! We certainly are seeing winter chills, lol. Making soup almost daily, with beer or without:)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I absolutely LOVE mushroom soup! I’ve used cream in it before, but not beer so I bet this is absolutely divine!! Those bowls are absolutely gorgeous too!! My dish collection is definitely growing, but I would love to add these. This would be so perfect today, especially since it is super cold and winter is definitely here. Cheers to a great week!
CraftBeering says
Cheers, Dawn! Doppelbock does wonders for this mushroom soup, I tell ya! The flavors are outstanding:)
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I love mushroom soup and this looks absolutely perfect! And I would never dream of not using butter and cream 😉
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Jennifer! Must have the butter and cream:)