What beer is meant for
We’ve done it again. It’s another year, and the same tradition arises. It’s time to discover what beer is meant for: drinking. That’s right, it’s your favorite holiday: National Drink Beer day! It’s time to play Quagmire’s favorite game: Drink the beer. Of course, we could bore you with long diatribes about the composition of different types of ale, beer, stout, porters, Lambic, etc. Maybe a discussion of specific gravity, esters, yeast strains, and hop characteristics. While all of that is essential to brewing, it’s not the focus of today’s assignment. Today is not an exercise in pretension. It’s a day to use something for its intended purpose: kind of like driving a car. You don’t get bogged down in the mechanics of the workings of a combustion engine and its auxiliary components. You turn key, press the accelerator, and steer. Don’t over think it. Just: Drink beer.
Of course, there are people out there (believe it or not) who say they don’t like beer. I know, to some of us, this sounds like a Sasquatch tale. But, it’s true. I’ve actually met some. The thing is, most of them just haven’t taken the time or effort to find the right beer for them. If your experience with beer is simply lowest common denominator American lager or the opposite: heavy stouts and porters, that could be a turn off. For someone who doesn’t drink alcohol (Ow, look, Chupacabra), or, people who only drink fruity cocktails or wine, beer may seem unapproachable. But, there are many options. And, just like a kid drinking coffee, you can acquire a taste.
Table of Contents
Drinking is What beer is meant for
Beer dates way back. We think of some of the oldest operating breweries as the founders of beer. But, archeologists date it back to around 7000 BCE. Ancient Sumarians used to have daily rations. It was a good alternative to drinking water from local sources, since the water was often contaminated by animal waste. So, while we think of it as a weekend luxury or something alcoholics drink between heavier stuff, it has roots in daily existence. Armies and navies throughout history also had daily rations of beer for soldiers and sailors. IPA’s were invented by merchant marines traveling from the British Isles to India. The addition of hops prevented spoilage during the long journeys. So, when we ask, what is beer meant for? Duh. It’s drinking.
Pros and Cons
Not only does it provide liquid, that we all need, it has nutritional properties. These are often overlooked due to the alcohol. People think of beer as bad. But, indeed, it is good. We aren’t suggesting you replace meals with it. But, there are some beneficial components in your beer. While the calories worry people concerned with weight, it is low fat. And, it has some protein, fiber, and necessary carbohydrates. And, darker beers even have some anti-oxidants that help stave off free radicals, thus helping against some chronic diseases and cancers.
Plus, it has a bunch of vitamins and minerals that we all need. It’s rich in potassium, calcium, Phosphorous, Calcium, magnesium, Niacin, and folate. In fact, some studies say that it’s helpful in preventing heart disease (of course, if you drink too much, the extra weight may counter that effect). It may also improve blood sugar levels, and increase bone density. What do you expect, think about the ingredients. Beer is basically liquid bread: grains, yeast, water, and flavoring. I believe it was a Jimmy Tingle routine where he said, when I found out beer was food, I started pigging out. People would ask, “aren’t you overdoing it?” The reply is: nah, I’m just hungry.
Of course, that’s the downside: the extra calories lead to obesity. The alcohol can cause liver damage. And, excess consumption can shorten life expectancy. But, low to moderate consumption actually has beneficial effects.
So, let’s use beer for What it’s meant for
Well, that’s a wide variety of things isn’t it. Besides the nutritional value, it’s a way to celebrate small or even larger victories. The sporting world is afloat in beer. Every game in every city revolves around sports pubs, watch parties, and stadium drink sellers. College students and some teenagers drink it as a right of passage. Every celebration from weddings to births to funerals has beer in there somewhere. Beer helps us celebrate things. But, it also helps us commiserate. How any country songs revolve around a sad sack drowning in his beer in a dive bar?
While some people can take or leave it, there are many who profess their love for the suds. At the beginning of this month we celebrated beer lover’s day. Some are absolutely fanatical about it. I have friends who go long distances just to try beer from a new or legendary brewery. We’re talking 500 and thousand mile trips with a brewery as a destination. Granted: it’s an acquired taste. But, like coffee and some pop bands, once you do acquire the taste, the potential for obsession is great. But, don’t be judgmental. I’d rather fawn over a pint of Guinness than the Bay City Rollers, any day.
So, how do we celebrate?
Ummmm, didn’t we already address this? Two word. They are in the title of the day: DRINK BEER!. Of course, many does not live on liquid bread alone. So, we do suggest you eat something as well. So, here are some beer related and beer friendly recipes to help you celebrate this highly instructive and loveable holiday!
CHEERS!
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Beer Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp combined spices: onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Kentucky bourbon barrel beer (you can use the whole bottle if you want, but, I'd save some to drink while you are cooking)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mozarella cheese
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy bottom pot. Stir in flour and spices. Cook over low to medium heat for about a minute, stirring to keep from scorching.
- Add the beer and bring to a boil. Whisk frequently to blend. Then add the cream. Bring back to a boil and continue whisking.
- Ad in the cheese and whisk until it is all melted and blended smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Serve hot with pretzels, bread, vegetables, and/or fruits like grapes or Green apples.
Beer Braised New England Pot Roast with natural gravy, Root Vegetable Hash, and Buttered Fiddleheads
Ingredients
- 2.5 LB Eye of the round beef
- 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1/2 tsp each, salt and pepper
- 6 each medium garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup each rough chopped carrot, celery, and onion
- 12 oz beer, preferably a medium bodied ale
- 2 qt Beef stock
- 1 quart water
- 1 each bay leaf
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup oil for searing the beef
- Root Vegetable hash (see separate recipe)
- 1/2 lb fresh fiddleheads
- 1/4 Lb unsalted butter
Instructions
- prepare all your vegetables and get your mise en place together.
- rinse the fiddleheads with warm water repeatedly to remove any dirt. Then, soak them in cool water to remove dirt that gets in between. Trim the bottoms if they are black. Remove from water, and drain them.
- mix flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour mix. Save the extra flour
- Heat the oil in a large heavy duty pot or dutch oven. When it is just below smoking, put the flour coated beef in. Sear each side of the beef until golden brown (about a minute per side depending on the heat from your burners).
- In a separate pan heat the beef stock and water mixed together.
- Add in the garlic, celery, carrot, and onion, stir occasionally. Cook until some color comes into the vegetables. Add in 1/2 of the butter and melt. Stir in the remainder of the flour mix. Stir and cook for a couple more minutes to make a pan roux. Add in the beer and stir.
- Pour the Beef stock mix into the pot with the beef and vegetables. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Then cut back to a simmer. Add in the herbs and bay leaf.
- Allow to simmer for about an hour. Check the beef to see if it is tender. Stick a fork in. It should be able to wiggle relatively freely without pulling apart the beef. If it is still tough, but the sauce has thickened, add more stock or water.
- When the beef is cooked, remove it from the pot, and, reduce the gravy until it becomes a pour-able, not too thin or thick consistency. Strain the vegetables and herbs out of the gravy and keep it warm for service.
- Melt the remaining butter in a separate saute pan, stirring occasionally. Add in the fiddleheads and cook over high heat. Add salt and pepper, and stir it in.
- Slice the beef and plate with vegetable hash (see recipe), the fiddleheads, and drizzle with gravy.
Lemon Scented Beer Battered Fish and Chips
Ingredients
- 12 oz Beer, lighter style (lager, pilsner, golden ale)
- 2 each large Eggs
- 2 Cups AP Flour
- 1/2 Cup Corn Starch
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 Medium Lemon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Oil to Fry
- 4 Each Fish Fillets (Haddock, cod, or sole), about 6 ounces each.
- 4 90 ct Baking Potatoes
- 1/2 Cup AP Flour
- 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning
Instructions
- Cut your French Fries: Use a mandolin or french fry cutter if available, or cut by hand. Cut to the desired thickness: 1/4 to 1/2 inch is best. Soak the potatoes in water for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- make the seasoning for the fries. Mix 1/2 cup of flour with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Drain the potatoes well and toss with the flour to coat evenly. You can substitute gluten free or other flour if desired.
- make the beer batter: Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add in the beer and mix. Whisk in the Flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Zest the lemon. Fold the zest into the batter, and squeeze in the juice. If the batter is too thin, add a little more flour.
- Heat the oil in a fryer to 350 degrees, or over medium heat on a stove. Fry the French fries until golden brown, crispy on the outside, and, soft on the inside. Dry on paper towels. Keep warm in a holding oven until ready to serve.
- Fry the Fish: Dip the fish by hand into the batter next to the fryer. make sure it is completely coated. Move quickly to gently and carefully put it in the oil. Dip it in from one end and slowly let the rest immerse in the oil. Try not to splash (you won't be happy with the mess or the burns). Repeat with the rest of the fish. Cook until golden brown. This should take about 10 minutes. remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with the french fries and tartar sauce.
Autumn Ale Steamed Mussels with Caramelized onion and Hot Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 Lb Mussels, cleaned and beards removed
- 1 Quart Julienne Sweet Onions
- Olive oil for cooking
- 2 Tbsp Fresh garlic, chopped
- 1/4 Cup Chopped fresh Jalapeno, Poblano, or Serrano Peppers
- 12 Oz New England Ale, Preferably something medium body.
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
- 1 each Fresh medium lemon
- 2 Oz Unsalted butter
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Hearth Baked Bread to serve with the mussels
Instructions
- In a large pot, Heat the olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat. Allow it to slowly caramelize. Stir occasionally. It should reach a point where it is sweet, lightly brown, and very soft. About 10 minutes over low to medium heat. You can turn the heat up a bit, but keep a closer eye on it.
- Add in the hot peppers, Thyme, and mussels, and stir. Then add the beer. Cover the pot and allow the mussels to steam in the beer for about a minute. The Mussels will open up. When all the mussels are open, remove them from the pot, into a serving bowl or bowls. Reduce the sauce in the pot by about 20 %. Then, whisk in the butter, and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the mussels.
- Serve the mussels immediately. A nice sour dough bread or focaccia goes well and can sop up the extra sauce.
And, of course, an ale recipe for you to make your own:
28 Days Later October Ale
Ingredients
- 6 Gallons Water (3 gallons for cooking, then more to finish)
- 8 Lb Medium malt extract
- 1 quart Munich Malt
- 1 pint Carapils Malt
- 1 Pint Chocolate Malt
- 3 each cinnamon sticks
- 2 Oz Hallertau Hops
- 1 oz Cascades hops
- 1/2 oz Chinook Hops
- 1/2 oz Hallertau hops (finishing)
- 1 each defloculation tablet (or 1 oz Irish moss)
- 11.5 grams Lager yeast
- 3/4 cup corn sugar or other type of priming sugar
Instructions
- Sanitize all your equipment and containers at all steps of the process.
- Bring 3 gallons of water to a boil.
- Place the Malts in a cheesecloth sack and put in the water. Add in the cinnamon sticks. Taper it back to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Then remove the bag, making sure to strain the liquid back into the pot.
- Whisk in the Malt extract and bring back to a simmer.
- Add in the Hallertau hops. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the cascades hops and Irish moss or flocculation tablet. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add in the remaining hops. Continue simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Strain the brew into a 5 gallon bucket using a sparging bag to remove as much sediment as possible. Take out the bag and add cold water to the wort. Transfer to a "carboy or fermenting tub. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then pitch the yeast.
- Put a stopper with a blow off tube in the carboy. Put the fermenter in a dark cool place like a closet. Allow the brew to ferment for 2 to 3 days with the tube so that the krausen (foamy discharge) can escape, and drain off into a container with water in it. Check the discharge a couple times a day.
- When the discharge level tapers off, replace the tube with an air lock. Allow to ferment an additional 11 days for a total of 14 days.
- After the initial fermentation, transfer the beer to a "raking" or bottling bucket. Strain it out during the transfer to remove excess sediment. Use a syphon for this process. You don't want to mix in the sediment in the bottom. Heat the priming sugar in about a cup of water. Whisk into the beer. Transfer the beer to bottles and/or kegs. Cap them and then allow the secondary fermentation to take place. Place the bottles or kegs in a dark cool place where they won't be disturbed for 2 weeks.
- The bottled beer should sit for 2 more weeks. Then, you can rfrigerate and enjoy.