Four Awesome Ways To Cook With Beer

If you love beer as much as we do, you're in luck. We've brainstormed a few creative, delicious ways — sweet and savory — to serve up your booze outside of the bottle. So grab a cold one and get ready to make a beer-themed feast.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Photo by Daniel Schuleman

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 ¼ cups stout beer
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled for five minutes
3 eggs
Cream cheese frosting

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325˚F.
2. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
3. Pour cake mix into large bowl.
4. In separate medium bowl, mix together beer, butter and eggs. Pour egg mixture over cake mix and combine.
5. Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tops have risen and spring back when lightly touched.
6. Allow to cool completely before topping with cream cheese frosting.

Guinness Float

By Annie Trimber

Photo by Daniel Schuleman

Ingredients:
Coffee or vanilla ice cream
1 can Guinness beer

Directions:
1. Pour Guinness into tall glass. Tilt glass to minimize foaming.
2. Scoop ice cream into Guinness.

Beer Fries

By Annie Trimber

Photo by Daniel Schuleman

Ingredients:
1 bottle amber wheat ale (we used 5 Rabbits)
1 large Russet potato, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Slice peeled potato into 1-inch thick wedges.
2. Soak fries in medium bowl with beer for 15 minutes.
3. Drain the bowl, and pat fries dry with paper towel.
4. Toss fries with spices and olive oil.
5. Place fries on parchment-lined baking sheet in even layer.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

Beer-Braised Beef

Photo by Daniel Schuleman

Ingredients:
Canola oil
1 2-3 pound beef roast
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 12-ounce bottles beer, a red ale or kolch style works well
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300˚F.
2. Allow the roast to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
3. Salt and pepper all sides.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large roasting pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear roast on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
6. Remove beef from pot.
7. Add 1 tablespoon oil and sauté onions and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Return roast to pot, pour in beer and cover with lid or foil.
9. Bake in oven for 3-4 hours, until meat is fork-tender and liquid has reduced by half.
10. Remove roast from pot and allow to rest on cutting board.

Beer Gravy

Ingredients:
Remaining pan juices
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:
1. Place pot with remaining pan juices over medium heat.
2. Whisk together milk and cornstarch in small bowl, and pour into pot.
3. Stir to combine and let simmer until desired consistency is reached.
4. Spoon over roast when served.

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