The Brew Times
How to Brew Beer with Coffee
Looking for ways to keep your fall and winter beers bold and inviting? Bring some coffee into the mix! Whether you intend to make a beer that only features coffee alongside other notes, or a beer that is big on java flavor, we'll give you tips on how to achieve the beer you want.
Read moreThe Brew Times
If your ingredients are stored in the fridge or freezer when should you take them out for brew day?
If you are storing your ingredients in the fridge or freezer when should you pull them out for brew day? We break it down in this episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. We did a video a long while back about how to store your ingredients if you are not going to brew with them right away. The best way is to store your hops in the freezer and your yeast or grains in the refrigerator. Now, this brings up the question, when should you pull the ingredients out for brew day. You would want to pull everything out at least a few hours before so it can get up to room temperature. The main reason for this is temperature swings, especially with your yeast. Yeast is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations and wild swing can cause off-flavors or the yeast to not work properly. So a good rule of thumb is to always take all of your ingredients out a few hours before or if you are brewing in the morning take them out the night before. Cheers, Robert
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Is homebrewing legal?
If you are a homebrewer, you may or may not have given much thought to the “legality” or the “legal history” of your hobby. Don’t worry, it’s federally legal to homebrew in the United States, but the subject is nuanced, and we do get quite a few questions about it. For that reason, I have put together this “quick guide” to homebrewing legality and some of the history associated with it. Is homebrewing legal on the federal level? Yes. In 1978, for the first time since prohibition made it illegal in 1919, homebrewing became federally legal in the United States. Do some State Laws prohibit homebrewing? In 2013, the last two states to legalize homebrewing on the local level were Mississippi and Alabama. As of now, all states in the US permit homebrewing though some have local statutes that differ from Federal law. Can States make their own laws and regulations regarding homebrewing even though it is federally legal? Yes, Individual states are still free to make laws governing the production of fermented beverages at home. Alaska is one example of a State still exercising this power over homebrewers beyond federal law. How many gallons of beer can I make at home without breaching federal law? The United States Federal government allows for 100 gallons of beer per adult 21 years or older, per year and up to no more than 200 gallons per household, per year IF there are 2 or more adults living in the household. Can I sell my home brewed beer? Because alcohol is federally taxed and regulated, homebrewers are prohibited from selling their beer, without a federally issued tax ID and license for the sale of alcohol. Which president made homebrewing legal again in the US? Jimmy Carter Can I make home-distilled spirits under U.S. Federal law? Distilling at home is illegal In the U.S. and can carry federal criminal penalties. Even owning a non-running still can get you in the weeds! How do I find out if my State has any remaining statutes about homebrewing, beyond what the federal law states? The American Home Brewers association provides a tool for looking up your statutes by state, here: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrewing-rights/statutes/ Does home Brewing fall under my constitutional rights? Yes, sure does! See the 21st amendment and the repeal of the 18th amendment. Here’s how you can sum it all up. “In 1978, Congress enacted Public Law 95-458 (H.R. 1337), amending the Internal Revenue Code to allow any adult to produce beer, without the payment of tax, for personal or family use. The beer produced per household may not exceed: (1) 200 gallons per calendar year if there are two or more adults residing in the household, or (2) 100 gallons per calendar year if there is only one adult residing in the household. Under the 27 C.F.R. §25.206, homemade beer for personal or family use may be removed from the premises where made for organized affairs, exhibitions, or competitions such as homemaker's contests, tastings, or judging. Under 27 C.F.R. 24.75, adults may produce wine for personal or family use in the same amount as allowed for beer.” In summary, if you are a citizen of the United States, and homebrewing within the Federal and local statutes for the state you live in, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. If you ever have doubts or concerns, it is best to do your research and contact a legal professional if possible. You can also contact your local division of Alcohol Control and ask them for an explanation. I hope you enjoyed this article and the information provided within it. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section and let us know if you have suggestions for future articles. Cheers! Ashley
Read moreWhat do you need to brew Mr. Beer’s new 5 gallon recipes?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="LYcTVfk4nK8" video_title1="What do you need to brew Mr. Beer’s new 5 gallon recipes?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} Last week we added some new 5 gallon recipes to our offerings. For those who are interested, we break down what you need to brew these new recipes. With the launch of our 5-gallon recipes, we are hoping to expand the offerings for those of our customers who already brew 5 gallons, but if you have never brewed this size before you may be wondering what extra equipment you need. Well, you don’t need that much at all. For our 5 gallon recipes, we used Coopers HME’s as the base. So just like with most Mr. Beer recipes, you are starting with HME as a base so you don’t need a lot of extra equipment. So the first thing you will need is a 5-gallon fermenter. I would recommend the Coopers DIY fermenter we sell on our website. It's an awesome fermenter. It has a spigot for easy bottling and the bottom of it is actually a slight conical to help all the trub settle down there. Also, with the krausen kollar this fermenter can hold up to 8.9 gallons. So once you have that you will need a 1-2 gallon pot for your boils. Then you will need enough bottles to bottle 5 gallons or 19 liters of beer. This is about 30 of 740ml bottles which we do sell on the website. All of these items can be found under the 5-gallon brewing section on our site. So if you are ready to start brewing more, then give these recipes a try. Cheers, Robert
Read moreHow are Mr. Beer’s New Advanced Brewing Recipes Different?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="uef_KfS4n80" video_title1="How are Mr. Beer’s New Advanced Brewing Recipes Different?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} We launched some new recipes last week dubbed our advanced brewing series. So we thought it would be helpful to break down what the difference is between these and our other recipes. I saw some comments on this in the Facebook group so I thought it would be worth addressing. The main difference between these recipes and our other ones is that these do not use Hopped Malt Extract as a base. Instead, they use either UME or DME as the main base for your brew. Now this will change up the brewing method a little bit. The first thing is that you will have to do longer boils. Since there is no bitterness from hops in the UME or DME all the bitterness has to be done by hop boils. So if you will notice all of these recipes require around 60+ minutes of boil time to brew. The basic premiums of how to brew one of these recipes are that you will do your grain steep which is usually around 30 minutes. Then you will mix in your UME or DME and then that will boil for another 30 or 60 minutes depending on the style and hop additions that are required. Other than that the brewing process is the same. The only other thing you will need is a larger pot. At least 1 gallon depending on the recipe, I would recommend getting a 2 gallon just so you have the extra space. Brewing this way is more of a traditional brewing style and kind of the next brewing step for those looking to brew beyond hop malt extract but who do not want to get into all-grain brewing. So if you are feeling up to it give this a try, they are all awesome recipes, and keep an eye out for more of them in the future. Cheers, Robert
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Stout and Apple Breakfast Bread
Fall is coming! Fall is coming! Okay, I know that’s not how it goes, but it’s still a true statement. Cooler months are right around the corner and with that, comes my desire to bake warm, delicious treats that contain my other favorite thing, beer. That’s where this delicious, not too sweet, apple and stout, “breakfast bread” takes center stage! Whole wheat flour and velvety stout, join to make a truly sumptuous beer-infused, treat! Here is how to make it! What you will need: ¼ cup butter cut into small cubes, plus a little more for greasing your pans 1 Large Fuji apple (or similar variety) Peeled, sliced cored, and diced. 175 grams of all-purpose flour 450 grams of whole wheat flour 90 grams Oatmeal 2 ½ tsp baking soda 4 TBSP Sugar About 6 ounces of Stout beer 5 TBSP Molasses 400 ML Buttermilk How to make it: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 1lb loaf tins. Add apples to a bowl and toss the apple with 2 tbsp of the plain flour. In another large mixing bowl Mix the flour and oatmeal with 1 tsp salt and the baking soda. Add the butter and mix it in with your fingertips then, stir in the sugar. Make a “hole” in the middle of the mixture and gradually pour in the stout, followed by the molasses, then the buttermilk. Mix the liquids in with a spoon as they are added, also working in the floured apple. Work quickly and be careful not to overmix. Divide the mixture between the loaf pans and bake for 35-40 mins. To test whether the loaves are ready, remove one from the pan and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it’s ready; if not, return to the oven for a little longer. Turn the loaves out of the pans and leave them to cool on a wire rack. This is not a very sweet bread, so it tastes amazing with a bit of jam or honey! I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe; if you have any questions or make it, please let us know in the comments! Cheers! Ashley
Read moreCan you use a dented can of malt extract?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="kLJtiqZfYbs" video_title1="Can you use a dented can of malt extract?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} We have all seen Ace Venture and know what can happen to your box during shipping. So it is inevitable that you will get a can of malt extract that is dented, but can you still brew with it? We break it down on this episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. So if you happen to get a dented can you can brew with it. You do not need to worry about any bacteria forming or anything being wrong with the malt extract itself. The cans have a very strong internal lining in them to prevent the malt extract from getting distributed and they have no oxygen in them to prevent bacteria growth. So if your can is dented don’t worry about it, you can still brew it with no problem. The only time you should ever be concerned is if your HME can is bulging. This will only happen if the can is very very old. In this case, we would recommend not brewing that. But other than that dents or even past its expiration date the malt in your can will be good to brew. Cheers, Robert
Read moreBawker Bawker Tucson's First Cider House
Downtown Tucson is known for many things and most locals are happy to name them off for you. The University of Arizona, several nationally known restaurants and breweries, historical sites, small businesses; the list could go on and on. Despite all of that, there’s still something the Tucson area has never had before. A new and brilliant Jewel in the crown of Downtown and it's called Bawker Bawker Cider House. Tucked neatly into the corner on 400 N. 4th Ave, Owner and Brewer, Don Rubino, and his wife Jaimie have turned this historical, semi-industrial space, into a warm, quirky, and inviting spot for all that enter. From the first step over the threshold, I was met with the familiar, tangy aroma of fermentation. Next, my eyes wander up to the bar and then to the many taps, all in a row, a true delight for those that appreciate, “options”. After taking my seat, being greeted, and being offered a tour of the vast (and constantly rotating) menu, my adventure began. With 24 ciders on tap, I opted for a flight… Soon after ordering, I was served a circular rainbow of vivid color, a feast for the eyes no doubt. I had a feeling I was in for something “GOOD”, and boy, was I right! As I sipped my flight, I couldn’t help but notice and appreciate the labor and love applied to each flavor I tried. The complexity, the yeast character, the creativity… It was all there and all perceptible within those six, little, glasses. Beyond the cider being delicious, the atmosphere is inviting, there’s no TV’s or loud music to contend with, making it the kind of place you could have a conversation with someone, at reasonable decibel. The service is friendly and if you ask questions, Don is happy to answer them. Speaking of questions… Owner, Don, was kind enough to take the time of his busy schedule and give us an interview for The Mr. Beer Blog about his new “baby”. Here is what he had to say: Ashley: What made you want to open the first Cidery in Tucson? Don: “I have been making cider for 10ish years and have always enjoyed making and drinking it. I have been a "maker" since I was a kid. I knew Tucson didn't have a cider house and wanted others to enjoy my creations and realize that there are more options than the commercial sweet sugary ciders, as ours tend to be on the dry side.” Ashley: Where do you draw your inspiration for the unique range of flavors you offer? Don: “Everybody and everywhere. My wife, our friends, our customers, things we have drunk, and things we dream about. There are no limits!!” Ashley: Many people were surprised to see you open during such a challenging time for so many small businesses. What are some of the “special” challenges this has created for you? Don: “Hmmm what wasn't a challenge at that time? Getting building material to the job site for the build-out. Getting the permits. Getting the inspections. Trying to figure a budget for something we didn't know when would end. Do we finish the build as planned or do we try to see the future and build for a "new way of life”? having to navigate subs, when we couldn't work in the same room. did I mention how to navigate a budget with no idea when we would open? How we could do “to-go” products without anyone ever trying our product.” Ashley: Have there been any challenges you did not anticipate? If so, what were they? Don: “Yes. a can shortage. we had ordered 900 cans and thought that would hold us for a bit, and then selling out in just 2 weeks. How long it ended up taking for deliveries? Over the last year freight has been going up due to a shortage of truck drivers. (Thank a truck driver for being out there, we need them!!) and then when we did open our taproom, there was a shortage of people that could work. To name a few.” Ashley: Now I know you get this question all the time but humor me. Why the name “Bawker Bawker” and why are there chickens all over the place? Don: “They are funny. My wife would comment about me “bawkering” with the girls in the coop, and it made me laugh. So, it stuck with me. Everyone tried to talk me out of it, but at 2 in the morning when I was doing the paperwork… Nobody was there to talk me out of it.” Ashley: Where did your passion for making cider, begin? Did you start as a homebrewer? Don:” I did start as a homebrewer. Before I met my wife, I was content drinking Tecate light, and she thought it was silly for me, who has always loved to cook and create, to be drinking such a mild beer. I was in love with her even more from that moment. Who’s girlfriend wants you to take time and make beer/cider…” Ashley: What’s your favorite part about running a Cidery? Don: “The cider, the people, getting to make a cider here and there just for me and the way I like it. (I always do make enough to share) Seeing people get excited about a new flavor. Working nights. Listening to the bands. Being able to live my life as a maker of something I am passionate about. Seeing our logo out in public on a sticker or a shirt.” Ashley: It’s no secret that you and your wife, Jaimie, are hard workers as it’s easy to catch you both working behind the bar on any given day. Do you feel like a “work-life balance” exists anymore? Don: “Balance. That’s a funny word lately. I do struggle making time for a life outside of here. As we hire staff and get people trained, I do see time off. Maybe not a bunch for a while, but a couple days here and there. My wife is the rockstar here. She still has a full-time career in her field, but still takes the 20-40 hours a week to be here and do the social media, be behind the bar, make appointments, do tastings, and keep me in check so I don’t work 22 hours a day.” Ashley: Does Bawker Bawker Cider currently, or plan to in the future, offer canned ciders for sale at local bottle shops? Don: “We do, and as of today, we are at Flores Market, Feast, and Gourmet Girls, and would be more than happy to be anywhere we are asked to be” Ashley: What’s next for Bawker Bawker Cider? Where do you see yourselves (hopefully) in 5 years? Don: “A vacation!! Dialing in our craft. Getting more people to enjoy a dry cider. Being in more places on tap finding that balance with work. I would like to see us maxing out our production space and finding that rhythm of producing cider and selling it, and if am being dreamy, expanding into a bigger production space. Going into total wine and seeing our cans on their shelves” Besides answering my questions, Don invited me to take a tour of his production space. All production is conducted in under 900 square feet. His brewing area is filled with delightful experimental batches, and cylinders populated will happy little yeasts. To help minimize costs, his fermenters are not jacketed, and all his ciders are fermented at 68 degrees, and then carted by hand, into the cooler for cold crashing. Most of the kegs and fermenters used, have been repurposed from other breweries, as building a cidery from the ground up is no small investment. Every bit must be spent wisely. From the taps to the sleek, well-designed restrooms, Don has put his background as a contractor to good use, and it shows in every detail. There’s no doubt; Bawker Bawker has been well-received by the Downtown and Tucson community. Being that 60-70% of their traffic comes from walk-ins, I think it is safe to say, “We see you Bawker Bawker, and we like it!”. From unique flavors like Horchata, prickly pear, to cherry Vanilla Nitro and many more, this place has something for everyone. You can even find fun events like, trivia and food trucks! So, if you find yourself in Tucson, needing somewhere to beat the heat and enjoy cider, crafted by someone truly passionate about their product… Find yourself at Bawker Bawker Cider house. Check out Bawker Bawker’s website: https://www.bawkerbawker.com/ As always, if you enjoyed this article, or have questions, let us know in the comments section. Cheers! Ashley
Read moreCan you wash your brewing equipment in the dishwasher?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="vb8pxGFvBZU" video_title1="Can you wash your brewing equipment in the dishwasher?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} This is a question that people ask quite often, and there are certain pieces of equipment that you can put in your dishwasher and other ones that you cannot. Now I will say that I have heard from many people that they wash or rinse all of their equipment in the dishwasher without any issues. And if you do that’s awesome and a good way to clean your equipment. To start for our brewing purposes in our brew room, we hand wash everything. We don’t use the dishwasher. We just feel it's better for the equipment to help it last longer to hand wash and clean it all. Okay, so when talking brewing equipment things like your mixing bowls, plastic brewing paddles, pots strainers all that stuff would be fine in the dishwasher. When looking at bottles it depends. Glass bottles will usually hold up well in the dishwasher. If you are washing swing-top bottles in there just keep an eye on your gaskets so they don’t erode over time. If you have plastic bottles I have heard of people putting them in the top rack, but we would recommend just hand washing them. For your fermenter, it depends on what kind you are using. Certain bucket fermenters and ones like the Coopers 6 Gallon Fermenter can do into the dishwasher. Others like our 2-gallon LBK you do not what to put in the dishwasher. The main reason you do not is the heat that is generated can warp certain plastic if it gets too hot. So to wrap it up it is best in our opinion to wash and clean your equipment by hand. Cheers, Robert
Read moreCan you pitch more yeast in your homebrew?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="ibPEDhSjOc0" video_title1="Can you pitch more yeast in your homebrew?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} Do you ever wonder what pitching more yeast in your beer could do? Would it fermenter faster, maybe cleaner, or nothing at all? We break it down in this episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. If you have been brewing with Mr. Beer for a while you will notice a few things. One of those things would be that the amount of yeast you pitch in a refill brew vs some of our recipes is different. When brewing one of our refills you will pitch the packet under the lid which is about 5g of yeast. With most recipes, you will pitch a different packet of yeast which is about 15g. Now the question is does this cause a difference in your finished result, and the answer is, well it depends but it can affect your beer in a positive way. First off, we need to say that if you are holding your fermentation temperatures solid, and you are pitching at the proper temp, your sanitization is on point then adding the extra yeast might not have that big of an impact on your beer. However, if you are getting off-flavors in your beer consistency and having trouble holding temperatures or not monitoring your pitching temperature then adding more yeast could help you. Now you do not want to pitch more than 15g of yeast into one of our recipes, that is too much yeast and won't change anything with your brew. So if the brew you are doing already calls for 15g then stick with that. With our refills and a few recipes, you are only pitching 5g of yeast. So if you always having a slight off-flavor, try pitching more yeast. You can do 2 or 3 of the Mr. Beer packets of yeast. What this will do is if will put less stress on the yeast when it is eating up all those sugars in your beer. It will also help it clean up any off-flavors faster. So if you are always having a slight twang of off-flavor in your brew, then pitch more yeast in your 2-gallon batch. Now just to reiterate you don’t want to pitch more than 15g in your Mr. Beer batch. If you are already making great beer with just the 5g packet then keep doing what you are doing. This is only for those who keep getting a slight off-flavor and they just can't track it down, pitching more yeast can clean that up for you. Cheers, Robert
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Brew Now Enjoy for Labor Day
It is always fun to brew some beers during certain holidays. It is even better if you can prepare ahead of time and brew some beers to enjoy during certain holidays. So, I wanted to provide some recommendations that you can brew now and enjoy for Labor Day. Labor Day this year is September 6th, so that is about 4 weeks from now, so if you brew now, you will be ready to drink for Labor Day. Below are some of the recipes that brew in the 4-week time frame and that would be perfect to enjoy for Labor Day. Golden Ale Craft Refill – Brew Time 10-14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days American Ale Standard Refill - Brew Time 10-14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days M&B Cream Ale - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Xtra Special Bitter ESB - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Over-Inflated Wheel Amber Ale - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Workout IPA - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Day After Day IPA - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Pennsylvania Traditional Lager - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Light Speed Blonde Ale - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Naughty Cream Ale - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Heavy McWee Scottish Style Ale - Brew Time 14 days. Carbonating Time 14 days Make sure no matter what you are drinking for Labor Day to post and tag us on social so we can share your awesome brews. Cheers! Robert
Read moreWhat is Diacetyl in Your Beer and How to Prevent & Fix It?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="sOmrjvKf8DA" video_title1="What is Diacetyl in Your Beer and How to Prevent & Fix It?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} Have you ever gone to taste your beer and noticed a slight buttered popcorn taste or smell to it? Well, that would be the unfortunate chemical compound called Diacetyl. In this episode, we will take how to prevent it and fix it if that happens. Now how diacetyl gets into your beer is a little complicated so we will break it down as simply as we can. But there are two primary ways you can get this in your beer. This flavor is usually very noticeable when you are getting ready to bottle your beer, so there are a few things you can try to do to help prevent this. Either through slow or inefficient expression and intracellular reduction of naturally occurring diacetyl precursors or by a bacterial infection Let's break down the second way first as that is more simple. The best way to prevent that is just to have good sanitization since it is a bacterial infection. So if you get diacetyl in your beer make sure to give all of your equipment a thorough cleaning with a brewery cleanser, not a sanitizer, but something that will clean your equipment. We use the Craftmesiter Oxygen Brewery Wash which works really well. The second reason is a little more complicated. There is a precursor to Diacetyl and that is acetolactate. If you do not give it the time or proper conditions to be absorbed in the beer, you can do a few things. If you bottle your beer and get that buttered popcorn taste or smell, you should let your beer fermenter for 2 more days but raise the brewing temperature by 2-3 degrees. This can help dramatically reduce the amount of this compound in your beer. So to make sure you are preventing this, you want to make sure you keep your brewing equipment clean, make sure you have excellent sanitation, and make sure you are brewing in the proper temperature range suggested in your brewing instructions. If you have this taste in your bottles, you can let your beers condition at room temperature for a few weeks, which might help the flavors. To recap just make sure you are sanitizing and holding your proper brewing temp and you should be good! Cheers, Robert
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How to Pair Beer With Food Like A Pro
If you are like most of us, you probably enjoy imbibing your awesome, home-brews with some delicious food, but sometimes that can seem like a challenging task. Worry no more, I am here with an easy guide to get you well on your way to beer-pairing greatness! Below you will find some general suggestions, but these are just ideas and what’s here is only a few of them so do not be afraid to experiment and try things, too! Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken! Basic beer and food pairing suggestions: Light lagers: Spicy food, burgers, salads Crisp, refreshing, and typically more neutral in flavor, “Light Lagers” tend to pair harmoniously with most savory foods, but they can really become an asset when it comes to spicy food. Grilled foods like chicken, hot dogs, brats, and even raw veggies also pair nicely with Light lagers. Wheat beers: Spicy food and fruity desserts Typically, soft on the pallet with a light grain character, garnering most of its “flavor” from the yeast character, wheat beers are another style that is well-matched with a broad range of foods. Try pairing wheat beers with Buffalo wings, Spicy noodles, Salads, Fruit tarts, or Pastries. India pale ales (IPAs): Steak, barbecue, and Mexican food Hoppy, bold, and often delightfully bitter, IPAs, characterized by their strong flavor, often do best when paired with rich-tasting and “fatty”, meals. They can hold their own against dishes such as Barbecue ribs, French fries, Mozzarella sticks, Steak, Burritos, and Fajitas. Amber ales: Pizza, fried food, smoked pork Toasty, and typically slightly bready on the aroma, with a crisp, clean finish; Amber ales do well at balancing out rich, savory foods, without getting in the way of their flavor. For this reason, they pair well with comforting foods such as Barbecue pulled pork, Jerk chicken, Pizza, and Brisket. Dark lagers: Pizza, burgers, hearty stews These beers typically boast a light caramelly sweetness, that is balanced by darker, roasted flavors. I find these beers really shine when they are paired with certain traditional European dishes, like Sausage, Goulash, Potato dumplings, Bangers, and mash or pretzels! Brown ales: Sausage, sushi, fish Heavier roast, and rich roasted flavors of coffee and chocolate, brown ales showcase a round and nutty flavor with a drier finish. Truth be told… Brown ales pair well with MANY things, but here are a few suggestions to get your wheels turning: Sausage, Roast pork, Barbecue, Fish, Sushi. Porters: Seafood, coffee-flavored desserts, game meats Porters are made with roasted brown malts that give the beer strong notes of chocolate, caramel, and coffee. Like Brown ales, but richer. They are typically drier on the finish and though similar in flavor to Stouts, they are not as “creamy” in texture. Try them with Lobster, Crab, Mexican mole, Barbecue, Rabbit, venison, and game meats. Stouts: Chocolate desserts, shellfish, Mexican food Stouts are best known for their black color and dark, roasted flavor. Despite their appearance, stouts are not necessarily high in alcohol content, bitterness, or flavor, and there are many mild, well-rounded types of stout. Usually characterized by strong hints of chocolate and coffee as well as a silky-smooth consistency. Try pairing with: Chocolate truffles, Chocolate mousse, Lobster, Barbecue, and Shellfish. Well, I don’t know about you, but now I am STARVING! So, do as I do, get yourself some homebrew, and whip up some of these delicious foods to pair along with it! If you enjoyed this article, or if you have tried any of the above pairings, let us know in the comments section! Until next time… CHEERS! Ashley
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