Surf and Turf Kebabs & American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA
Monday, May 13th marks the start of the 7th Annual American Craft Beer Week, and with that comes the release of our annual American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA. Brewed each year at the end of April, this draught-only offering combines the piquant spice of malted rye with the zesty citrus hop character of American-grown Cascade and Ahtanum hops. The result is a more full-bodied San Diego-style India Pale Ale with a depth of flavor that pairs especially well with spicier fare. And with grilling season already upon us, we figured we’d share our recipe for Tōgarashi Surf & Turf Kebabs to pair with our limited release American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA.
Tōgarashi seasoning is a staple condiment in Japanese cuisine that combines an array of savory and aromatic ingredients, ranging from dried orange peel to nori to Szechuan peppercorns. There are many different preparations but the key ingredients are listed in the DIY recipe below. Of course, if you’re short on time, you can always pick-up pre-made tōgarashi at your local gourmet food store or Japanese grocer.
Tōgarashi Seasoning
2 tbsp. Szechuan Peppercorns
1 tbsp. Dried Orange or Tangerine Peel
1 tbsp. Shredded Nori
1 tbsp. Dried Red Chilies
1 tsp. White Sesame Seeds
1 tsp. Black Sesame Seeds
1 tsp. Poppy Seeds
1 tsp. Powdered Ginger
Step 1: Gently toast peppercorns and sesame seeds in a small sauce pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Using a clean coffee grinder or small food processor, grind peppercorns, citrus peel, nori, chili pepper, and sesame seeds until well-ground but not powdered.
Step 3: Combine ground spices with poppy seeds and ginger and store until ready to use.
Tōgarashi Surf & Turf Kebabs
1 lb Beef Tenderloin, cut into 1 ½’ cubes
10-12 Large Sea Scallops
Pearl Onions
Sweet Peppers
Japanese Eggplant
Wooden Skewers, soaked in Red Trolley Ale
Steak Marinade
2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp. Tōgarashi Seasoning
½ tsp. Sea Salt
Preparation: Combine oil, tōgarashi, salt, and steak in a small mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to skewer and grill.
Tōgarashi Beer Butter
½ c. Butter, softened
2 tbsp. Red Trolley Ale, warm
1 tbsp. Tōgarashi Seasoning
Preparation: Using a small food processor or whisk, combine butter, Red Trolley Ale, and tōgarashi and blend until smooth. Do not refrigerate.
Grilling Instructions:
Steak Kebabs: Using your beer-soaked wooden skewers, build your steak kebabs alternating between meat and pearl onions. 1lb of tenderloin should yield about three full steak kebabs. Grill over hot coals until medium rare. Cooking times will vary depending on your grill.
Scallop Kebabs: Pat scallops dry and carefully skewer 5 or 6 per stick. Generously coat both sides in tōgarashi beer butter and grill over high heat for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side. Baste scallops in beer butter once after turning and once before removing from the grill.
Veggie Kebabs: Skewer Japanese eggplant, onions, and sweet peppers to your liking. They’ll cook much faster than the steak and a little slower than the scallops, so it’s best to keep them separate. Grill over high heat until peppers are lightly charred on both sides.
Beer Pairing: The combination of dried citrus peel and Szechuan peppercorns in the tōgarashi seasoning will really punctuate the citrus and floral hop flavors in an American IPA or Pale Ale, while the beer’s hop bitterness is assertive enough to stand up to the complex spiciness. We suggest trying this recipe with either our American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA or Tower 10 IPA.
Red Trolley Ale Corned Beef
With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Sunday, don’t be surprised if half the office comes down with a sudden case of the bottle flu Monday morning. And while we’ll never quite understand the appeal of chasing Irish car bombs with bright green lager, celebrating St. Paddy’s Day with local beer and traditional Irish fare is definitely something we can get behind. So, rather than drown this year’s corned beef in Guinness, try this recipe using our award-winning Irish Red, Red Trolley Ale. If you can’t get your hands on Red Trolley, the LA Times has a great list of craft brewed Stouts and Irish Reds to experiment with.
What is corned beef?
Corned beef is a brisket that has been brined or pickled with salt and spices for 7-10 days. Because curing your own brisket is time consuming, head down to your local butcher or market and pick-up a pre-cured brisket. For this recipe, we used a 3.5lb Harris Ranch Corned Beef Brisket- Mild Cure.
Red Trolley Ale Corned Beef
What You’ll Need:
1 3-4lb Corned Beef Brisket
1 8qt Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
4 Cups Red Trolley Ale
4-5 Cups Water
Spice Mix:
1 Tbs. Black Pepper Corns
1 Tbs. Mustard Seeds
1 Tbs. Coriander Seeds
1 Tbs. Red Chili Flake
1 Tsp. Fennel Seeds
1 Tsp. Whole Cloves
1 Tsp. Ground Ginger
½ Tsp. Ground All Spice
1 Whole Cinnamon Stick, Crushed
4-5 Bay Leaves
1 Large Yellow Onion, Chopped
6 Large Garlic Cloves, Crushed
3 Large Celery Stocks, 2” Chop
5 Large Carrots, 2” Chop
1 Large Head Green Cabbage, Cut into 4-6 Wedges
8-10 Medium-sized White Potatoes
Step one: Remove pre-cured brisket from package, rinse under cold water, and trim away excess fat.
Step 2: (Optional) To reduce sodium content, place beef brisket in a large stock pot, cover with an inch of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer brisket over low heat for 30 minutes and drain water.
Step 3: Return pot to the stove. Add seasoning mix, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, water and Red Trolley Ale and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and boil for 2 hours.
Step 4: After 2 hours have passed, add cabbage and potatoes, increase heat to high, and return to a rolling bowl. Cover, reduce heat back to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Step 5: Remove brisket from pot and thinly slice against the grain. Serve with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and a Red Trolley Ale.
Red Trolley Ale Corned Beef
Beer Cheese Soup
If you’re a Wisconsin native or a regular at San Diego’s Hamilton’s Tavern, odds are you’re familiar with beer cheese soup. And while this awe-inspiring comfort food may throw a wrench in your quest to be the biggest loser, we think you’ll agree that beer cheese soup is worth a few extra minutes on the treadmill. So, if you’re looking to add another beer-centric recipe to your repertoire, celebrate this Super Bowl Sunday with Red Trolley Beer Cheese Soup.
Red Trolley Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
8 Strips Bacon
½ Cup Yellow Onion, chopped
½ Cup Celery, chopped
½ Cup Carrots, chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 Cloves Fresh Garlic, minced
12oz Red Trolley Ale
1 ½ Cup Chicken Stock
1 Cup Half and Half
¼ Cup Flour
8 Ounces Sharp Cheddar, shredded
4 Ounces Extra Sharp Cheddar, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley, chopped
Fruitcake Donuts with Fruitcake Ale
Brewing a fruitcake ale as our 2012 holiday release was a crazy undertaking, so our sharing an off-the-wall recipe for fruitcake donuts shouldn’t come as a surprise. When considering how to include Mouette á Trois in our “Cooking with KARL” series, our first thought was to use the beer in an actual fruitcake, but that felt too easy. Instead, we took a page from the Voodoo Doughnut playbook and created fruitcake donuts. So, if you’re an adventurous type that wants to have fruitcake donuts with your fruitcake ale, try this holiday-inspired beer for breakfast recipe.
Making fruitcake donuts
Fruitcake Donuts:
1 Cup Sugar
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
¼ tsp Ground Cloves
½ tsp Orange Zest
¼ cup Dried Cherries, finely chopped
¼ cup Dried Apricots, finely chopped
2 eggs
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Cup Whole Milk
4 Cups All-purpose Flour
Vegetable Oil
Mouette á Trois Glaze:
½ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
2 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
¼ Cup Mouette á Trois, warm
Thanksgiving Beer Bacon Stuffing
What sounds better for Thanksgiving than beer bacon stuffing? It’s not a tough question; if we didn’t have you at beer, we definitely had you at bacon. So, rather than search the web for the latest vegan or paleo-friendly alternative to Thanksgiving’s most important side, commit to diet-busting tradition and try this recipe for beer bacon stuffing. Remember, we all go back to the gym in January when exercise goes back in style. Heck, why not make a practice batch of beer seasoned bacon just for fun? Seriously, make a practice batch.
Beer Seasoned Bacon
Beer Seasoned Bacon
What You’ll Need:
½lb (6-7 Slices) Think-cut Applewood Smoked Bacon
1tbs Honey
2tbs Red Trolley Ale
Black Pepper
Basting Brush
Broiler Pan
What to do:
Position oven rack about 6” from heat source and preheat to broil. Separate uncooked bacon strips and place 6 or 7 across broiler pan. Combine honey and beer in a small mixing bowl and microwave for 15-20 seconds. Remove mixture from microwave, stir, and use basting brush to generously coat both sides of each bacon strip. Dust bacon with black pepper and cook on Broil for 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes to avoid burning. Once bacon is crispy, remove from oven set aside to cool. After bacon has cooled, finely chop and reserve in a bowl for later use.
Beer Bacon Stuffing
What you’ll need:
½lb Thick-cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, Chopped
1/4lb Salted Butter
2c Yellow Onion, Chopped
2c Celery, Chopped
2c Crimini Mushrooms, Chopped (Optional)
1c Leeks, Chopped
1tbs Fresh Sage, Minced
1tbs Fresh Thyme, Minced
*Pre-prepared Chopped Beer Seasoned Bacon
2c Chicken or Turkey Stock
1c Red Trolley Ale
12c Unseasoned White Bread Stuffing Mix
Salt to taste
5 Quart Oven-safe Sauté Pan or Stock Pot
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350. Add butter and chopped bacon to a large sauté pan or stock pot and cook over high heat until edges begin to brown. Add onions, celery, mushrooms, leeks, sage, thyme, and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Reduce heat to medium, add beer seasoned bacon, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Once beer seasoned bacon is incorporated, add beer and stock to the pot, and bring mixture back to a boil. Once you’ve reached a simmer, reduce heat to low and gradually add in stuffing mix. Once all ingredients are well incorporated, taste stuffing and add salt if needed. Cover pot and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove lid and continue baking for an addition 5 minutes. If you’re successful, and you will be, the photo below is what you’ll have on Thanksgiving.
Need help with your Turkey? Try our beer-brine recipe.
Beer for Breakfast: Part IV
If you’ve ever donned lederhosen and headed off to your local Oktoberfest celebration, you know the importance of eating before knocking back liter-sized steins of beer. And while Oktoberfest offers many a beer fan the opportunity to rekindle their fondness for day-drinking, nobody wants to go in unprepared. So before you end up buying a pretzel necklace out of desperation, consider trying this pork-filled beer for breakfast recipe. Prost!
Oktoberfest Pork Benedict
Oktoberfest Pulled Pork
Don’t stress, this part is easy and can be done overnight in the crock pot.
What you’ll need: 
1 6-7 Quart Crock Pot
2lb Pork Rump Roast
3 12oz bottles of Karl Strauss Oktoberfest. room temperature
4 Medium White Onion, peeled whole
4 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
8-10 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
Salt
Pepper
What to do:
1. Rinse pork roast, pat dry, rub generously with salt and pepper, and place in the bottom of your crock pot.
2. Add onion, garlic, and thyme to the crock pot, surrounding the pork roast.
3. Carefully pour room temperature Oktoberfest into your crock pot.
4. Set the timer for 10hrs on low and walk away.
5. In the morning, remove your pork roast and pull meat.
6. Keep pulled pork warm in a covered dish.
Oktoberfest Bratwurst Gravy
Who needs hollandaise when you can have sausage gravy instead? 
What you’ll need:
1 lb Bratwurst, uncooked & uncased
1/4 cup White Onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup Karl Strauss Oktoberfest, room temp
4 tbs Butter
1/4 cup Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
Salt
Pepper
What to do:
1. Brown uncased bratwurst and onion in a medium saucepan until nearly cooked through and crumbling.
2. Add Oktoberfest and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. This will lend the flavor of a Wisconsin-style beer-braised bratwurst.
3. Add butter and return medium-high heat. Once butter has melted, stir in flour.
4. Slowly stir in milk, continuously stirring over medium-high heat until thick.
Other Ingredients:
If you’ve never poached an egg, here’s a link to Alton Brown’s method.
No need to bake biscuits from scratch, store-bought oven-bake buttermilk biscuits will work perfectly.
Pulling everything together:
Pull biscuits apart, top with a poached egg, Oktoberfest pulled porked, and bratwurst gravy. Fattening? You betcha!
Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Whether your first experience came on a trip to Ensenada or on a lunch run to Ralph Rubio’s namesake eatery, few street foods define our region better than the fish taco. No, we’re not talking about that fancy-pants smoked trout and goat cheese version served by your local pop-up gastro tent; we’re referring to the beer-battered, fried goodness of the Baja-style fish taco. And while the jury is still out on who makes the very best, we think the recipe below is pretty darn good – especially since it calls for Karl Strauss Amber.
Oh, and if you haven’t heard, Karl Strauss Amber has a new look. In honor of the 100th Anniversary of Karl’s birth, we’re celebrating the original “Godfather” of beer with new packaging. You can see the new label below.
Karl Strauss Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Fish:
1lb firm white meat fish filets- Rockfish, White Seabass, Kelp Bass, Halibut, or even Tilapia will work. Cut filets lengthwise to a width of about 1.5”.
Marinade:
1 12oz bottle Karl Strauss Amber
1 Medium Onion, sliced
2 Red Jalapeno Peppers, sliced
½ cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Combine marinade ingredients and fish in a large, covered container or zip-lock bag, and refrigerate for 2-3hrs.
Baja Fish Taco Sauce:
½ cup Sour Cream
½ cup Light Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
2 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce
While your fish is marinating, make your Baja sauce by mixing the ingredients above in a small bowl. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.
Beer Batter:
1 cup McCormick’s Tempura Mix
¾ cup Karl Strauss Amber, cold
1 tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Black Pepper
McCormick’s frying instruction adjusted to fit this recipe:
POUR vegetable oil into a large heavy skillet or saucepan, filling no more than 1/3 full. Heat oil to 375°F on medium heat.
STIR Batter mix, beer, and spices in medium bowl until mixed. Batter will be lumpy.
DIP Fish strips into batter. Shake off excess. Carefully add several pieces at a time to hot oil.
FRY 3-5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
SERVE on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, baja sauce, and fresh lime.
PAIR with Karl Strauss Amber, of course!
Karl Strauss Amber-Battered Fish Tacos
New Karl Strauss Amber Labels
BeerBQ Beef Ribs
Grilling ribs requires a leisurely kind of patience – a low-and-slow attitude that’s not too common here in California. We’re not saying we’re impatient; it’s just that our patience is typically reserved for less leisurely activities, like rush hour traffic and the DMV. That being said, there are still plenty of ways to prepare a good rack of ribs without conceding any beer-drinking time. So, if you’d rather not spend your summer afternoons choking over a smoky barbeque, try our California-style BeerBQ Beef Ribs recipe below.
BeerBQ Beef Ribs
1 4-5lb Beef Back Rib Rack
2 12oz Bottles Karl Strauss Amber
Salt
Pepper
Roasting Pan & Rack (16 x 12 x 2.5)
Aluminum Foil
*Charcoal Grill – optional for finishing ribs
Step 1: Prepare marinade by whisking the ingredients below in a medium-sized bowl. Rinse ribs in cold water, pat dry, and place meat side down in a non-reactive pan large enough to accommodate ribs and marinade. Pour marinade over ribs, cover, and refrigerate for 8-24hrs.
Marinade:
1 c. Orange Juice
½ c. Pineapple Juice
¼ c. Cider Vinegar
¼ c. Soy Sauce
2 tbs. Honey
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 tbs. Fresh Ginger, grated
Step 2: Remove ribs from refrigerator, drain marinade, and pat dry. Apply a salt and pepper dry rub, place ribs on roasting pan rack, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 300. Pour both bottles of Karl Strauss Amber into the roasting pan, place rack with ribs over the beer, and cover entire pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook ribs at 300 for 2 hours.
Step 4: Prepare orange chipotle glaze by blending the following ingredients in a blender or food processor. If you’re sensitive to spicy food, only use half the can of chipotle chilies.
Chipotle Orange Glaze:
½ c. Orange Marmalade
½ c. Honey
1 7.5oz Can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Step 5: Remove ribs from oven and keep covered for 20 minutes. Next, remove foil and drain liquid from the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to burn the <blank> out of yourself.
Step 6: Using a basting brush, generously apply glaze to both sides of the ribs.
Step 7: Finish ribs uncovered in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes, or finish on a charcoal grill to add a crispier texture and grilled flavor.
Perfect Pairing: Pintail Pale Ale or Tower 1o IPA
Windansea Shrimp Ceviche
In case you missed the memo, Windansea Wheat is now available in bottles year-round. That’s right, six-packs and twelve-packs of our refreshingly smooth Bavarian-style Hefe hit store shelves just in time for summer. So, to celebrate the bottle release of our favorite warm weather wheat beer, we’re sharing this fresh summertime ceviche recipe and pairing.
Traditional ceviche is a cold dish consisting of fresh fish, shrimp, or shellfish, cooked in citrus juice. Its origins are believed to date back to the Inca, but rather than compromise the brevity of this post with a culinary history lesson, we’ll just say that ceviche has been around long enough to vary from region to region. In SoCal, ceviche is typically prepared Baja-style, using fresh caught shrimp, or rockfish and lime juice. The recipe below is based on the Baja-style, with a few ingredients added to match Windansea Wheat’s bright fruity flavors.
Windansea Shrimp Ceviche
1.5 lbs fresh shrimp – peeled, deveined, and diced in ½” pieces
1.5 cups fresh-squeezed lime juice (8-10 limes)
8oz Windansea Wheat
5 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium hothouse cucumber, diced
1 large mango, peeled and diced
1 cup watermelon, diced
1-2 red jalapenos, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Sea salt to taste
Step 1: Combine fresh chopped shrimp and lime juice in a medium-sized bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours. The acidic lime juice will cook the shrimp, causing their color to change from blue/gray to pink.
Step 2: Remove lime marinated shrimp and drain off 2/3 of the lime juice. Add 8oz of Windansea Wheat, cover, and return to the refrigerator for an hour. Adding the beer will not only cut the acidity of the lime, but its sweet, fruity flavors will complement the watermelon and mango.
Step 3: Remove shrimp from refrigerator, drain off liquid, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add tomato, red onion, cucumber, mango, watermelon, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix ingredients well, add salt to taste, and return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Step 4: Serve with tortilla chips and a Windansea Wheat.
Beer-Braised Oxtail Tacos
Even if you don’t consider yourself a Yelp-crazed foodie, you may have noticed a resurgence of “odd bits” on local menus. Comparable to beef tongue, cheeks, and tripe, oxtail holds a tasty place outside most people’s comfort zones. And while they’re more commonly used to create flavorul stocks and stews, we’re putting them to good use in a San Diego favorite – the street taco.
Preparing oxtail isn’t difficult, it just takes time (9-10hrs). Well-prepared, oxtail is rich, tender, and flavorful. If undercooked, it will have the texture of a chew toy. So, if you’re a patient master of the crock pot, this recipe should be right up your alley.
Beer-Braised Oxtail Tacos
What you’ll need:
3lbs Oxtail
Dry-Rub:
Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl.
¼ Cup chili powder
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tsp. black pepper
½ Tsp. cayenne pepper
½ Tsp. cinnamon
Browning:
Large Frying Pan 
½ Cup all-purpose flour
½ Cup butter
Cooking:
6-qt Crock Pot
1 22oz bottle Off The Rails
1 cup chicken stock
1 large white onion, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 serrano chili, seeded/chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
Serving:
Corn tortillas
Chopped white onion
Chopped cilantro
Lime
Salsa verde or habanero hot sauce
What to do:
Rinse oxtails in cold water and pat dry.
Coat oxtails in dry rub, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Melt butter in a large skillet, dust oxtails in flour, and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. When oxtails are golden brown, remove from skillet and reserved on a plate.
Add onions, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic to the skillet and sauté on high until onions are golden brown. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to the crock pot, adding the chicken stock and bottle of Off The Rails to the remaining vegetables in the skillet. Bring to a gentle boil and remove from heat.
Arrange browned oxtails in a layer over the sautéed vegetables in the crock pot. Pour the warm liquid contents of the skillet over the oxtails, cover, and cook on low for 9-10hrs.
Once the oxtails have finished cooking, meat should easily fall away from the bones.
Suggested beer pairing: Tower 20 IIPA – T-20′s dry hop bitterness will cut through the oxtail’s rich flavors, while complementing the zesty lime and cilantro.
Wreck Alley Imperial Stout Crème Brûlée
Beer-infused Crème Brûlée? Yes, well, it’s more like crem-brew-lay, but you get the gist. What started out as an off-the-wall idea three years ago has since turned into one of our favorite desserts. Brewed with cocoa nibs and locally roasted Ethiopian coffee beans, Wreck Alley adds rich layers of dark chocolate and an espresso-like roast to this classic dessert.
Our Chefs Gunther and Corey, the masterminds behind this recipe, have earned a solid reputation with their drink beer/think food approach to cooking. Continually pushing the craft beer and culinary envelope with their innovative methods, these two were recently selected to share their expertise at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego.
If you’re looking for something to pair with your after dinner Wreck Alley, give this recipe a try. Also, look for this and other great beer-centric recipes in an upcoming craft beer cookbook by Chef’s Press, the publishers behind San Diego’s Top Brewers.
Wreck Alley Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
2 cups Wreck Alley Imperial Stout
4 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
12 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 shallow, oven-proof ramekins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place stout in pan, bring to a slow boil and reduce to a ¼ cup. Place cream in a non reactive pan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream. The pod can be used as an additional flavor enhancer by adding it to the cream while heating, remove and discard before whisking. Heat cream and vanilla slowly until steaming. When cream starts to steam remove from heat. Do not boil the cream. While the cream heats through, whisk together egg yolks and sugar with wire whisk until pale in color and sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour about ½ cup of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture whisking quickly to temper the mixture. In a slow stream, add the remaining hot cream to the egg mixture while continuing to mix with the whisk. Add the reduced stout to the brûlée mixture and mix well. Divide the mixture evenly into six ramekins, placed in a deep baking dish. Fill the baking pan with hot water about half way up the sides of the ramekins and place in a pre-heated oven to cook for 40 minutes or until just set. Check for doneness by gently shaking the ramekins; the brûlée is finished baking when the edges are set/firm but the middle still jiggles a little. Place the ramekins in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to cool before serving.
Finishing:
Sprinkle the top of each brûlée with a thin layer of granulated sugar. With a kitchen propane torch (available at most household supply retailers) point the flame onto the sugar and heat until it begins to melt and is deep golden brown color.
Or
Use the broiler setting of your oven to brown the sugar by placing the brûlée about an inch away under the broiler flame/heat source for 20 to 30 seconds. Check frequently to ensure even browning.
For an additional twist on this classic, add your favorite fruit like strawberries, raspberries or banana slices to brûlée. Gently insert fruit pieces by pressing them into the cold brûlée and follow the same finishing instructios above.
23rd Anniversary Old Ale PubCakes
If you’re a craft beer drinker and you’re unfamiliar with PubCakes , we suggest you seek them out and discover what you’ve been missing. For the second year in a row, our Pastry Chef friends Misty and Kaitlin created a special beer-infused cupcake for our Anniversary. This time around, they were inspired by our 23rd Anniversary Old Ale; a beer with rich notes of bourbon, toffee and dried fruit. What they came up was such a hit at our annual Changing of the Barrels celebration, folks have been clamoring for the recipe ever since.
If you’re looking to have your life changed by a decadent dessert and beer pairing, test out this recipe provided by the ladies of PubCakes. And if you haven’t dropped by for a visit, check out their storefront in San Diego’s College Area, and try the Top 10 Cake made with our Tower 10 IPA.
Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary PubCake
Ingredients
1 cup Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 bag toffee bits
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring beer to a boil, remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. While the beer is cooling, add cupcake liners to your muffin pan (you’ll need about 12 standard size cupcake liners).
2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift together. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar on high until mixture lightens and increases in volume. Add the egg and beat in well. Next, set the mixer to low and add dry ingredients and beer in 1/3 increments until fully incorporated. Finally, add the toffee bits and mix thoroughly.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, rotating the pan in the oven half way through the cooking time for even baking. The cupcakes are done when a stick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan as soon as they’ve cooled enough to touch; this will prevent the bottoms from steaming.
Blackberry Buttercream
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
1 lemon, zested
1 16 oz package powdered sugar
Directions
1. Beat the first three ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.
*David Lebovitz’s Butterscotch Pudding
*Ina Garten’s Shortbread Cookie Buttons
Pubcake Construction
Once the cupcakes have cooled, use the back end of a wooden spoon to put a hole in the middle of each cupcake. Put the butterscotch pudding into a zip lock bag and cut off the corner to fill each of the holes with pudding. Frost in a circle with the blackberry buttercream. Finally, top with a shortbread cookie, which were rolled about 1/4” thin and in 1 1/2” rounds. Slice a blackberry in half and place on top of the cookie.
*If you have a bottle of our 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout stashed away, check out last year’s PubCake recipe.
Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale
Red Trolley Ale Chili
Super Bowl Sunday is an American holiday about the important things in life: food, friends, and BEER. Regardless of one’s football affiliations, the big game has grown into a national Sunday Funday that usually leads to a three-day weekend. Whether you’re planning to watch the Super Bowl or the Puppy Bowl this year, odds are you’re going to be in the market for some good eats to go with your favorite beers. If this is the case, try our recipe for Red Trolley chili topped with beer-braised short ribs. Oh, and if you happen to run into Biff Tannen, ask him when the Chargers are headed back to the Super Bowl…
Beer Braised Short Ribs
What you’ll need:
4 bone-in beef short ribs, about 2.5lbs
3 cups Red Trolley Ale, Karl Strauss Amber, or Off The Rails
1 cup chicken stock
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red jalapeno, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs cooking oil
Salt
Pepper
What to do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Season short ribs with salt and pepper and dust in flour. In a Dutch oven or large ovenproof skillet, heat oil on high heat and brown short ribs for 2-3 minutes on all sides. Remove seared ribs from pan and reserve on a plate.
Add onions, celery, peppers, and garlic to the skillet and sauté on high until onions are golden brown. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, before adding chicken stock and Off The Rails. Bring mixture to a boil and return short ribs to the skillet. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
Uncover and continue to roast for 20 minutes, or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove from the oven and skim the fat from the braising liquid.
Red Trolle Ale Chili
Red TrolleyAle Chili Pre-Boil
What you’ll need:
2 lbs ground sirloin
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 red jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 15oz cans black beans, drained
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained
3 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, not drained
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 12oz bottle Red Trolley Ale
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tbs beef bullion
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne
Salt to taste
8oz white cheddar cheese, shredded
What to do:
In a large stock pot, brown beef over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and peppers and sauté until onions are translucent.
Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and red trolley ale and bring to a boil. Stir in chili powder, beef bullion, black pepper, brown sugar, paprika, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 ½ hours.
Top with Off The Rails braised beef short rib, shredded white cheddar, and serve.
Red Trolley Ale chili with beer-braised short ribs
Windansea Wheat Vinaigrette
The Holidays are over and, like most years, overindulgence may have played a part in your annual waistline expansion. Now, we’re not card-carrying dietitians but we do know that there’s still room for beer in any healthy diet – it’s purely a matter of prioritizing. Rather than sip on soda water with your cheese fries, why not make room for a beer by having a salad? Even better, why not use beer to make a flavorful dressing with all natural ingredients? Try this recipe for Windansea Wheat Raspberry Vinaigrette and think twice before giving up beer. Remember, nobody likes a quitter.
Windansea Wheat Raspberry Vinaigrette: 
1/4 Cup Windansea Wheat
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
2/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
Directions: Combine raspberries, honey and Windansea Wheat in a blender and blend until emulsified. You want this mixture to be a little on the sweet side, as the vinegar will balance it. Next, add seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil and blend on high. Congrats, you’re done!
Salad Featured Below: 
Organic Spring Mix
Persian Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Raspberries
Red Pear
Goat Cheese
Candied Walnuts
The Pairing: Windansea Wheat is an unfiltered Bavarian-style Hefeweizen with a slightly sweet and fruity flavor profile. The beer’s fruity flavors are a natural compliment to the raspberry and pear, while its subtle sweetness is a nice contrast to the tangy goat cheese. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the yeast in suspension is rich in complex B vitamins.
Two Tortugas Spiced Bread Pudding
To the uninitiated, bread has no business meddling with pudding. They both have their places and the thought of a tapioca sandwich is about as appetizing as pouring barleywine on your fruit loops. However, once you’ve tried the real thing, you won’t care what it’s called. Truth be told, there’s no better way to make use of stale bread, unless of course you’re one for feeding the birds.
There are many different recipes for bread pudding, using different breads, fruits, nuts, and spices but this recipe truly captures the flavors of the Holidays. If you’re looking for the perfect dessert pairing to enjoy along-side a glass of Two Tortugas Belgian Quad, give this a try. If you’re a bread pudding aficionado, check out this recipe by our Chefs Gunther & Corey in December’s West Coaster Magazine.
Two Tortugas Spiced Bread Pudding
Two Tortugas Spiced Bread Pudding
1 16oz Loaf Challah Egg Bread
3 Cups Straus Family Organic Whole Milk
2 Cups White Baking Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
8 Large Eggs
1 Tbs Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tbs Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Powdered Ginger
1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 Tsp Cayenne
1/2 Cup Dried Cherries
1/2 Cup Dried Black Currants
1/2 Cup Raisins
10 oz Two Tortugas Belgian Quad- for cooking
12 oz Two Tortugas Belgian Quad – for drinking
Day/Night Before: Place cubed bread in a large mixing bowl and leave out to stale overnight. In a medium-sized mixing bowl soak dried raisins, currants, and cherries in 10 ounces of Two Tortugas, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Pour the remaining 12oz of Two Torugas into a glass, sit down, put your feet up, and enjoy.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease a 13″ x 9″ x 2” baking dish, and strain excess beer from beer-soaked fruit.
Step 2: Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices until well blended. Pour liquid over cubed bread, add beer-soaked fruit, gently mix by hand until well combined, and let rest for 25 minutes.
Step 3: Pour mixture into 13″ x 9″ x 2′ baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 4: Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with fresh whipped cream and candied walnuts or frost with vanilla butter cream.
Two Tortugas Spiced Bread Pudding, Whipped Cream, Candied Walnuts & Poached Pears
Turkey Beer Brine Recipe
If you’ve ever made a Clark Griswold-style turkey, perhaps it’s time to give brining a try. A good beer brine will add flavor like a marinade, while sealing in the turkey’s natural juices. The chemistry behind brining is simple, but we’ll leave the osmosis and denatured protein talk for next time. All we need to know is that a beer-brined turkey is more flavorful and tender than a non beer-brined turkey. We’ve found the recipe below works particularly well with Off The Rails , Red Trolley Ale, or Fullsuit Belgian Brown . If cooking isn’t in the cards, we’re serving a full Thanksgiving dinner 
at our Carlsbad Brewery Restaurant.
Turkey Beer Brine:
8 Cups Beer (1 64oz growler)
8 Cups Water
1 Cup Kosher Salt
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Honey
2 Bay Leaves
3 Cloves Garlic (Smashed)
1 Large Yellow Onion (Sliced)
1 Tbs Black Peppercorns
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Tsp Clove
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1/2 Stick Cinnamon
Directions: Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add salt, sugar, honey, garlic, onion, and spices. Stir until salt, sugar, and honey are dissolved and cool to room temperature. This should take around 30 minutes and will allow the spices to lend their flavors to the brine. Once your brine has cooled, add beer and refrigerate until cold. Once your brine is cold, submerge your turkey and return to the refrigerator for 12hrs. This will yield 1 gallon of brine; scale the recipe up or down to accommodate the size of your turkey.
Tips: Be sure to THOROUGHLY RINSE your turkey in cold water after removing it from the brine to wash away excess salt. If you’re brining an extra large turkey, a plastic cooler makes a fine brining container.
Turkey Beer Brine
Beer & Grilled Cheese Part 1:Two Tortugas
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the 3rd Annual San Diego Beer Week kicks-off on Friday 11/4, beginning a ten-day county-wide celebration of our favorite barley-based beverage. With Beer Week comes an onslaught of pint nights, pairing events, rare beer dinners, beer book signings, and even brewer trading cards – I didn’t fact check that last one but it wouldn’t surprise me. With so many beer events going on, the real fun is planning events that stand out. For one of our events, we teamed up with KnB Wine Cellars for a beer dinner of a different kind. Beer and grilled cheese sandwiches: the ultimate beer and comfort food combination.
Research Materials
The research phase began with some “field work” at Venissimo Cheese Shop, followed by an afternoon of vigorous tests. In the end, we came up with some incredible pairings and discovered that beer and grilled cheese could quite possibly be the next big thing.
Below is one of our favorite pairings that will be featured at our SDBW event at KnB Wine Cellars on Friday, November 11th from 6pm-10pm. Look for more beer and grilled cheese pairings to come, as we’re feeling a blog series coming on.
Two Tortugas Belgian Quad : Bucherondin & Fig Preserves on Grilled Brioche
Two Tortugas 11.1%ABV - Our most recent GABF award-winning beer with a bronze in the Belgian Abbey Ale category. Belgian candi sugar gives this robust strong ale a higher alcohol content over a medium body. The flavors are a delicate union of sweet toffee, dark fruits, and warming spices.
Bucherondin – “Boo-share-oh-DAN” An assertive and tangy French goat cheese that sharpens with age.
Brioche – A rich, sweet and buttery French pastry bread that can be found at your local French bakery or most Whole Foods, where you can also find fig jam.
The Pairing: The sweet toffee flavors of the Belgian Quad balance the sharp tanginess of the cheese, giving it a creaminess that complements the buttery brioche. The fig jam draws out layers of dark fruit with notes of fresh berries and plums. If there were a perfect grilled cheese for dessert, this might be it.
Bucherondin & Fig Jam on Grilled Brioche
Beer for Breakfast: Part III
Rather than dazzle you with fun facts about Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, Gabriel Sedlmayr, or the origins of Märzenbier, we’ll leave the historical relevance of Oktoberfest to Wikipedia. What began as a Royal Bavarian marital celebration in 1810 has since evolved into the world’s largest celebration of beer drinking. So, before you strap on your lederhosen and head off to your local Oktoberfest biergarten for an afternoon of responsible consumption, consider priming your tank with a solid breakfast.
Below are a few breakfast options that will keep you going until you buy a pretzel necklace from a stranger. If you’re in the mood for something else, check out our previous Beer for Breakfast posts. And if you wake up on Sunday and don’t feel like cooking, we do a Beer Brunch at Brewery Gardens.
Oktoberfest Bacon & Potato Fritters
Oktoberfest Braised Bratwursts, Black Forest Bacon Fritters, Beer Onions, Sauerkraut, Fried Eggs & Black Forest Bacon
Ingredients:
1 lb Potatoes, skinned & shredded
1 Small Yellow Onion, grated
½ Cup Karl Strauss Oktoberfest
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
½ Cup Pre-fried Black Forest Bacon (Finely Chopped)
½ Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Pepper
Reserved Bacon Fat or Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Step 1: Using a box grater, grate potatoes and onions and combine in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add Oktoberfest, mix together, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Remove potato mixture from the refrigerator and drain off excess liquid. Transfer to a towel or cheese cloth, form a pouch, and ring out as much liquid as possible.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine potato-onion mixture, eggs, bacon, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until you’ve achieved a consistency that’s somewhere between a batter and a dough.
Step 4: Form mixture into small patties that fit in the palm of your hand. Reserve on a cookie sheet until you’re ready to begin frying.
Step 5: Heat bacon fat or vegetable oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Fry 3-4 fritters at a time for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot.
Oktoberfest Braised Bratwurst
Ingredients:
4 German-style Bratwursts, uncooked
2 12oz Karl Strauss Oktoberfests
1 Medium Yellow Onion (sliced)
2 Springs Fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Garlic Clove, (Crushed)
1 Tbs Butter
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
Step 1: In a large saucepan, combine sliced onions, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add brats, beer, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Remove brats and set aside for the grill. Remove thyme sprigs, garlic clove, and bay leaf from the braising liquid and discard.
Step 3: Strain onions from braising liquid and place in a small saute pan with 1 tbs butter. Season with salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat until golden brown.
Step 3: Finish your brats on the BBQ or George Foreman grill, just long enough to give them nice grill marks. Top with beer onions and serve with German mustard.
Karl Strauss Oktoberfest 5.0% ABV – A traditional German Oktoberfest Lager brewed in honor of the world’s largest beer festival. Vienna, Munich and Carahell malts provide crisp toasted malt flavors, while Bavarian Hallertau hops lend a delicate noble hop character.
Special Brownies from Oregon
Remember that one time in college when you split a brownie with your roommate and then ate an entire box of cereal? These aren’t those brownies but that’s not to say they’re not special. Until two weeks ago, I had never heard of a hop brownie. In fact, the thought of cooking, let alone baking, with hops left a bitter taste in my mouth. That all changed the day I visited the Goschie Hop Farm in Oregon and experienced Gayle Goschie’s special hop brownies. The interplay between hop character and chocolate was assertive yet delicately balanced – I was a fan.
Back in San Diego, I couldn’t help but wonder how well a hop brownie would pair with Boardwalk Black Rye. I decided to find out– and after several failed attempts in the unofficial Karl Strauss R&D kitchen (my house), I struck gold. In hindsight, I should have asked Gayle for her recipe but I think we can all agree that experimenting is fun.
Goschie Hop Farm, Oregon
Cascade Hop Brownies:
Preparing hop butter/oil:
¾ Cup Vegetable Oil or Melted Butter
1/2 tablespoon ground Cascade hop pellets
* Use a food processor or clean coffee grinder to grind hop pellets
Cascade hop infused oil
Heat butter or oil in small saucepan over low heat until warm (too hot and you’ll extract too much bitterness from your hops). Remove from heat and stir in ground hops. Let stand for 5 minutes and strain through a coffee filter. Yields a little over ½ a cup of green hop infused oil/butter.
Method #1: From the Box
Step #1: Go to the grocery store and purchase a box of Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix.
Step #2: Substitute 1/3 cup veggie oil with 1/3 cup of hop infused oil.
Step #3: Follow the instructions on the box.
Method #2: From Scratch
Hop Brownie from the box
1/2 Cup hop infused vegetable oil or butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Large eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
* Vanilla Bean Frosting (recipe below)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 nonstick metal baking pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift together. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk hop-infused oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Next, add the egg and beat in well.
3. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until batter is well blended. Fold in chocolate chips before spreading evenly in your 8×8″ baking pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan in the oven half way through the cooking time for even baking. The brownies are done when a stick inserted into the center has a few moist crumbs but no batter.
Vanilla Bean Frosting
Hop Brownies from scratch
Ingredients
1/2 Cup butter (softened)
2 Cups powdered sugar ( sifted)
1 Vanilla bean (seeded)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Using a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean. Add butter, sugar and 1/2 vanilla bean to a mixing bowl. Gently whisk until well blended. Whisk vigorously for 3 minutes, until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and continue to whisk for 1 minute.
Tower 10 Jerk Chicken
You were planning to celebrate #IPADay at your favorite watering hole when your significant other reminded you that Thursday’s your night to make dinner. Don’t be a jerk and bail; flex your culinary skills and spice things up with some IPA jerk chicken . It may look like a lot of ingredients but it’s EASY and odds are you’ve had most of these spices in your cabinet since the 90′s. To further help the cause, growlers of IPA-to-go are $8 all day on August 2nd in our brewpubs. And if you’re not feeling like a culinary wizard, bookmark this recipe and join us at our #IPADay Cask Night tomorrow.
Tower 10 IPA Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Slaw
3lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*Vegan/Vegetarian: Sub chicken with Portobello Mushrooms, Tempeh, Zucchini, or your favorite herbivore option.
Tower 10 Jerk Marinade:
2 medium white onions
5 cloves garlic
3 scallions
4-6 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero chilies (seeded & chopped)
Tower 10 Jerk Marinade
1 cup Tower 10 IPA
½ cup Olive Oil
½ cup White Vinegar
½ cup Orange Juice
¼ cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Lime Juice (one large lime)
2 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
2 tbsp. Allspice
2 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tbs. Salt
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ginger
Step 1: Coarsely chop onions, garlic, scallions, and peppers and add to a blender or food processor.
Step 2: Add liquid ingredients to blender or food processor.
Step 3: Add spices and dry ingredients to blender or food processor and emulsify on high for 90 seconds.
Step 4: Combine chicken and marinade and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
Step 5: For best results, grill over an open flame on high heat. Cook times will vary, depending on the heat of your grill and whether you’re using charcoal or gas. Keep in mind that poultry should reach an internal temp of 165 degrees before serving.
Pineapple Slaw
1 cup Fresh pineapple (chopped)
1 cup Roma tomato (finely diced)
½ cup Red onion (chopped)
2 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
1 Red Jalapeno (minced)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
* Combine ingredients in small mixing bowl and serve.
Tower 10 Jerk Chicken
Tower 10 Jerk Chicken Wraps
BeerBQ: Part I
We’ve all heard the debates about what is or is not considered barbecue, and while arguments and theories are great, we’re more concerned with flavor. Technically, steaming is a shortcut but when you maintain the proper heat, use the right beer, and finish on the grill, the results are unmatched. So, if you’re on the fence about how to prepare your “famous” ribs this summer, try this method and feel free to take all the credit when the compliments start flooding in.
Red Trolley Steamed Ribs & Off The Rails BeerBQ Sauce
Beer Steamed Ribs:
2 1/2 Cups Red Trolley Ale or Off The Rails
2 Racks Baby Back or Spare Pork Ribs
1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced
1 Aluminum Rectangular Roasting Pan (16 x 12 x 2.5)
Aluminum Foil
Dry-Rub:
Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl:
½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Paprika
1 Tablesoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Step 1. Prep: Preheat oven to 300, rinse ribs in cold water and pat dry.
Quality Baby Backs from Iowa Meat Farms
Step 2. Prep: Apply a generous of amount of dry-rub to each rack, about 1/3 cup or more.
Step 3. Prep: Add sliced onions and beer to rectangular roasting tin. Add ribs bone-side down and tightly cover roasting pan with foil. See picture —>
Step 4. Cooking: Steam ribs in 300 degree oven for 2.5 hours. If you’re short on time, you can get away with 75 minutes and 350 degrees.
Step 5. Cooking: Remove ribs from the oven and drain all liquid from the pan. Using a barbecue mop or basting brush, liberally coat the ribs with Off the Rails BeerBQ Sauce.
Step 6. Finishing: Depending on your setup, you can finish your ribs uncovered in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or on the grill 10-15 minutes.
Off The Rails BeerBQ Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 Cup Ketchup
½ Cup Off The Rails
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Preparation : In a medium sauce pan, sauté garlic in oil until golden. Add remaining ingredients and heat to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Application:Use a basting brush or mop to liberally apply sauce to ribs. This recipe yields enough for two racks but feel free to double the recipe if you prefer more sauce.
Beer for Breakfast: Part II
If you’re over 21, hopefully you’re aware that arts and crafts are no longer appropriate gifts for Dad. While he may not admit it in front of Mom, Dad probably wants to do Dad things on Father’s Day – and while we won’t delve too deeply into “Dad things”, rest assured that beer and breakfast are a great start. If you’re in the market for a few good options you’ve clicked on the right link and if Dad needs some beer, our Brewery Restaurants are celebrating Father’s Day with 64oz growlers to-go for $8 bucks – including the glass.
Below is a DIY recipe for our beer-brined pork chops, along with a hearty side, and a morning cocktail. If you’re in the mood for more variety, check out our previous Beer for Breakfast post. If you’re too lazy to cook, you can always take the old man to our Sunday Brunch at Brewery Gardens.
Breakfast Cocktail: The Berlini
Berlini
Based on the Bellini, a sparking wine cocktail, the Berlini combines our Berliner Weisse with fresh fruit puree. There’s a reason Napoleon called Berliner Weisse the Champagne of Germany but this isn’t a history lesson and we’re not going into that.
11 oz Berliner Weisse
1 oz Fresh Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach Puree
Add puree to the bottom of a stemmed glass and pour beer.
Brine Ingredients
Beer-Brined Pork Chops
2 Cups Red Trolley Ale
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
2 (8-ounce) Center-cut Pork Chops
Step 1. Brine the pork chops: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, honey, salt,and Red Trolley Ale. Mix until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the pork chops, submerging them completely, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Turn the chops ever couple of hours.
Step 2. Grill pork chops: Removed chops from brine, rinse with water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Grill chops on hot grill for 12 minutes, rotating a quarter turn on each side after three minutes.
Beer Bacon Hash
Beer Bacon Hash
2 Large Russet Potatoes (pre-baked & chopped)
1/2 Cup Yellow Onion (Finely Chopped)
6 Strips Thick-cut Bacon
1/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Red Trolley Ale
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
Prep 1. Chop uncooked bacon into 1″ pieces. Combine bacon, honey, and Red Trolley in small mixing bowl and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Prep 2. Scrub potatoes, bake on 375 for 1 hour, cool to room temperature, and chop into cubes.
Cooking Step 1: Drain bacon, pat-dry, and add to hot skillet. Cook bacon until edges turn golden brown and drain 1/2 the grease from the pan.
Cooking Step 2: Add chopped onion and Italian seasoning and saute until onions are translucent. Add chopped potatoes and cook on med/high heat until potatoes are golden brown. Serve with Beer-brined chops, eggs, and a Whistler Imperial Pils.
Beer-Brined Chop, Beer-Bacon Hash & Eggs Sunny Side Up
Pintail Pale Ale 5.3% ABV – An American Pale Ale brewed with Cascade and Amarillo hops for a vibrant floral aroma and citrus hoppiness. Caramel malts provide balance, rounding out its dry refreshing finish.
Whistler Imperial Pils 7.5% ABV – A bold Imperial Pilsner brewed with floor-malted Moravian barley and Noble Saaz hops for toasted malt flavors and a dry grassy finish.
Berliner Weisse 3.4 % ABV – A refreshingly tart take on a classic German style. Our version undergoes a special lactic fermentation in the brew kettle that produces its trademark tartness.
Scott’s Big India Pale Lager 8.0 % ABV – The winner of our American Homebrewers Association Pro-Am Competition, this hoppy offering will be on tap starting June 10th until it’s gone.
Whistler Imperial Pils & Shrimp Street Tacos
Shrimp Street Tacos: Crispy shrimp, shredded lettuce, Asian and cactus pear, cotija, radish, cilantro, corn tortillas, and smoky tomatillo salsa.
The Pairing:This fresh and flavorful appetizer pairing is a tasty way to welcome summer. Whistler’s rich toasted malt flavors provide a crisp complement to the tender shrimp and corn tortilla, while its clean hop profile and dry finish temper the spicy tomatillo salsa between bites.
Whistler Imperial Pils
American Craft Beer Week: Rye Not?
Just when every week was starting to feel like craft beer week, the Brewers Association went and made it official. We kicked-off this year’s ACBW with a beer we brewed especially for the occasion. Our ACBW Rye IPA is a robust India Pale ale with spicy rye malt flavors, a vibrant floral aroma, and a clean citrus hop bitterness. It’s currently on tap in our Brewery Restaurants and in honor of ACBW, 64oz growlers to-go are $9 bucks – including the glass.
Below is a recipe I came up with, ironically on Meatless Monday, which highlights multiple layers of this hoppy special release. I’ve got no beef with the herbivores; this was purely by chance, so be on the lookout for a Meatless Monday installment next month. Ya dig?
Spicy Rye IPA Skirt Steak
ACBW RYE IPA Marinade
Ingredients:
1 Growler of American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA
1 lb Skirt Steak
1 Meyer Lemon
1/2 Cup White Onion (sliced)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 Jalapeno Pepper (coarsely chopped)
1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro (bruised)
¼ Cup Clover Honey
1 Tbs Kosher Salt
1 Tbs Course Ground Black Pepper
Instructions:
Step 1: Pour one 16oz pint of Rye IPA into a glass mixing bowl and reserve the rest for drinking.
Step 2: Halve lemon, squeeze juice into beer, and add both halves to the bowl. Add salt and honey and whisk until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and transfer to a 5 gallon freezer bag.
Step 3: Add steak, seal bag, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Step 4: Cook steak in a grill pan on high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let rest for an additional 3-5 minutes.
Fire-Roasted Habanero Aioli
Ingredients: 
4 Vine-Ripened Tomatoes
1 Medium White Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Habanero Peppers
1 Tbs Powdered Chicken Bouillon
¼ Cup ACBW Rye IPA
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Mayonnaise
Instructions:
Step 1: Adjust oven rack to top position (about 6 inches below flame) and preheat to broil.
Step 2: Peel and quarter onion, quarter tomatoes, peel garlic, and remove stems from habaneros.
Step 3: Place above ingredients in a baking dish and broil for 15-20 minutes or until skins begin to char.
Step 4: Transfer cooked ingredients to a blender or food processor and emulsify. Slowly add in beer, olive oil, and bouillon.
Step 5: Allow emulsion to cool to room temperature before mixing in mayonnaise.
*Tip: Omit mayonnaise for a killer hot sauce.
Steak on Rye Sandwich with Fire-Roasted Habanero Ailoi
Spicy Rye IPA Skirt Steak
Pintail Pale Ale 5.3% ABV – An American Pale Ale brewed with Cascade and Amarillo hops for a vibrant floral aroma and citrus hoppiness. Caramel malts provide balance, rounding out its dry refreshing finish.
American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA 7.6% ABV –Our American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA is a celebration of craft beer culture in America. This robust India Pale Ale combines the zesty spice of malted rye with the citrus and floral hop character of American Ahtanum hops. Finishing crisp and dry, it’s the perfect way to celebrate ACBW on the West Coast.
Minden Maibock 7.5 % ABV – A traditional German springtime lager with crisp toasted malt flavors, balanced by the soft bitterness of noble Tettnanger hops.
American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA & Crispy Cheese Stack
Crispy Cheese Stack: Rye breadcrumb-crusted sharp cheddar and provolone sticks, crispy pastrami bacon, and jalapeno honey.
The Pairing: This dynamic and flavorful appetizer pairing puts tired cheese sticks to bed. Spicy rye flavors in the beer provide a delicate complement top the savory melted cheese and crispy breadcrumb crust, while its assertive hop flavors balance the richness and jalapeno spice between bites.
American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA
Blackball Belgian IPA Mussels
Every so often a small but dedicated group of our employees gather to talk beer and food. The group includes our Executive and R&D Chefs, our Brewmaster, and a few other foodies lucky enough to make the guest list. During these discussions we chat about great beers we’ve tried, restaurants we’ve visited, and even dishes we’ve prepared at home. By taking ourselves out of “work” mode, we’re able to get great work done. Our Chefs Gunther and Corey use these gatherings as an opportunity to prepare and share their latest beer and food pairings. Over the years these guys have done some truly remarkable things with beer in the kitchen – and this month’s post is a homage to their passion for beer and food. Below is a recipe inspired by their Belgian IPA Mussels, created especially for April’s menu. This version uses ingredients available at local farmers markets, including the Carlsbad Aquafarm mussels we use in our brewery restaurants. I picked up the mussels, produce, and bread at Sunday’s Hillcrest Farmers Market. 
Ingredients: Prep Time – 25 Minutes
2 lbs Carlsbad Black Mussels (cleaned and de-bearded)
6 Slices Bacon Chopped (pre-cook and pat dry before chopping)
½ Cup Finely Chopped Yellow Onion
½ Cup Finely Chopped Fennel
1 Shallot Finely Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves Crushed
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Tbs Clover Honey
2 Tbs Butter
½ Cup Heavy Cream
1 ½ Cup Blackball Belgian IPA (room temperature)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
French Bread
Instructions:
Step 1: Scrub mussels with a 
coarse brush under cold running water. Remove any beards and discard any mussels that are broken or open. Reserve cleaned mussels in a large bowl of ice water until ready to steam.
Step 2: Melt butter in large saucepan. Add bacon, fennel, onions, shallots, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Step 3: Add Blackball Belgian IPA and bring to a boil. Add mussels, cover, and steam until mussels have opened (4-5 Minutes). Remove from heat and discard any mussels that have not opened.
Step 4: Transfer mussels to serving dish, reserving the broth in the saucepan. Return broth to medium heat and stir in honey and cream. Ladle broth over mussels and serve with grilled French bread.
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