No experienced chef will deny the importance of beer as a culinary ingredient, yet the various types of beer must be understood if one is to properly utilize them. The differing complexities of each not only offer a wide spectrum of flavor, but chemical enhancers as well.
The efforts taken to master the characteristics of beer when cooking will greatly be rewarded in your cooking endeavors.
Lagers
Lagers are a lighter style beer and tend to be less complex than that of the ales. They're light in color and in flavor. A lager is a good choice if you're new to cooking with beer. It will help you understand the flavor beer can offer before embarking upon the use of the more complex flavored ales or specialty beers.
Some of the more common lagers are:
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American Lager The most popular beer sold in the U.S. It's mass produced and offers little in flavor. Light beers fall into this category. Use an American lager if beer flavor isn't your priority such as baking or marinating.
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Pilsner The most popular beer, worldwide. Pilsners tend to be strong in malty sweetness. The flavor of hops is prevalent as is a hint of caramel. A good choice for cooking when subliminal beer flavor with a touch of sweetness is needed.
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Bock A German beer that offers a hearty flavor to food. Its higher hop bitterness also offsets sweetness when toning down sugary foods. Ideal for use in stews and chili. When a robust flavor or less sweet is the goal, a bock beer is a good choice.
Ales
Ales are a more full bodied beer when compared to the lagers. They have a higher alcohol content and are more complex in flavor. Once you have some experience cooking with the lagers, you'll truly appreciate the flavors that the ales can contribute to your culinary creations.
Here are some of the popular ales:
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Pale Ale Pale ales have a strong hop flavor with a medium maltiness. A pale ale is a great beer to start with once you feel confident you understand beer's complexities when cooking and feel comfortable moving onto the ale family. When cooking, a pale ale is your general purpose ale beer. A good beer when a slight beer flavor is required but not overpowering such as with beer batter or beer brats.
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Scottish and English Ales Beer connesuirs will argue that there is a noticeable difference between the Scottish ales and the English ales, yet not so much when cooking. These ales tend to vary greatly in flavor. Experimenting is in order. A strong Scottish ale is dark colored with a hint of smoke that works well as an ingredient in barbecue sauce, where a light Scottish ale works well when braising delicate meat like chicken breasts or fish filets.
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Belgian Dark Ale A darker colored beer that is very heavy in malt flavor with very little hop flavor. With a higher alcohol content it works well as an ingredient in marinades for tougher cuts of meat such as a beef brisket or flank steak. Used sparingly, this ale is a great addition to heavy stews or goulash. Although magical, less is best. Use this ale with discretion.
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Porter This ale is full bodied and balanced. It's a dark beer and lacks the extreme flavor swings of hops or malt. Although heavy, move to a porter when you feel comfortable using ales. Great in just about all recipes. Try boiling beef infused dumplings in this ale!
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Imperial Stout Of all the stouts, Imperial stout is an intense food ingredient. Like the Belgian dark ale, the imperial stout is complex and rich. Unlike the Belgian dark ale, this beer has a more pronounced hop bitterness. Its dark roasted barely and black malts make this a full flavored beer. Learn to tame its flavors and you are well on your way to mastering the art of cooking with beer. Great for braising, basting on the grill or in stews and chili. It also takes a beer boiled brat to another dimension.
Specialty Beers
If you're still here, this is where the fun begins. Specialty beers offer a wide spectrum of flavors. From a pumpkin ale in your Thanksgiving squash soup to a raspberry stout for braising short ribs, the flavors are endless. So what is a specialty beer? A specialty beer may be a lager, it may be an ale. It may be a combination of the two. Since this category is so wide spread, experimentation is again in order. You now have the skills to understand the complexities of beer and how they affect flavor in your finished dish. Combine the additional flavors of specialty beers and you now have an infinite cupboard of options for most dishes.
Some examples of specialty beers are:
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Smoked Beers A favorite of many grill masters. With this beer, the brewer uses a wood fire to flavor the grains. Many will add an additional amount of liquid smoke which oftentimes falsifies true smoke. Taste testing is in order prior to applying it to your recipe. Anything that is to be grilled will benefit with this beer. It's also a key component in barbecue sauces or braising where a smokey flavor is the goal.
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Fruit and Vegetable Beers Many brewers are experimenting with fruit and vegetables. Although subliminal in flavor, these beers offer an additional boost in your overall taste objectives. With the limited varieties available, it becomes a matter of building your recipe around an available beer, rather than utilizing these beers for your preferred recipe. Yet once done, it will be worth the extra effort.
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Spiced and Herb Beers Like fruit and vegetable beers, your recipes may have to be built around the beer. There are times when an old time favorite recipe may benefit greatly from an herb or spiced beer. They're more versatile than the fruit and vegetable beers.
One additional note to specialty beers is that many are here today, gone tomorrow. Don't get your heart set to a certain recipe that may not last the test of time in the “Johnny come lately” world of flavored beers. They're fun in the short run, but oftentimes don't endure.
Like herbs, spices and even wine, beer also gives the cook another flavor enhancer. Learn to use beer in cooking and you will have widened your flavor portfolio. The secret to cooking with beer is to experiment, experiment and experiment. Then, rinse and repeat.
Leave a comment if you learned, altered or can share with me. I only get better with your input. Use the comment section below. In the meantime...admire the fire and happy grilling!
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