Peach Ale Crème Brulee Tart & Let’s Talk about Peach Beer

Peach Ale Crème Brulee Tart & Let’s Talk about Peach Beer

A craft brewers excitement for the changing of the seasons and the new crop of fresh produce to play with rivals even the most innovative chefs. Mention fruit beers just a few years ago and the collective groan from most beer lovers was audible across the country.

Thanks in part to the overwhelming excitement that accompanies Pumpkin Beer Season, the inclusion of produce in the brewing process is just as exciting as it should be. We are starting to recognize that there is life beyond the orange squash.

Peach beer season ushers in spring and a gorgeous crop of beers that run the spectrum from sour brett beers to dark roasty porters. As fun as it is to play with the pumpkin beers, I’ve been rather seduced by the variety of beer peach season has to offer. And yes, Budweiser, we will keep our Pumpkin Peach Ale, you can keep your Beer Pong Lubricant.

Odell sent my their new Tree Shaker Peach IPA for a test drive. I love it. It’s beautiful, hoppy, and with just a hint of peach. Insanely drinkable and perfect for the summer that should already be here. Here are a few other beers to sample, some are huge peach monsters, and some lend a subtle hand. Sample a few, see what you like, and don’t forget to share. Long live innovative brewers and fresh produce.

(In no particular order)

Odell // Tree Shaker IPA: nice carbonation, tropical citrus notes, big hop flavors and a very subtle hint of peach.

Terrapin// Maggie’s Farmhouse: Beautiful farmhouse ale, earthy, grassy and a nice peach flavor that’s very present but not overpowering. It’s malty but not overly sweet.

Dogfish Head // Festina Peche: It’s not possible to talk about peach beer with out this one being mentioned. It’s the Pumpking of peach beers. Many-a craft beer lover celebrate the day it hits store shelves. Year to year the peach profile changes, from big-in-your-face to subtle and understated. It’s a tart but low hop Berliner Weissbier that should absolutely be in your beer cart this spring.

Cisco Brewing // Pechish Woods: A sour that’s rounded out with some aging in a nice oak barrel. The peach is nice, present, but not overwhelming and beautifully balanced.

Logsdon Farms // Peche n’ Brett: Possibly the highest rated peach beer as of yet. A saison aged in oak barrels with a complex flavor that demands appreciation. If you can find one, grab it.

Great Divide // Peach Grand Cru: A beautiful malty Belgian ale that gives you a nice kick of sweet peach flavors. A perfect addition to an evening dinner party on the patio.

Peach Ale Crème Brulee Tart

Ingredients

Tart Crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
3 tbs ice cold beer

Filling:

1 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup of sugar
½ cup peach ale
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar for brulee crust topping

Directions

Add ¾ cups of flour, salt and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter and egg yolk, process until well combined and dough gathers around the blade.
Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been coated.
Transfer to a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough. Dough will be very soft.
Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface.
Place the dough onto the plastic wrap, form into flat disk.
Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap, chill for 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Roll the tart dough into an even circle on a lightly floured surface. Line a tart pan with the crust. Prick bottom of the tart with a fork several times, adding pie weights if desired.
Bake at 350 until lightly golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool.
Lower oven to 300.
Heat the cream and vanilla in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook just until its bubbly around the edges but not boiling. Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, and 2/3 cup of sugar. Whisk until frothy, about 3 minutes.
While continuing to whisk, slowly add the cooled cream mixture until well combined. Whisk in the beer until well combined.
Pour into tart shell. Transfer to the oven, bake at 300 for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is still slightly wobbly.
Remove from oven and allow to cool, at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator until chilled, about 4 hours. Right before serving, cover the top of your set custard with an even, thin layer of sugar (about 2 tablespoons). Slowly run a culinary torch over your sugar until it melts and turns an amber color.

Notes

Don’t brulee the sugar until you are ready to serve. After about an hour of sitting, the sugar will start to liquefy.

http://thebeeroness.com/2015/04/01/peach-ale-creme-brulee-tart-lets-talk-about-peach-beer/

Slow Cooker Mushroom Winter Ale Chicken & What is a Winter Ale?

What is a Winter Ale?

This is the time for generalities. With the Winter Ales, these seasonal favorites, it’s essential. Because you can get specific, and even technical with other beer styles, but the vast spectrum that these beers run along won’t allow for strict categorization. Winter ales are often what’s called an Old Ale, a rich amber-colored malty ale with an above average alcohol content. But of course, that’s frequently not the case. Winter ales can be stouts, Belgians, brown ales, and even IPA’s.

ABV (alcohol by volume) is a bit of a commonality among these late-in-the-year beers, most of which have an ABV around or above 8%. But, here we are again with the discrepancies. Winter Ales can be as low as 5% and as high as 20%.

Flavor seems to be the best way to round-up these beautiful beers, most of them taste like the holidays. Winter warmers (as they are often called) most commonly have flavors of cinnamon, cloves, figs, dates, nuts, toffee, and chocolate. Most are malty and low hops, but there are of course outliers, some of these beer will give you all those holiday flavors you love while still kicking you a big hop flavor, like this Abominable Winter Ale from Hopworks Beer. It’s pretty perfect for those of you IPA loving hop heads that still want to get into the Christmas Beer spirit.

So, in summation, Winter Ales are mostly Ole Ales, with a higher ABV, malty, with flavors of nuts and spice. But they can be IPA’s. Or stouts. Or have a 6% ABV. To clarify, a winter ale is whatever the brewer wants it to be, and if you’re smart, you’ll just drink it without asking too many questions.

Slow Cooker Mushroom Winter Ale Chicken

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
¼ cup chopped white onions
8 wt ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
3 tbs all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup winter ale (or brown ale)
1 tbs brown sugar (omit if using a low hop, malty beer)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat.
Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear chicken on both sides in a hot pan until browned (chicken will not be cooked through).
Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker.
Lower the heat to medium, stir in the onions, cook until browned. Add the mushrooms, rosemary and sage, cook until darkened and softened.
Sprinkle with flour, stir until combined. Add the chicken broth, beer, and brown sugar, scraping to deglaze the pan. Pour the mushroom mixture over the chicken, stir to combine.
Cook in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Salt and pepper to taste. (if sauce doesn't thicken as much as you like, add to a pan over medium high heat, simmer until thickened.)
Serve over rice or pasta.

http://thebeeroness.com/2014/12/04/slow-cooker-mushroom-winter-ale-chicken/

Pumpkin Ale Farro Roasted Asparagus Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Salad

Pumpkin Ale Farro Roasted Asparagus Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Salad

Somehow I ended up being the girl who brought salad to Thanksgiving. Not my usual holiday offering. Spending the holidays in an unfamiliar city and not being the host for the first time in forever drove me to beer up a salad. Maybe it’s caused by the stir-crazy-work-from-home madness that’s set in, a fall that’s actually cold, or the life I’m living that looks almost nothing like it did a year ago, but beer in a salad made everything seem right. I needed a little familiarity in my world, and all of my favorite salads contain pomegranate seeds and goat cheese. You can even forget the fact that this salad is red, green, gold and white, making it more festive than it should be allowed to be for a holiday salad. This is a season for indulgences: barrel aged beers, cakes, fudge, cookies, and pie. With all of these perfectly fantastic holiday foods, I give you a salad. But rest assured it’s a damn good salad, and with beer infused grains, it definitely made the naughty list.

Pumpkin Ale Farro Roasted Asparagus Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

1 cup whole farro
12 ounces pumpkin ale
½ cup chicken broth
1 lbs asparagus, tripped and chopped into 1 inch sections
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
½ cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup baby arugula
3 wt oz goat cheese

Directions

Add the farro, beer, and broth to a pot over medium high heat. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer until farro is tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain off any remaining liquid.
Preheat oven to 400.
Add the asparagus to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat.
Roast asparagus at 400 until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes (less for thin asparagus, you still want some firmness, it’s best to under cook rather than overcook).
Add the farro, asparagus, remaining ingredients to a bowl, toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.

http://thebeeroness.com/2014/12/01/pumpkin-ale-farro-roasted-asparagus-pomegranate-goat-cheese-salad/