French Onion Soup with Oaken Barrel Snake Pit Porter

If you're a fan of French onion soup, then you already know the joys of the flavor it brings to the table.  Well, it's not that difficult to bring that taste to life at home.  The first encounter with French onion soup made with beer was at Rock Bottom in downtown Chicago.  Theirs was made with a stout.  This version was made with Greenwood's own Oaken Barrel Snake Pit Porter.

Procure a soup beef bone from your local grocer or butcher.  Season with salt and pepper and roast in an oven for about an hour and a half at 350 degrees.

Place roasted beef bone in a soup pot and cover with about eight cups of water.  You're just preparing a broth with this.  I suppose you can cheat and use an existing beef broth, but believe me, this is worth it.

Your ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
3 large sweet onions sliced (about 4 cups)
Teaspoon sugar
Tablespoon Flour
2 1/2 cups water
12 oz. of dark beer (Oaken Barrel Snake Pit Porter is good, also have used browns and stouts)
Prepared beef broth
French bread
Gruyere cheese

In hot butter, cook onions and sugar for about 10 minutes.  Stir in flour until well blended.  Add water, beer, broth and boil.  Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.  Slice French bread and toast in toaster oven, conventional oven at 325 degrees or in a toaster if it will fit.

Ladle soup into oven safe containers.  Place bread in soup and then place slices or shreds of Gruyere on top of the bread.  Place bowls on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove from oven.  Open 12 oz. bottle of the same beer used to cook the soup.  Pour beer into your favorite serving vessel.  Take a few sips of beer and then dig into the soup, this enhances the taste.