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For a long time, beer got a bad rap. It got treated as a second-class libation, failing to get the attention of the more refined wine and liquor. The beautiful people sipped fruity martinis while beer looked on, contentedly fizzing away in its ice cold glass. Wine was splashed around by celebrity chefs, but beer was patient. After years of being disrespected, degraded and overlooked, beer has risen up, staking its place among the most well-respected of drunks.
Sure, you can drink it, but why not have your beer and eat it too? In honor of the Beer Week (Sept. 10-19) and the Great American Beer Festival, we tracked down some of the best restaurants using beer in their cooking. Check out the menu items that will have your whole body abuzz. We always knew beer was a food group.
The place: Second Home Kitchen and Bar
The grub: Mesquite smoked BBQ ribs
Second Home was bold enough to ask that eternal question, Why give Jack Daniels a monopoly on alcoholic barbecue sauce? So they added black beer to their sauce, slathered it on juicy ribs and called it a day. And the people rejoiced!
The place: Steve’s Snappin Dogs
The grub: Beer battered onion rings
Beer and batter go together like peanut butter and jelly and Lindsay Lohan and rehab. Not only does Steve’s perfect this combination for the ages, but he wraps it around an onion, thereby giving you a serving of vegetables and alleviating any guilt you may have had about eating fried beer.
The place: Bridgewater Grill
The grub: Herman Joseph braised short rib with beer butter
Sticking to their backyard, this restaurant inside the Golden Hotel uses Herman Joseph beer, a German-style lager brewed by AC Golden Brewing Company, to marinate and break down the fibers of their tender short ribs. Then, as if the beer-tinted jus isn’t enough to get your pleasure points going, they add beer to the butter! To the butter! It’s like Paula Deen and Homer Simpson had a love child just for you.
The place: 1515 Restaurant
The grub: Beer battered fish and chips
If 1515, purveyors of molecular gastronomy and all food things cutting edge, is getting in on the beer as food trend, then you know it’s hit the big time. They use catfish for the fish and steak cut fries with malt vinegar for the chips for their turn on the classic dish. We fully expect to see a beer gastrique on their menu any day now.
The place: Cheeky Monk
The grub: Carbonnade a la Flammande
Proof that beer can be fancy, the Cheeky Monk simmers sirloin tips and onion in a beer gravy for this impressive-sounding dish. Then, it’s all served over egg noodles, proving that pasta pairs with beer as easily as wine. If there’s one thing Belgians know, it’s how to serve beer. Oh, and waffles. Beer and waffles.
The place: The Melting Pot
The grub: Cheddar cheese fondue
The Melting Pot does a great special occasion business, but everyone knows that the highlight of the meal comes in the first course. The server pours grated cheddar cheese into the pot followed by – wait for it – beer. Once the burner is alight, you’re a go for cheesy, beery decadence. Stop by for an app before beer fest to get your energy up.
The place: Big Game Restaurant & Lounge
The grub: Mussels in Belgian white sauce
Shellfish and beer. Hmm. We, too, were puzzled by this potentially sketchy combination. But the Blue Moon Belgian white ale blends nicely with garlic, onion and orange segments to perfectly accompany the mussels to your palate. Just goes to show that beer really does go with everything. Even that gold lamé skirt you’ve been wondering about.
The place: Sweet Action
The grub: Beer-inspired ice cream
Why limit beer’s debut in the food world to the savory? Sweet Action’s delectable use of beer in multiple ice cream flavors shows that beer can do sweet. Among the choices are Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout and Avery’s ESB Oreo. Perfect for a post-buzz sugar high.
The place: Euclid Hall
The grub: Car bomb float
The Irish car bomb is arguably the most genius merger of beer and liquor of all time. So why not take that winning combination and make it dessert? Euclid Hall tops their house-made Guinness ice cream with Bailey’s chocolate seltzer and a Jameson caramel shot. We’ll scream for this ice cream. Sure, it may sound sort of slurred, but it’s still a scream.
Be sure to show beer your support at the Great American Beer Festival, as well as at all the restaurants putting it on their dinner menus. Oh, and make sure to find out Metromix's top 25 Beer Week events!
