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Beer Styles

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk 

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

There is a magic in an old recipe. In a method of preparing food with an origin that’s hard to trace. Jerk meat has been a staple in Jamaica for centuries, but follow the history through a labyrinth of poorly kept records and unsettling invasions of outsiders, it’s hard to get a clear view of how it all began.

It doesn’t matter, it hasn’t changed much between the generations of hands that have cooked it. Traditional jerk is cooked over direct flames, not just from coals but also fresh, green wood. Fire is an important component in the dish. The heat, the smoke, the crisp blackened skin. The result is an addictive plate of chicken that’s smokey, sweet, spicy, and juicy.

The idea to add beer isn’t mine, as much as I’d like to claim it. Years ago I read the book, Blood, Bones and Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton. I’d been to her restaurant in New York, Prune, and became a bit fascinated with her. Just a few lines in one chapter about her favorite jerk recipes, no more explanation than it had 25 ingredients including Scotch bonnet peppers, stout beer, and honey, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I’ve spent years adjusting this recipe trying to get to that perfect balance of flavors. One thing is for sure, the smoke and heat of the grill is a must, it just isn’t the same made in the oven.

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken -2

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 38 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup stout or porter beer coffee or coconut stouts and porters work well
  • 3 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers
  • 6 cloves of garlic peeled
  • 3 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon chopped scallions green and white parts
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger grated with a microplane
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese 5 Spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher or Sea salt
  • 3 lbs chicken wings legs, thighs (bone in, skin on)

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients (except the chicken) to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
  • Add the chicken to a resalable gallon sized plastic bag (use two if necessary), pour the sauce over the chicken. Close the bag, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate over night and up to two days, turning once or twice during marinating.
  • Preheat grill to medium high.
  • Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Move to upper rack of the grill to finish cooking once the exterior is as dark as you prefer it.

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken -4

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

Chocolate Stout FrapBrewccino-1

There is a point in every day that the clock tips from coffee-drinking hour to beer-consumption o’clock. It’s a gradual transition, the coffee cravings are slowly pushed aside by your desire for a beer that’s beckoning you from the fridge. In the middle of these two worlds is a bit of a beverage gray area, an afternoon slot where a crossover can take place. Beer and coffee, both are accepted. Coffee beer had this time in mind when it was being brewed. A beverage no-mans-land. Because coffee beers exists, you no longer have to choose between these two well-loved drinks.

But what is a coffee beer?

Brewers are magically creative people, constantly chasing new flavor combinations, new ways to brew, waking up in the middle of the night to jot down beer concepts to flush out the following day. Most brewers start the day in a similar way, a steaming cup of coffee in their hands, rubber boots pounding the wet cement between fermenters and mash tuns, checking batches, sampling wort, mashing in. Coffee still fresh in their mouths as they make giant batches of beer. Coffee and beer never seemed a peculiar combination to this set.

Coffee can be added to beer in a variety of ways. Most commonly is right from the beans. Either ground and added to large bags that function like tea bags, or whole beans added during brewing, the beans are steeped to extract the flavors. On occasion brewers use brewed coffee or espresso. Brewers have a natural affinity for local ingredients, you can bet that in most cases craft breweries will seek out high quality, local, craft beans. Most beers that are infused with coffee are dark beers, like porters and stouts. But don’t ask a brewer to limit themselves or fit within any box. Cream ales have been used and Fort George Brewing makes a coffee IPA called Java The Hop. For this recipe, a bold coffee stout or porter is the way you want to go.

A few to seek out:

Great Divide// Espresso Oak Aged Yeti

Founders // Breakfast Stout

Surly // Coffee Bender

Ballast Point // Victory at Sea

Alesmith // Speedway Stout

Southern Tier // Mokah

Lagunitas // Cappuccino Stout

Schlafly // Coffee Stout

Stone // Coffee Milk Stout

Chocolate Stout FrapBrewccino-2

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup espresso or very strong coffee chilled
  • ¾ cup half and half
  • ¾ cup espresso or chocolate stout
  • ¼ cup chocolate syrup
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 2 cups ice

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Serve immediately.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa + DIY Beer Dad Fathers Day Gifts

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Let’s say that you’re the type of person that has a dad that likes beer.

And let’s also say that you’re the type of person who has procrastinated so much that you don’t yet have a Father’s Day present for said beer drinking dad.

I’m not here to judge you, I’m here to help you. With not only an easy list of beer infused DIY gifts, but also a quick and easy dinner you can pull off after work while making the thoughtful beer laden gift.

Dad’s aren’t quite as sentimental as the rest of us, mostly they just need to be told how great they are, they need some alone time, they need a cold beer and a sporting event. Dad’s also like to be fed. Give him food, tell him he’s good, pet his head. Maybe that’s dogs. Or both. Either way, they need to be fed and watered. I can help you with the feeding part, and these double as thoughtful handmade gifts that are way better than that popsicle stick birdhouses you made him in 4th grade. By the way, he just pretended to like that.

Because he’s nice. You owe him.

IPA Pickles 

IPA Pickles and Pickled Sweet Peppers

 Chocolate Pretzel Beer Toffee

beer toffee FG

Chocolate Stout Truffles 

Chocolate Stout Truffles10

 Salted Beer Caramel Corn 

Salted Beer Caramel Corn 4

 Beer Candied Pecans

Beer Candied Pecans3

Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Sriracha & Stout BBQ Sauce 2

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts_

Now, go out there, make that beer gift that dad will eat on the couch with his favorite beer while watching his favorite team play another team while he yells at the TV. And don’t forget to pet his head.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa-2 

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken

  • 6 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
  • 1 tbs plus 1 tsp salt, divided
  • 12 ounces brown ale
  • 2 tbs lemon zest
  • 2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbs olive oil

For the Mango Salsa

  • 1 large red mango diced
  • ½ white onion diced
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 jalapeno chopped
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken thighs to a bowl, sprinkle on all sides with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with beer, refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  • In a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder, set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl add the mango, onion, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt. Toss to combine.
  • Remove the chicken from the beer, rinse and pat dry.
  • Rub the chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture.
  • Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (take care not to heat the pan over too high heat, the chicken will burn before it cooks through).
  • Add the chicken to the pan (cooking in batches if necessary), until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  • Plate the chicken, top with mango salsa.


Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings 

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

You’ve got to dig a little deeper.

At first blush, this seems like a cop-out. It’s beer and chicken wings, it’s such an obvious pairing you want to scratch your eyes out, scream "Milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, jalapeño and avocado! Give me something new!" But calm down, it’s more than that. It’s a revelation.

Really, it’s because I’m a nerd. Which is what drew me to craft beer, the geeky side of beer: the what, the why, and the how of beer. It’s the same with food. I don’t just want to know how to brine a chicken, I want to know why it works.

I want to know what the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and I want to know how temperature affects meat. That’s why I read Cooks Illustrated. It’s not food porn, really there aren’t too many pictures, it’s food nerd porn. It’s the why, it’s not just the how.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Cooks Illustrated did a story on how to bake chicken wings in a way that the skin gets just as crispy as when you fry it. The fat is rendered, the skin is so crisp it makes a thump sound when you tap it with your nails. They nerd out on food in a way that makes me feel like I’m not alone. They tell you the kitchen fails, the reason they tried what they did, and what finally worked.

For this: baking powder that draws out moisture, low temperate to render fat, and high temperate to make the skin golden brown. If you’re still reading this, you might just be as big of a nerd as I am. And next time we meet, I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll talk all kinds of food nerd talk.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs party wings
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup IPA beer
  • 4 tbs melted butter
  • ¼ cup Sriracha
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • up to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250.
  • Add the wings to a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking powder and salt, toss to coat.
  • Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, brush with oil or spray with cooking spray.
  • Place the wings on the wire rack.
  • Bake in the lower section of the oven for 30 minutes. Move to the upper 1/3 of the oven, increase oven temperature to 425. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
  • In a large bowl stir together the beer, melted butter, sriracha, honey, cayenne pepper (as little or as much as you want for the heat level you want) and cornstarch.
  • Toss the wings in the sauce, serve warm.

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

I was on a southbound flight a few weeks ago, the guy sitting next to me not picking up on my "I don’t talk to strangers on airplanes" vibes. He asked me what I did for a living, which is always a bit of a strange conversation when the answer is something along the lines of "I cook with craft beer, and then take pictures of it."

He rolls his eyes. "I hate that." I didn’t engage, I didn’t care what he hates or why he hates it. If he left me alone, I was fine with that.

After a few minutes of my not biting on his gem of a response to my chosen career, he gave up. "I mean….why does YOUR beer get to craft and other people’s isn’t? It seems so elitist."

Ahh…one of those guys. In his Brooks Brothers khakis and late 90’s briefcase he has decided what I’m allowed to call beer.

"What do you do?" I ask.

"I import. From China and Japan, teas mostly."

"Why? There is plenty of tea over here. Why not just use some grown in the US?"

He’s borderline outraged at the suggestion. "It’s not the same! The techniques people use, the old world skill, the attention to detail and process. People over there have a love for it, they consider it…."

"..a craft?"

Tense silence.

"So, are you saying that your tea is craft tea and maybe Lipton, isn’t?"

"…..oh. Um. Oh…"

I put my headphones in and ignore any more of his attempts to engage. The truth is craft breweries put quality above profit. They will sacrifice the amount they make on a beer in favor of using the best ingredients, but they won’t do it the other way around. There is a love and a respect for the product that can be felt in the industry. There is craft in every industry, with beer it’s just more obvious, more celebrated.

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

 

Now let’s talk food for a second. When making onion rings, the onion selection makes a big difference.  Peel back those layers and all onions bring something different to your table. When selecting the best onion for your rings, you want a thick ring, lots of sweetness and a mellow flavor. Red onions don’t have the sweetness or the thickness you’re looking for. White onions are crisp and thick, but much too harsh and sharp in flavor. Yellow onions have more sweetness than white or red, but the layers tend to be fairly thin and the overall flavor can often be a bit sharper than is ideal. Your best bet is what’s known as a sweet onion.

Sweet onions have thick slices and a sweet flavor without giving you that sharp onion flavor that turns some away. The most common varieties are Walla Walla sweets, Maui, and Vidalia onions, all are the perfect choice for a thick batter and a quick deep fry and won’t leave you overpowered with a sharp onion taste.

For the beer, pick one that has some great carbonation and big flavor, those onion rings can take it. I like a pale ale or an IPA to get the job done.

Happy frying.

 

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large sweet onions
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • 2 cups flour divided in half
  • 2 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 cup IPA beer
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • canola or peanut oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Slice the onion into ½ inch slices, separate the rings. Place in a large bowl, cover with buttermilk. Refrigerate for 1 hour and up to overnight.
  • In a large bowl add 1 cup flour (reserve the other cup), cornstarch, baking soda, chili powder, brown sugar, stir to combine. Stir in the beer to make a smooth batter.
  • Add the remaining flour to a small bowl. Stir together the salt and panko in a separate bowl.
  • Heat three inches of oil in a pot over medium high heat. Use a deep fry thermometer to maintain 350 degrees.
  • One at a time remove the onion slices from the milk, dredge in flour until well coated, dip in the batter, then add to the panko to gently coat (if panko bowl becomes too saturated with the dip, toss it and fill the bowl with fresh panko). Fry on both sides until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.
  • Remove from oil, place on a wire rack to cool.

 

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings  -2

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

You and I, we have a very odd relationship.

I tell you stories, like that time I almost died in Morocco, or about that time I was asked to do porn. I give you recipes that I hope you like, and answer your question about beer and how to get chicken skin super crispy. And you tweet me pictures of the dishes of mine that you make, and email me about how your soon-to-be in-laws now love you because you made them Honey Mustard Stout Chicken, or that you finally know what you were always doing wrong to screw up baked Mac N Cheese, and now you make the creamiest Mac in town.

And I love all of that. The tweets especially, those make my day. But you have to admit, this is odd. And I hope that someday we meet, I’ll buy you a beer, and then you buy me one. And after a few, I’ll tell you all to stories I won’t post.

Someday. Beers and inappropriate stories all around.

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups of flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup 8 tbs butter, cut into small cubes
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup stout beer plus 1 tbs, divided (optional)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pint blackberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a food processor, add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar; pulse to combine.
  • Add the butter; process until well combined.
  • Add milk and 1/2 cup of stout, process until combined.
  • Drop 6 mounds of dough onto a baking (or lightly oil your hands and form into balls) that has been covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Bake at 350 F for 16 to 18 minutes or until the top is dry and slightly springy when touched. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and tablespoon of stout (if using); beat until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
  • Split the shortcakes, fill with whipped cream and blackberries.

Blackberry Chocolate Stout Shortcakes -2

Black and Tan Stout Cake

 

Black & Tan Stout Cake

The first time I made a cake I did everything wrong.

I didn’t care what the directions said, I was going to do it my way, because that made way more sense. I was just going to add all the ingredients at once, because that saves time. And the greasing and flouring of the pans, I had no idea what this meant, and it sounded like a lot of work. So I skipped it. I didn’t check the oven temperate, I just turned it on. And then the frosting, I did the same thing. It ended up looking like cottage cheese. And the cake didn’t come out of the pan, and because the batter wasn’t mixed well, and the butter was still in lumps, it had crater like pock marks where the butter lumps had melted.

But I ate it anyway, with my lumpy frosting.

I’ve made a thousand cakes since then, but that’s the one that I learned the most from. That’s the one I remember. I learned that directions matter, that softened butter is an important thing, that steps count, as does oven temperate. I learned that if you’re going to all the work to make a cake from scratch, you should respect the process and enjoy the time. Or just go buy one.

Be all in or all out, but don’t half way make a cake. If you’re going to do it, make it count. And enjoy every minute.

Black & Tan Stout Cake -2

 

 

Black and Tan Stout Cake

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

Cake:

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chocolate stout
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Frosting:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 8 oz packages cream cheese
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup pale ale or brown ale
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 lbs powdered sugar
  • 1 3.5 oz bar dark chocolate, grated (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and sugar, beat until well combined, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the eggs and the vanilla, beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the mixer to insure the butter is well incorporated into the mixture.
  • Add the sour cream, oil and beer, stir until well combined.
  • Stop the mixer, sprinkle with salt, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, stir until just combined.
  • Grease and flour 3, 9-inch, cake pans. Divide batter evenly between the three pans.
  • Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
  • Allow to cool for 20 minutes, transfer to a wire rack, allow to cool completely.
  • Add the cream to a stand mixer, beat on high until medium peaks form, about 4 minutes. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl.
  • In the stand mixer (no need to clean between jobs), add the cream cheese. Beat on high until light and fluff, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the salt, beer, vanilla extract. Slowly build up speed, beat until well incorporated. Add the powdered sugar, beat until well combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
  • Plate one layer of cake, top with frosting. Add another cake layer, top with frosting. Add the final layer and frost the cake with remaining icing.
  • Press the grated chocolate into the sides of the cake, if desired.
Black & Tan Stout Cake -3

Bourbon Stout Cherries + What is A Barrel Aged Beer?

Bourbon Stout Cherries

Bourbon Stout Cherries (2 of 5)

We would love to pretend like barrel aged beer is something a trend setting, bearded, flannel wearing brewer invented just a handful of years ago, igniting a craft beer phenomenon that’s taken over the bottle shops.

But that’s not the case. In the dawn of civilization, when beer and humanity where in their infancy, beer wasn’t just aged in wood barrels, but brewed, fermented and stored in wooden barrels. We’ve recently rediscovered the beautiful flavors oak barrels transmit into our beers. The caramel, vanilla, fruit and toffee, along with a huge kick of warm alcohol to our favorite brews, make these beers to seek out.

What is barrel aging?

You can age any beer in a barrel, some styles just happen to get there more frequently. Most beers that are chosen for barrel aging are usually darker, maltier beers. Think: stouts, porters, brown ales or scotch ales. Once the beer is brewed and ready for aging, it’s transferred to a wooden, usually oak, barrel. Breweries generally buy these barrels from wineries or distilleries, there is only one brewery in the world that makes their own, Rogue Ales in Portland. Most of the time these are barrels that were perviously used to age wine or spirits. Bourbon barrels are the most common. Since these barrels had previously housed bourbon for years, the wood is still soaked with the liquor. As the beer ages in the barrels, the beer soaks up the liquor, taking on the flavors of the previous tenant. Beer is aged for as little as one month and as long as several years, but most commonly just less than a year. Barrel aged beers have an intensely boozy flavor, and a much higher ABV than most beer. They are best served in small amounts in snifter or tulip glasses.

 Bourbon Stout Cherries (5 of 5)

I’m a sucker for a good barrel aged stout. These are beers to share, beers to sample, beers that you don’t forget. For these boozy cherries, perfect for your next cocktail, I used Track #10 from The Lost Abbey. A beer that should be shared, and can’t be forgotten.

Bourbon Stout Cherries

Servings 1 /2 pound

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup Bourbon
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup barrel aged stout
  • ½ lbs Bing cherries pitted

Instructions
 

  • Add the bourbon, sugar, and stout to a saucepan. Simmer until sugar has dissolved.
  • Add the cherries to a re-sealable jar, pour bourbon/beer mixture over the cherries. Allow to sit at room temperature for one hour. Seal and refrigerate for at least two days before serving.

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip -7

"You must be so glad to be out of LA!"

I hear that all the time. Now that I’ve passed the One Year mark as a Seattleite, people assume I see the South Land the way they do, they way those who have never fallen in love with a dirty, beautiful, interesting, ever-changing, multifaceted city, look at it.

I’m not. I love the Pacific Northwest, it’s an incredible place to live, an outstanding place to explore beer. It’s the best place in the entire world to be during Hop Harvest season.

Living on the East side of Los Angeles, just a mile from where Eagle Rock Brewery, Los Angeles first tap-room, put down roots, was a once in a lifetime experience for a beer explorer. I watched as one of the worlds biggest Cities grew a beer scene from non-existent to thriving. I watch the first brew pub go up, breweries move in downtown, tap takeover taking over the city, and I was even a very small part of it.

Sure, I don’t miss the traffic, although it wasn’t really that bad. No, I don’t miss the weather, although there are days when I miss air conditioning, something that only exists in Seattle’s malls and movie theaters. Los Angeles isn’t like Seattle, for better or for worse. And I don’t compare the two. The beer is different, the people are different and the food is different. I don’t compare my friends to one another, I don’t compare a porter to a saison. I love the city I live in when I live in it, no matter how often it rains or how old the breweries are.

 

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip -3

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients
  

  • 16 wt oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup IPA beer
  • 5 wt oz cotija cheese divided
  • ½ cup 1.5 wt oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 ears of corn kernels cut off

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Add the cream cheese, beer, half of the cotija, cheddar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder to a high powdered blender, blend until smooth.
  • Add the corn and cilantro, stir to combine.
  • Add to an oven safe bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining Cotija.
  • Bake until hot, about 15 minutes.
  • Serve warm, with chips.

 

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip -6

Strawberry Jalapeno Beer Popsicles + A Craft Beer Whitewater Adventure

 

Strawberry Jalapeno Beer Pops-4

I’m in the middle of class 4 rapids, the yellow raft I’m in is pinned on the right side to a giant boulder, the impossibly fast current is rushing over the left side of the boat and the raft is quickly submerged. Seven of us are waist deep in cold water, trying desperately to free ourselves, knowing if the boat flips, or if any of us are tossed out, it could be fatal.

Oars rafting
“LEFT SIDE! BACK! BACK!” Our guide, known only to us as Iowa, is screaming directions at us. As the man in charge of getting us safely down the Tuolumne River, we do everything he says without thinking, hoping it works.

ALW_2885

Jake, the firefighter from Ventura, jumps to the back of the boat, at the same time pushing hard against the boulder in an attempt to free the submerged raft. It works. With a sickening scrape, we feel the raft free itself. We slide backward down the rapids, pinging off several boulders before finding calm water and we all start to breathe again.

“Awesome job team, awesome job!” The smile has returned to Iowa’s face. “You guys are awesome.”

One mile down, seventeen to go. Let’s do this.

Oars trip 3

8 miles and dozens of rapids later we stop to set up camp on a remote river beach tucked away in the woods of Northern California, a short distance from Yosemite. I’m joined on this two day adventure by two guys from Sierra Nevada brewing, a mother and her two children on a memorial trip to honor the Patriarch of the family who passed away exactly one year earlier, a bachelor party of 7 guys up from Ventura California and two chefs from one of Northern California’s hidden gems, The Arnold Pantry. In so many ways, the perfect mix of people. Friendly, laid back, and all with their own story to tell. The ice chest with cold beer is opened up and two of the four kegs packed onto the gear boat by the Sierra Nevada crew are tapped and we all start to loosen up. It’s beer that has been hard-earned and tastes fantastic.

oars trip 4

I jump in the make-shift kitchen, set up with a little more than a camp stove under the trees, to give Chip and Jeff a hand. While I’m immersed in cooking tasks, slicing bacon Chip spent three months making and peeling black garlic, the guides have set up a beautiful dinner scene, complete with candles and tablecloth covered portable camp tables. It’s gorgeous. The sunset is throwing silvery shards of light down a calm stretch of river bent around the beach we’ve claimed as camp for the night.

After the appetizer of house-cured bacon, black garlic and yellow tomato jam on turmeric avocado toast, our dinner is served to us by raft guides turned wait staff. Crispy pork belly over risotto and pickled asparagus, with a side salad of compressed watermelon and cucumber with feta and candied pecans. For dessert, there is a biscuit bread pudding with hand-whipped cream and sweet pickled cherries. Even if you were expecting more than hotdogs and store-bought marshmallows, you’d have been blown away. Even if you hadn’t spent an adrenaline packed day dodging boulders and trying to stay afloat, it still would be one of the best meals you’ve had all year. Add in the events of the day, the keg of beer just a few feet away, the gorgeous moonlight and the sound of the river, and it becomes magical. That’s the word for it: magical. We spent the rest of the night by the campfire, trading stories and failing in our attempt to drain the kegs.

Oars rafting 2

By the time daylight rose over the mountains and we were served French toast with orange cream sauce, fresh berries and hot coffee, we felt like a small gang. Ready to tackle what the river had to serve us. Ready for another day of thrills, rapids, and laughing. And when that day finally came to an end, it felt too soon. It felt like we needed another keg, more spectacular food and more conversation.

I’m ready to go back.

For more information about the craft beer rafting trips, contact OARS. I highly recommend it.

 

Strawberry Jalapeno Beer Pops-1

Strawberry Jalapeno Beer Popsicles

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs strawberries
  • 1 large or two small jalapenos, sliced
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 12 ounces pale summer ale or Pilsner (I used Sierra Nevada Summerfest)

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth, allow the mixture to settle until the bubbles go down, about 15 minutes.
  • Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze until set, about 3 hours.

I was not compensated for this post, I was given a free trip without expectation or obligation. All opinions are my own.

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

I met a 70-year-old woman at a bar in a tiny town in the backwoods of Northern California last week, she was tying to set me up with her friend Chad. Chad is no longer in possession of his teeth and had a very relaxed relationship with hygiene. Flattered as I was I had to decline.

The town was started during the gold rush, the small mountain community was so off the grid that the bars never shut down during prohibition, and since then the population hasn’t grown over 4,000 people. Evelyn moved there a few years ago, drawn to the place by the idea of spending her retirement as a bartender. Feist and happy, she served the locals on one side of the bar, and then grabbed a glass of Chardonnay and chatted them up from the other side once her shift was over. I clearly wasn’t from around there,  I was just passing through for the night, she instantly struck up a conversation with me.

I asked her why she decided to leave the South to move West and serve booze to a rowdy crowd of men half her age. She laughed, "This is the best job I’ve ever had!" She told me about her years as a secretary, raising babies, paying bills, wearing heels. That was a life she made for other people, this life, this was just for her. Sure, she can make more money doing something else, sure her feet get tired at the end of the day, but she has another way to look at it. "You can’t take any of that with you, all you have is what you leave behind. And everyday I make someone smile, and that’s what I leave."

I like her. Although her taste in men is still somewhat questionable.

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

 

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken:

  • 4 chicken legs
  • 1 tbs salt
  • 1 tsp all spice berries
  • 1 cup very hot water
  • 12 ounces brown ale
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 1 tsp black pepper

For the Corn:

  • 4 ears corn
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

For the peas:

  • ½ lbs fresh English peas shelled
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh chive

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken legs to a large bowl or baking dish.
  • In a bowl combine the salt, all spice, and hot water, stir to dissolve. Add the beer, and ice, stir until ice has melted and the brine is room temperature or below. Pour over chicken, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 12.
  • Remove from brine, rinse well and pat dry.
  • Preheat oven to 450.
  • Place the chicken on a baking sheet, sprinkle with pepper.
  • Roast until skin is golden brown, juices run clear and the internal temperature of the chicken is 170F, 30-40 minutes.
  • Grill the corn until grill marks appear on all sides. Cut the kernels off the corn.
  • Add the corn kernels, cream, paprika, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor, process until fairly smooth.
  • Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, prepare a smaller bowl with ice water.
  • Add the peas to boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, then drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking.
  • Add the peas to a bowl along with the olive oil, balsamic, basil, oregano, and chives, toss to combine, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Plate the corn puree, and then chicken and peas.

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling


Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling


Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-9
Sometimes I just need a second.
A second to take a breath. Of course I love the tumbling-forward-faster-than-I-can-keep-up-with pace that my life takes, but I need a second. Spring is the season to pause. The season to sit on the porch, long conversations with friends, favorites rediscovered, season. Maybe it isn’t a season to find out what new things you haven’t heard of yet, it’s a season to remember the things you already love and not even care why you love them.
It’s a vanilla cake, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, grilled chicken, favorite sunglasses, faded jeans kind of season. Sure, I love the new stuff constantly being thrown into my consciousness, but the old favorites have earned their space.
Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-1
This is my season to take a breath and rediscover my favorites. Not justify why I like them, but to just sit and enjoy. In the spirit of this take a breath and remember to enjoy what you like, and to like what you like because you like it, here are my old favorites, the beers that have been with me since the beginning of this craft beer journey, the ones that will still be there when the dust settles on all the new trends. These are the craft beer equivalent of the guy who drives you to the airport at 5am and shows up to help you move.
Allgash // White 
Deschutes // Black Butte Porter
Sierra Nevada // Pale Ale
Ballast Point // Sculpin
North Coast // Old Rasputin 
Rogue Ales // Shakespeare Stout
Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-2

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

Servings 12 -18

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cups white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbs canola oil
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup pale ale or wheat beer
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

  • 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbs corn starch
  • ¼ cup pale ale or wheat beer or blueberry beer
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325.
  • Add the butter and both kinds of sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on high until well creamed, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla, stopping several times to scrape the bottom to insure everything is well combined.
  • Add the oil, cream and beer, mixing until well combined.
  • Stop the mixer, sprinkle with flour, baking powder and salt, stir until just combined.
  • Pour into a 9X13 baking pan that has been greased and floured.
  • Bake until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, 23-26 minutes.
  • While the cake bakes, make the blueberry filling. In a pot over medium high heat add the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until thickened. About 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
  • Allow cake to cool completely, transfer to a flat surface. Using a 1 to 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out 12-18 shapes.
  • IN a stand mixer add the heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat on high until medium peaks form.
  • Slice the shapes in half, like splitting a hamburger bun (alternately you can use one shape for the top and another for the bottom).
  • Fill the shapes with blueberry filling and whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.
Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-3

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth IPA I sampled this weekend, I realized something.

Trying my best to taste the  beer I was in charge of judging through a hop wrecked palate I realized that I love citrus. I love the bright, fresh flavors of citra hops, grapefruit peels, orange zest, and I love how beautifully they play with the flavors of hops.

I’d bravely accepted the challenge of judging a stadium full of IPAs this past weekend at a beer festival, and along with a co-judge, picking one standout winner.  We had different palates, him and I. I fell hard and fast for the citrus spiked beers, he favored the IPA’s with a strong malt backbone. It took us a while to come to an agreement on a favorite. Left only in my hands, I’d have given out ten awards, all to grapefruit and orange tainted beers. But I was in no shape for large scale decision making after sampling 31 beers.

If you also like a little bit of a citrus molested beer, here are a few to seek out:

Hop Valley // Citrus Mistress

Balast Point // Grapefruit Sculpin

Snoqualime Falls // Sunny Si IPA

Terrapin // Hopzilla

Green Flash // Soul Style IPA 

 

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns-3

 

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Servings 8 hot dog buns

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 packet RAPID RISE yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup wheat beer
  • ¾ cups whole milk
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • Egg wash 1 egg, 1 tbs water, beaten
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds.

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix to combine.
  • In a microwave safe bowl add the beer and milk. Microwave on high until the liquid reaches 125 degrees, about 60 seconds.
  • Add the liquid and the oil to the stand mixer, mix on high until dough gathers around the hook and is no longer sticky, about 8 minutes.
  • Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Knead on a lightly floured surface for about a minute. Divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 5 inches long. Place buns on a baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  • Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sesame seeds.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns-2

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Icebox Pie

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Icebox Pie: no bake, ten minutes prep.

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Icebox Pie I had a conversation with a group of brewers the other day about water, a conversation that reminded me of what is at the heart of most brewers.

They were concerned about how much water the beer industry uses in the midst of a drought. It didn’t matter that beer uses far less water than other beverages, that it doesn’t even come close to the top five most water-consuming drinks, or the top 20 food products. It was about them giving back, figuring out how to be better, do better, give more back.  

I see this spirit in most of the craft beer world. I see start-up breweries run by owners still working day jobs to make ends meet. I see most breweries make little to nothing on 6-packs, some even lose money. I see brewers who make far less than people think, giving to charities in their neighborhoods. I see breweries that aren’t even breaking even after 4 years talk about how lucky they are to do what they do. So why do they do? Because they can’t imagine doing anything else. Because they love it.

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Icebox Pie

People who are in craft beer never talk about how much it costs to buy. It’s expensive to make, for what you get, it’s a sold at bargain prices. If beer had the mark-up that soda does, it would easily cost over $100 for a six-pack. Sure, brewers could mark up their beer, make more. But no brewer gets into beer to get rich, and you can see that when you meet one.

So please don’t complain about the cost of craft beer, you’re not the one who has to figure out how to balance the ledgers at the end of the month.

Chocolate Stout Smores icebox Pie-2

  

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Icebox Pie

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 9 graham cracker sheets
  • 1/4 cup brown
  • 4 tbs butter melted

Filling

  • 1/3 cup chocolate stout
  • 2 tbs unsweetened Cocoa
  • 1 1/3 cups 8.5wt oz bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • pinch salt

Topping

  • 3 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions
 

  • Add the graham crackers and brown sugar to a food processor, process until just fine crumbs remain. While the mixer is running, add the melted butter until well combined.
  • Press into the bottom of a spring form pan in an even layer until well compacted.
  • Add the chocolate stout, cocoa, and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, microwave on high until melted, stirring frequently, about 90 seconds.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the vanilla, heavy cream, powdered sugar and salt. Beat on high until medium peaks form. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the chocolate until combined. Stir until well combined.
  • Pour over the crust in an even layer.
  • Top with marshmallows, freeze until set, about 2 hours.
  • Before serving toast the marshmallows with a culinary torch until blacked to desired degree.



Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

 Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

 Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

We try too hard.

We always do. We underestimate the beauty of simple food, and we miss it. The value of doing something really well. We over complicate a basic Mac N Cheese and it ends up a dried mess of pasta and $30 worth of inedible cheese. We buy a pork loin, cook it wrong, and it’s dry and tasteless. We try too hard, and miss the point.

Chicken can be that way. We grew up with bags of frozen chicken breasts thawing in the sink so we think that’s what chicken tastes like. We don’t connect the dots when we have incredible teriyaki glazed chicken thighs at the fair, or when we pick the dark meat during Thanksgiving, it takes us a while to realize that white meat, our default cut, sort of blows. Dark meat, that’s where the joy is.

There are a few recipes I make all the time, beer brined chicken is one. It’s a go-to, it’s a meet the parents meal, casual dinner party, easy sunday supper, type recipe. A brine will give you the juiciest chicken you can get, the dark meat will give you the flavor, a nice olive an herb rub will make it feel important. Even when it’s simple, it’s exceptional.

Plus the left over beer will help you relax and enjoy the evening, and help you stop over thinking every thing.

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs chicken legs and drumsticks
  • 2 tbs kosher salt
  • 12 ounces brown ale
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 large cloves garlic grated with a Microplane
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken to a baking pan or large bowl, sprinkle on all sides with salt. Pour the beer over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for one hour and up to six.
  • Remove chicken from beer, rinse well and pat dry.
  • Add to a baking sheet.
  • Preheat oven to 450.
  • In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and pepper.
  • Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil mixture, turning to coat.
  • Roast at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through.

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs  -5

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

 Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

"What’s your favorite beer?"

It’s a question get asked all the time. The problem is, it’s a trap. There is no right answer. If I talk about well-distributed beers I love, "Black Butte Porter is a great beer," or "Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is one of my favorite brown ales," I’ve disappointed people looking for insider knowledge.

If I talk about the whales (hard to find beers), "Pliny is a great beer, but so is Heady Topper," people see me as a snob who’s just following the craft beer sheep pack. If I mention a beer they have never heard of, "Wow, Blitz Pack from Huminstat Brewing is amazing," they have no frame of reference, maybe it’s a terrible beer, or maybe I just made it up (I did).

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers -7The real issue is that I don’t have an answer, and it’s mostly a bullshit question. I don’t have a favorite food either, it changes with my mood and what I feel like eating that day. My favorite beer does the same, and I like beer that lives in harmony with the food on my plate.

When I go to a beer bar I ask the bartender what he drinks, or if there is anything exciting on tap right now. Anything special release? Anything new? There are days when I just want a stout, and during hop harvest season I want to drink all the fresh hopped beers I can find.

If I go to a brewery that specializes in a specific style, give me one of those. Maybe it’s because I’m not picky, I’m a very go-with-the-flow person. Or maybe I just believe in adventure over comfort. Or maybe I just love all the beer.

So the answer to the question, "What’s your favorite beer?" is most likely, "Whatever you want to serve me."

Because you buy the beer, and I’ll make the food. I’ll drink what you bring, and you’ll eat what I make.

Deal?

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

   

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup stout or porter beer
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp red chili sauce such as sriracha
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 lbs raw shrimp shell and vein removed
  • salt
  • 2 tbs chopped green onions or chives

Instructions
 

  • Preheat grill to medium high.
  • In a large pot over high heat add the beer, honey, vinegar, chili sauce, garlic powder, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, boil until bubbles have mostly subsided and turned glossy and the mixture has thickened, about ten minutes.
  • Thread the shrimp onto metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers, sprinkle with salt, brush with glaze.
  • Cook on the grill until cooked through and glaze has slightly caramelized, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with chopped green onions prior to serving.

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

 Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

The way New Yorkers feel about hot dogs is the way people from LA feel about tacos.

While Los Angeles is a very live and let live society, and while you are free to love and believe what you want as long as you aren’t hurting anyone, we do not extend this courtesy to your taco eating habits. There is a right way and a wrong way. We don’t have access to the words best recipes, pass down from generations of grandmothers from all over the world just so that you can add some iceberg lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese, that’s not OK with us.

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos -5

The acceptable format for tacos is this: homemade corn tortillas, a protein (even if it’s vegetables), chopped onions and cilantro, and possibly a few dashes of hot sauce. That’s it, your taco is complete. Save the cheese and sour cream for your nachos, and the lettuce for your burger, this is how tacos are made.

It might be a coincidence that the hop-heavy IPAs of the West Coast go beautifully with spice and grease of the perfect taco. Just like it might be another coincidence that the maltier beers of the East Coast go so well with those New York hot dogs, or that the rich stouts of Ireland are a perfect combination with a pot pie. But then again, food and beer have always lived in harmony, this is just more evidence of that.

It’s an incredible reminder to keep an open mind and an open palate when traveling. Eat how the locals eat, checking your food preferences at the boarding gate, and drink how they drink. You might just be surprised at how much you love an IPA and a taco without Supreme in the title.

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

I served this with Homemade Beer Corn Tortillas, so good you’ll never go back to store-bought.

 

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 dried Chile Negro pod
  • 1 dried Ancho chili pod
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 white onion cut into large sections
  • 1.5 lbs pounds chuck steak cubed
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 tbs adobo sauce
  • 1 cup stout beer
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • juice from one lime
  • 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 12 homemade corn tortillas
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 300.
  • Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the dried chili pods, toasting on each side until warm and slightly crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, tear into pieces and add to a blender or large food processor.
  • In the Dutch oven heat the olive oil, add the onions and cook until slightly charred on each side. Add the onions to the blender along with the chipotle, adobo sauce, beer, broth, garlic, lime juice and vinegar. Blend until smooth.
  • Return the Dutch oven to heat, add the beef cubes, cooking until seared on all sides, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the blender sauce, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring for about a minute.
  • Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook at 300 until the beef is falling apart, between 3 and 4 hours.
  • Remove from oven, shread in the pot using two forks.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl along with all the sauce.
  • Serve with corn tortillas, onions and cilantro.

Roasted Herb Beer Mustard Potato Salad

Roasted Herb Beer Mustard Potato Salad

Roasted Herb Beer Mustard Potato Salad -3

It’s easy to complicate what’s supposed to be simple. Add unnecessary steps, feel the need to suffer on behalf of the task, take things a little further than needed. Potato salad, the quintessential summer side dish needs a simple touch. I roast the potatoes, the process adds a nice flavor, a creamy center and a bit of a crunchy texture that you can’t get from boiling. I keep the dressing simple and mayo-free, I use good mustard with whole seeds still in tact, and the beauty of fresh herbs.

Maybe because mustard pair so much more seamlessly with a great IPA or summer ale, or maybe because it sits at room temperature without concern longer,  or maybe because mayo makes me gag, but I always favor the simple acidic tang of a german potato salad to the American version that is so often scooped out of a grocery store plastic tub.

This is perfect with beer, perfect for summer, and perfect with a grilled entrée. Look for a wet hopped IPA for some beautiful hop flavors at the end.

Roasted Herb Beer Mustard Potato Salad -4 

Roasted Herb Beer Mustard Potato Salad

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs red potatoes cut into cubes
  • 6 tbs olive oil divided
  • salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup whole grain Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup IPA beer
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 tbs fresh chopped chives
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425.
  • Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Add the potatoes to the sheet, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
  • Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
  • In a blender or small food processor add the mustard, 3 tablespoons olive oil, beer, smoked paprika, and garlic powder, blend for about 30 seconds. Add the chives and oregano, pulse one or twice to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the potatoes to a large bowl, drizzle with dressing, toss to coat. Serve warm.

Roasted Herb eer Mustard Potato Salad