Cooking with Beer By Jon Brandt, CW Beermudgeon
W hen I decided to leave the world of journalism and politics behind shortly after my 40th birthday, my pivot was to enroll in one of the top cooking schools in America – L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, MD. One of the things I wanted to focus on was cooking with beer, a much-overlooked ingredient in many recipes. That’s not to say that there aren’t many recipes that incorporate beer. There are many recipes for beer breads and beer-battered fish and recipes calling for adding beer to chilis and stews and braises of all kinds. But the problem is that many of these recipes only call for “beer” without saying what KIND of beer to use. Would you trust a recipe that called for “a cup of wine” without saying whether it should be red or white, dry or sweet, oaked or unoaked, sparkling or still? Wouldn’t you expect it to specify the grape varietal or where it’s from?
Just like wines, different beer styles have widely differing flavor profiles and they will affect recipes differently. The recipe I shared in 2022 for Breakfast Stout Cupcakes demands a stout with chocolate and coffee overtones. Beer-battered fish calls for a light, effervescent lager like a pilsner to give the batter lift, but little flavor that will overpower the fish. Many recipes for Beef Carbonade a la Flamande (Flemish Beef and Beef Stew) call for “Belgian beer” in the recipe, but that’s only slightly more helpful than just “beer,” as the Belgians make many kinds. Do they mean a Belgian lager like Stella Artois ? (No.) Do they mean a lambic like Lindeman’s Framboise ? (Again, no.) How about Westmalle Tripel ? (No, strike three.) What you want for Carbonade is a Belgian brown ale ( Leffe Brown ) or a dubbel ( Chimay Red , for example), as these beers give the stew undertones of earthiness and sweetness to give the dish balance. A Belgian Quad like Rochefort 10 (10% ABV) could work as well, but the end result might be a bit boozy. During my year at L’Academie , I interned in the kitchen of the late, lamented Johnny’s Half Shell on Capitol Hill under the superb tutelage of Chef Ann Cashion. Among the many things I learned was her recipe for Barbecued Shrimp , which is not another name for shrimp on the barbie, but an elevated version of shrimp and grits with a spicy, beer-based sauce. Again, many recipes I see online for this dish (including one from New Orleans’ venerable Commander’s Palace ) call for “beer” in the sauce preparation without any specification. At Johnny’s, we used Abita Amber Lager from New Orleans for the malty, somewhat nutty sweetness it imparted to the spicy sauce. This is the recipe I adapted for my final exam which earned me top-of-class honors. And it was one of Johnny’s most popular entrees for many years running, so give it a try. The bottom line is next time you try a beer-based recipe that simply calls for “beer” in its ingredient list, first look for another recipe that is a little more specific about its ingredient choice. But if that isn’t successful, ask your friendly neighborhood Beermudgeon for a recommendation. I’m sure we can find you just the right beer for your recipe.
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