Cooking with Beer

 

JL: You kind of have to be careful cooking with beer. Its not like wine, you can’t just reduce it for sauce and flavor, because the bitterness in the hops comes through as a result of being over heat. You have to be more creative in your uses. Use as a finisher in hot sauces, or straight up in a vinaigrette. You can also use different components. At Deschutes Brewery, we’ve found that using the wort is a great way to incorporate the flavor into sauces. Because of its sweetness, you can reduce wort into a glaze, or almost make a reduction like balsamic. The sweetness of wort holds back all the bitter flavors that come through. It can also be reduced into a syrup and used as a drizzle for a finisher.

Beer can also be used as a braising liquid for meats, which will absorb the good flavor and leave the bitterness behind.

You can also blend the beer with a stock of sorts for a mild flavor. A good example would be a Belgian carbonade, a version of beef stew. Instead of using red wine for braising, use a Belgain beer such as a Flanders style or something comparable to a grand cru. When I’ve recreated this dish at the pub, I used our beer, the Dissident, and blended it with some beef stock. If you use something with a bone, such as short ribs, you may not even need a stock, just add water, because you’re essentially making a quick stock through the process of braising the meat.

 

Straight up beer is also great for cold applications, such as our béarnaise. Take eggs, a bit of acid such as a wine reduction or vinegar, bring them up to temp and slowly whisk in clarified butter. Similar to an aioli, which would be the cold application. The beer plays in at the end, when you simply add a small amount to gain the flavor. We use Cascade Golden Ale in our pub béarnaise, which is essentially a beer aioli with the additionof tarragon and shallots. There is a lot of flavor in fats, and the acids works as a catalyst to bring out the flavors. Its all about achieving that balance. 

 

JL: Using hops again, you must be careful because of the tendency to become bitter. When making an infusion, use a lower temperature so the hops don’t cook too fast. Crushing up the hops, tossing them in an oil and letting it sit for a few days, then straining it into a cheesecloth would be an effective method of extracting the flavor without too much bitterness. You also need to be aware of the type of hop used. A high alpha hop will warrant too much bitterness. Lower alphas will warrent more mild flavors.

Malt is a bit easier to work with because you can apply heat. You can steep it in different liquids, and then strain out the grains. Cream or butter to go into mashers, or simmering in a sauce to add a malty flavor to the sauce. You can also candy malts to use as a versatile item on fall salads such as a roasted beet or spinach salad, or as a crunchy treat with ice cream. A great option for people with a nut allergy still looking for a sweet crunch.

Spent grain is another great tool for cooking, especially baking. We use the spent grain for breads, such as our rye, wheat, our whole wheat kaiser roll, pizza dough and pretzels. The wort is also used in the bakery, such as a porter wort in chocolate porter cheesecake, or a pale wort in a berry mixture for cobbler.

JL: Once I made a dessert, a sour cherry coulis. We soaked cherries in either the actual Dissident beer, or just the wort, then we blended it all, and it ended up being used in some sort of crème brulee. It looked like bbq sauce, and I tasted it and thought, `Wow, this would be great over some ribs or a pork loin.' I brought it to the pub and drizzled it over some pork, and it was amazing. We didn’t have to apply any heat so the original flavors were all there.

I also love a cider wort reduction for our pork loin at the pub. A hazelnut pork scallopini, and a wort recuction with a cider reduction makes a perfect combo. It's not too heavy of a sauce. Add some carmalized apple and malted mashed potatoes and you've got one heck of a dinner.

 

JL: There’s a couple different ways you can go. The really easy way would be, if you’re cooking with beer, pair it with what you cooked with. If you braised the ribs in porter, pair it with that porter.

There’s such a sprectrum of beer and flavors, its bigger than wine. From your funky, sour Belgians, to light crisp pilsners, to seasonals such as pumpkin beers and fruit beers. The best thing to do is experiment. Sometimes things just jump out of nowhere. I tried a Jubel Ale paired with a tomato sauce, and suddenly the flavors just exploded, I never would have thought of it. Experimentation warrents crazy discoveries. It could be the acid of the tomato, with the heavy malts of Jubel, somehow it just works.

With spicy foods, you don’t necessarily want a super hoppy beer. Your palate will already be overwhelmed. Something better would be something lighter, more crisp and refreshing that will act as almost a palate cleanser.

I love sour beers with cheese, you get this huge flavor, mouth-coating creaminess from the cheese, and when you take a sip of the sour beer, it cuts right through it and helps balance the flavors.

Heavier beers such stouts, and barrel-aged strong ales, barley wines, beers that are high alcohol, and beers with whisky or bourbon flavors are always great with dessert, or sometimes just for dessert. As much as you want to use opposites for balance, you can also use similar flavors, such as an IPA with a curry, or a malty, chocolatey stout with a mole sauce.

 

JL: Lots and lots of experimentation, don’t be afraid to try something new. Your local homebrew store is a great resource for raw ingredients, such as hops, malts, and the salesperson would be more than happy to point you in the right direction, so you don’t end up with a bittering hop when you want aroma. Go rub elbows with a local brewer, most are happy to talk about what they love ... which is beer. Bringing up a new angle, such as cooking with beer would possibly iginite new ideas for both of you. New perspectives always bring new ideas. And they might be able to hook you up with some wort, which is hard to come by unless you brew, or know someone who does.

Here’s another thought: If you like beer a lot and want to cook with it, if you haven’t already, try homebrewing—another great beer-drinking hobby. You’ll become more familiar with the ingredients, how they are used, and how to obtain them. Plus the reward, beer! Leftover or extra ingredients can be used in a recipe.

 

JL: For sure, riding my bike in Hood River, and drinking either HopLava or the Rainier Kriek at Double Mountain. I love pairing with their Jersey Pie, a pizza covered with gypsy peppers. I also love any of Double Mountain seasonals. They make some great beer.

I love just going to towns like Portland, hitting Bailey's Taproom, Deschutes Brewery, Horse Brass and Belmont Station. Maybe head to Upright Brewing and Cascade at the Raccoon Lodge the next day. I love going on vacations with my bike and my girlfriend, and hitting as many breweries and trails as we can.