1. Michelada (aka Bloody Beer)
Beer works magic in food — as you're about to see — but why not start with a refreshing brew? Savory and light, it’s the perfect thing to enjoy while you read through this post. Go make one now.
Serves 4
1 6oz can tomato juice
2 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup juice)
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or preferred hot sauce
2 12oz bottles or cans of beer (Modelo is ideal)
several handfuls of ice cubes
lime wedges, for garnish
celery salt or plain salt, for garnish
Prepare the glasses: rub the rims of four tall glasses with the lime wedges then coat the rims with either celery or plain salt.
In a bowl or measuring cup, combine the tomato juice, lime juice, celery salt, Worcestershire and Tabasco (or desired hot sauce) and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Add a handful of ice to each of the prepared glasses, then divide the tomato juice mixture between them (each should have approximately 4 tablespoons of juice). Top the glasses with half a bottle of beer each, then garnish with a lime wedge.
2. Garlic, Parmesan, and Herb Beer Bread
Since beer is basically liquid bread, and bread is basically liquid beer, marrying the two makes more sense than you might thing. This chewy, dense quick bread gets malty sweetness and a honey color from beer (use a good one, as you’ll be able to taste it). It’s great with any meal, slathered with salted butter.
3. Beer and Bacon Braised Collard Greens
Use nut brown ale to braise collards into submission, and you’ll never want to cook with anything else. This super-easy side comes together very easily, but leaves enough time to crack a cold one open while it cooks.
4. Short Ribs with Beer and Buckwheat Honey
Short ribs and beer, together in one pot, is never, ever a bad plan. Honey brings this rustic, one-pot dish together nicely. Serve it on a rainy day, or if you can’t wait, crank up the AC and make it tonight. The electricity bill will be worth it.
5. Rosemary Ciabatta with Stout Beer
Care for a little stout in your bread? Your answer should always be yes. The dark beer makes this bread irresistibly malty, with a dark, inviting color and an extra crisp crust. You’ll only need 8 ounces for this recipe, so enjoy drinking whatever you've got left over.
6. The Snake Bite
This cake has not one, but two forms of alcohol in it. Stout makes the chocolate cake heady, moist, and the slightest bit tangy, while hard pear cider runs through the icing. After you make it, you’ll wonder where it's been all your life.
7. French Onion Soup
Add 2 full cups of dark ale to this recipe, and you'll have the best French onion soup you’ve ever tasted. Don’t forget the toast, and the extra ale on the side.
8. Cousin Funday Beer Cocktail
Next time you reach for a beer, consider taking the time to spike it. Orange liquer makes this cocktail taste like a summer day in the Yucatan. It’s crisp, light, and best served with just a frosty mug.
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