BEER STUFF!

Hera’s Brews:

Summer Serendipity:  A light, golden ale, complex and fruity, with tastes of pear, apple, and plum.  Truly a summer drink.  Goes well with meat, fish, and poultry.

Hera’s Honey: A very clean tasting lager, golden in color.  Pairs well with fish and chicken.

Trouter Ale: Originally developed by Hera’s father.  A medium dark ale with tones of cinnamon, cardamom, and orange, best with cheeses such as blues, Roquefort, Asiago, Stilton or main dishes such as stews.

Knightsbridge Ginseng Rush: Described by Hera as “ a light, sunlit, lager” with ginseng and elderberry.”  A beer for any food or without it.

Clear Creek: A golden, not-too-hoppy ale to celebrate the town’s moratorium on fracking.
Name suggested reader John Sullivan

 

Great Beer Places

Beerfestivals.org

Realbeer.com

Beeradvocate.com

Homebrewit.com

Beerinstitute.org

Recipes

Beer, it’s not just for drinking.  You can cook with it… and not just savory dishes.  Try this one for a sweet treat.

Warm Your Honey’s Toes Ginger Stout Cake or Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 tablespoon candied ginger (finely chopped) or 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
12 ounces stout (Use your favorite stout from a local microbrewery.  I do!
½ cup molasses

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pans or 13X9 baking pan. Combine flour, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves; set aside.

2. Beat butter and candied ginger with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sugars; beat to combine. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Mix stout and molasses to combine and add to wet ingredients. Alternately add dry ingredients in 3 additions, with the beer mixture; beating until combined and scraping down side of bowl as needed.  Batter will be runny.

4. Pour into the muffin pans. Bake 12-18 minutes. Makes over 24 regular muffins or around 80 minis.  If using cake pan, bake 45 minutes.  In both cases, muffins or cake is done when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Note: Cake and muffins do not round up when baked.  Do not overfill especially with mini-muffins because the batter will run over the sides and it will be impossible to get muffins out of the pans.
Try with a dollop of ginger spiced whipped cream or top with a slice of crystallized ginger.