Taco Tuesday featuring Alpine Spring!

After a few months apart, we have reconnected with our friends Pennypackers Food Truck, a local Boston-area food truck, to create a taco that is infused with one of our beers.

To help start thinking of warmer days ahead, we handed the guys our spring seasonal Samuel Adams® Alpine Spring, an unfiltered lager with a balance of bright citrus & crisp maltiness. Pennypackers decided to match the citrus notes of this brew with braised pork with beans, cabbage, and cilantro for a wide-array of flavors all complimenting one another.

Given that not all Sam fans can get to Boston to enjoy these in person, Pennypackers once again was kind enough to pass along the recipe and simple cooking instructions for you to experiment and create your own. Looking for other taco recipes?  Take a look here.
► Read More

Cooking With Hops This Weekend

A few weeks back we cozied up to the idea of cooking with hops. Now, as we head into the weekend, we wanted to share a few new recipes to try out, including our new fire-side favorites, Hops-Infused Churros with Hoppy Hot Chocolate, and our Alpine Spring Donut Ice Cream Sliders (full recipes below).

We teamed up with our friend, Chef David Burke who prepared these dishes inspired by Samuel Adams Alpine Spring, and infused with the “spice of beer” – hops. Alpine Spring’s Tettnang Tettnanger hops, a variety cultivated on 100-year-old vines in hop gardens at the foothills of the Alps, leave a lingering citrus note and a dry finish that cleanses the palate after each bite. When used as a cooking ingredient, hops can add surprising dimension to a recipe, much like in brewing. In Chef Burke’s brunch recipes, these hops add an unexpected yet welcome earthy, herbal note to the meal.Or, if you’d like to leave the cooking to a chef, you can try the Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Lobster Benedict with Hopped “Beer-naise” Sauce at David Burke restaurants in NYC, NJ, CT and Chicago this weekend only.

Samuel Adams Hops-Infused Churros with Hoppy Hot Chocolate (Recipe by Chef David Burke)

Our brewer, Jennifer tested out the recipes and notes that the Tettnang hops in the hot chocolate bring out wonderful citrus notes of orange and lemon found in the rich and creamy sweetness of the cocoa. And, since the churros are sweeter than Alpine Spring, they’ll bring out an elegant spicy and slightly piney character in the beer that’s perfectly contrasted by the beer’s crisp and refreshing finish.

Yields 8 servings

Samuel Adams Churros

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup Tettnang Tettnanger hop flowers (can substitute U.S. Tettnang hops)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs

Method:

1.) Bring milk and hops to heat/scald (about 180°F). Steep for about 10-15 minutes, then strain.

2.) Take 1 cup of hops infused milk, butter, and salt. Bring to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, stir until mixture forms a ball and pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, let cool about 3 minutes.

3.) Add eggs one at a time, and stir until batter is smooth. Put mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star pastry tip.

4.) Set fryer temperature (or vegetable oil in a deep frying pan) to 330°F, hold pastry bag a few inches above the oil, squeeze out batter, snipping off 4-inch lengths with a knife or kitchen scissors.

5.) Fry 6-8 churros at a time, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel to absorb extra grease.

6.) Roll in cinnamon sugar when still warm.

Samuel Adams Hoppy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup Tettnang Tettnanger hop flowers (can substitute U.S. Tettnang hops)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

1.) Bring milk, heavy cream, water, sugar, hops, cinnamon, vanilla bean, nutmeg to boil.

2.) Strain hot milk mixture over chocolate using a sieve. Blend well and serve in mugs.

Samuel Adams® Alpine Spring Donut Ice Cream Sliders (Recipe by Chef David Burke)

Jennifer’s take on the sliders is that the citrus notes from the Tettnang hops in Alpine Spring compliment the wonderful orange notes in the Tettnang hop-infused ice cream. The hints of sweetness from the honey malts also balance some of the roasted sweet character of the caramel sauce and donut, leaving a lingering sweet note on the palate.

Yields 5 large or 24 small servings

Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Donut

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 oz. butter
• 3 oz. Samuel Adams Alpine Spring 
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Strawberry jam (for serving – see assembly below)

Pictured: Samuel Adams® Alpine Spring Donut Ice Cream Sliders

Method:

1) Melt butter and let cool a little (not hot).
2.) Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

3.) In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter, and Samuel Adams Alpine Spring until well blended.

4.) Pour the liquid mixture into flour mixture, stir until just incorporated. NOTE: Do not over mix or dough will be tough.

5.) Set fryer temperature (or vegetable oil in a deep frying pan) to 375°F. Using an ice cream scoop, form donuts about a size of a golf ball. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Roll in cinnamon sugar, slice in half.

Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Orange Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Pinch salt
• ¾ cup Samuel Adams Alpine Spring
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (found in specialty markets)

Method:

1.) Combine sugar and water in a small high-sided saucepan. Without stirring, cook the mixture until dark amber in color.

2.) Reduce heat to low, carefully adding heavy cream into caramel (it may splash and form bubbles). Stir to combine.

3.) Remove pan from heat, add salt and Samuel Adams Alpine Spring

Samuel Adams Hops-Infused Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Tettnang Tettnanger hop flowers (can substitute U.S. Tettnang hops)
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 10 large egg yolks

Method:

1.) In a saucepan, bring milk to heat. When it simmers, add hops, steep about 15 minutes. Strain milk, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

2.) Put milk, half of sugar (1 cup) back to sauce pan. Bring to heat, just about to boil.

3.) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of sugar (1 cup) and egg yolks until they lighten in color. Pour milk mixture into eggs by adding small amounts gradually, until about 1/3 of milk mixture has been added.

4.) Pour the egg mixture back to the saucepan, over low heat. Cook, stir frequently, until mixture thickens slightly to coat the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Remove from heat, add heavy cream. Mix well.

5.) Strain the mixture and put in a container, let cool before placing it into refrigerator (to avoid condensation on the lid). Cover and store in refrigerator for 4 – 8 hours, or overnight.

6.) Pour chilled ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions.

To Assemble:

1.) Place half a Samuel Adams Donut on a dish (base). Spread a layer of strawberry jam onto the open side of the donut.

2.) Place a scoop of Samuel Adams Hops-Infused Ice Cream on top.

3.) Using a small squeeze bottle, drizzle a layer of Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Orange Caramel Sauce and top with the other half of the Samuel Adams Donut.

4.) Enjoy your Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Donut Ice Cream Slider!

Not Just for Beer: Cooking with Hops

As we’ve said many times before, “hops are to beer what grapes are to wine.” Their variety, origin, and nuances of flavor create the soul of the beer. For most beers, hops lend bitterness and not a lot more. That bitterness comes from the alpha acids of the hop. However, we select hops for the aromatic flavor qualities over their bittering value. Aroma hops, with their lower alpha acids, produce an array of complex flavors and aromas in our beers from citrus and fruit to pine and eucalyptus. If you love beer but don’t know much about hops, we recommend this great hop round-up from Draft Magazine.

With the thought of hops running through your head, we wanted to take this moment to let you know that our brewing team have come together with our friend Chef David Burke to develop an awesome hops-infused brunch inspired by our Alpine Spring seasonal brew. For those who have tasted this bright and citrusy unfiltered lager, you have experienced the Tettnang Tettnanger hops which are cultivated on 100-year-old vines in hop gardens at the foothills of the Alps.

After conversations back and forth and sampling food & beer pairings (tough job, we know), Chef David Burke came to us with this gem: Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Lobster Benedict with Hopped “Beer-naise” Sauce. The citrus notes and malty sweetness from Alpine Spring provided a perfect contrast to the rich buttery taste of the lobster and sauce. We also enjoyed how the Tettnang hops left a lingering citrus note on the palate and a clean, dry finish that cleansed our palate after each bite.

Hungry yet? Here’s the recipe to help get you started!

Samuel Adams® Alpine Spring Lobster Benedict with Hopped “Beer-naise”

Recipe by Chef David Burke

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Samuel Adams® Alpine Spring
• 1 cup champagne vinegar
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 4 sprigs tarragon
• 4 egg yolks
• ¼ oz. Tettnang Tettnanger hop flowers (can substitute U.S. Tettnang hops)
• 4 sticks melted butter
• 4 English muffins
• 4 lobsters (1lb. each) cooked and meat removed
• 8 eggs
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoons lemon juice

Samuel Adams® Alpine Spring Lobster Benedict with Hopped “Beer-naise”

• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a stainless steel pot, reduce Alpine Spring, champagne vinegar, shallot, and 3 sprigs tarragon to ¼ of original volume, add hops and chill. This could be done one day in advance.

2. Once cold, add reduction to egg yolks. Whisk yolks over double boiler until eggs become thick, add lemon juice.  Slowly whisk in melted butter until all is incorporated. Strain through fine strainer. Pick last sprig of tarragon and chop. Add tarragon to sauce, cover and keep warm.

3. Bring 4 qtrs. water to simmer with white vinegar and salt. Slowly crack eggs into water and poach to desired doneness. Toast English muffins and warm lobster meat while eggs are cooking.

4. To assemble, put split muffin on plate topped with half a lobster tail and egg on each half. Cover with sauce and serve.

However if you prefer to leave the cooking to a chef, you can head to a local David Burke restaurant during Saturday or Sunday brunch throughout the month of February to enjoy this great dish. David Burke restaurants can be found as followed:

• New York City (David Burke Kitchen, David Burke Townhouse, Fishtail by David Burke, Burke in the Box)
• New Jersey (Fromagerie)
• Connecticut (David Burke Prime)
• Chicago (David Burke Primehouse).

Gearing Up for the Big Game!

This is it! After five months of football viewing with countless pints of Boston Lager enjoyed from coast to coast, we’re down to two teams. While we’re bummed not to have our hometown New England team back in the game this year, we’re certain we’ll find ourselves in front of the television watching all the commercials (and maybe some of the game) as we hang out with family and friends and enjoy a few Boston Lagers.

Our brewers have had a great time judging entries from Sam fans all over the country as part of our TOP THIS! Pizza Contest (you can see previous winners here). If you haven’t gotten in on the fun yet, be sure to submit your best pizza recipe here by midnight on February 3 for a chance to win a custom Samuel Adams grill.

And in honor of the big game on February 3, our friend and Pizza Chef Mark Bello of Pizza a Casa Pizza School in New York City has created a special New Orleans inspired pizza to pay tribute to the host city. Check it out below!

NEW ORLEANS: BIG GAME PIZZA

Recipe courtesy of Pizza Chef Mark Bello of Pizza a Casa Pizza School

Prep time:           20 minutes

Bake time:          10-15 minutes depending on your oven and desired doneness

Preheat:              Oven to 500ºF

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.) – Find the recipe here

• 5 oz. (about 1/2 cup) your favorite pizza sauce

• 1 Tablespoon of your favorite Louisiana style hot sauce!

• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced yellow bell pepper

  

  The New Orleans Big Game Pizza

• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced red onion

• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) shredded whole milk mozzarella

• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.:  parmesan or Romano cheese)

• 6 leaves fresh basil sliced into fine strands

• Extra virgin olive oil plus more for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen plus more for drizzling on finished pizza

Cooking Instructions:

• Mix pizza sauce and hot sauce. Set aside.

• Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.

• Swirl on sauce mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.

• In this order: evenly distribute mozzarella, then yellow pepper, then red onion all to about 1/2” from the border of crust.

• Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.

• Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

• Out of the oven, add basil and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

• NOTE: The concept behind this pizza is based on the classic Italian Margherita pizza: tomato sauce (red) + mozzarella (white) + basil (green) = the colors of the Italian flag

• The colors on the New Orleans Big Game pizza: red onion (purple) + basil (green) + yellow pepper (gold) = colors representative of New Orleans and Mardi Gras.

Pairing Notes from Samuel Adams Brewery Manager Jennifer Glanville:  Boston Lager is a perfect pairing for this championship pizza. Complex and balanced – the sweetness of the tomato will bring out the brew’s caramel malt character. Slight floral and a sweet citrus notes from the Noble hops are perfectly contrasted by the tangy onion and herbal basil notes. The addition of hot sauce finishes this pairing with a little heat that is balanced by a complex and lingering finish.

Beer, Pizza, and Playoff Football: Take Two!

Last week we celebrated the start of the football playoffs with one of our favorite pairings: pizza and Boston Lager! In addition to sharing some great recipes from our friend, Pizza Chef Mark Bello of Pizza a Casa Pizza School in New York City (you can view those recipes here), we also asked Sam drinkers to submit their best recipes in our TOP THIS! Pizza Contest.

Needless to say, we received some interesting suggestions for pizzas that paired great with our favorite beer, Boston Lager, and also represented the teams playing. A panel of our brewers sifted through the hundreds of submissions and chose their favorites. Among the winners, Brett C. of Indianapolis will be receiving a Samuel Adams football for his “Blue Cheese Stampede” pizza made with sweet marinara sauce, ground hamburger meat, pepperoni, ham, bacon bits, black olives, and a three cheese mixture of provolone, mozzarella, and blue cheese crumble. We hope the football helps ease the pain of his home team’s loss. Other winners include:

• Timothy J. of Frederick, MD for a crab white pizza which includes pan seared jumbo lump crab meat, capers, sautéed red onions (which turn purple when heated), bacon and radicchio atop a traditional white pizza with ricotta, provolone and fresh mozzarella. And then a little olive oil drizzled on top with fresh garlic to finish it off.

• Alicia I. of Centerville, OH for the “The Jungle” pizza which includes sausage (the prey of her hometown team), green bell peppers (greenery of the forest), mushrooms (jungle plants), orange bell peppers (orange stripes), black olives (black stripes).

• Terry B. of Appleton, WI for the “Cheesehead Demise” pizza which includes beer (we’re using Boston Lager to test this one out), soaked grilled bratwurst, caramelized onions, sauerkraut and a cheese blend (mozzarella, provolone, cheddar).

• Clarence W. of Waco, TX for “The Bum” pizza which includes smoked brisket, jalapeno sausage, BBQ sauce, pepperoni, pepper jack cheese.

• Andie Maree G. of Pierre, SD for the “Big Ole” pizza which includes purple onions, eggplant, yellow peppers, mushrooms, venison sausage on a Minnesota helmet shaped crust with breadsticks as horns.

• Darin L. of Shoreline, WA for the “The Puget Astounder” pizza which includes hot-smoked wild salmon, caramelized leeks, goat cheese, shaved parmesan, fresh dill, Sriracha-infused red sauce.

• Patrick K. of Horseheads, NY for the “The Red Skins (potato) are Loaded” pizza which included red skin potatoes, sour cream, chives, bacon bits and cheddar cheese.

UPDATE! Week 2 winners include:

• Angelina J. from Georgia for the “Fruity Bird” which includes peaches, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, strawberries, pears, pecans, and a little pineapple.

• Michael M. from Maryland for his “Whacco Crab pizza” which includes homemade Bechamel sauce made with a hint of Old bay, topped with a heart stopping mixture of mozzarella, burrata, accented with grated Asiago, Provolone, Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano, dollops of Fresh MD jumbo lump crabmeat placed around as much as the pizza can handle

• Jeff H. from Indianapolis for his “Smoky Goodness” which starts with a roasted red pepper sauce with smoked mozzarella cheese. Use some roasted red, yellow, and green peppers. Add jalapeno pepper, without the seeds, going for flavor, not heat. Add sausage, sweet onion, Romano and some basil.

• Stephen R. from Michigan for his “Lambeau Pie” which includes a nice thick chewy crust coated with olive oil, topped with thick tomato sauce and oregano, Cheese (it’s not just for your head), lots of beef hamburger, packed with pulled pork, pepperoni  and Old Wisconsin smoked hot dogs sliced on top. Go Pack spelled out with black olives to finish it off!!

• Jennifer B. from Louisiana for her “TexMexIzza” which includes roasted Red Pepper/Tomato sauce base, cheddar jack cheese blend, Chorizo sausage (crumble or sliced), sweet bell peppers, onion, black beans, tomato, topped with a bit of hot sauce.

• Shannon G. of Connecticut for her “White Chowdah Pineapple” pizza which is simply made with a white pizza base with pineapple, spinach, and clams on top. Our brewers gave extra points for the New England accent in the pizza title.

• Kevin M. from Massachusetts for his “Spinach Artichoke Dip” pizza which includes dough brushed with EVO salt and pepper and topped with chunks of brie, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped spinach. Bake 15min at 500 on a stone. Remove from oven drizzle with more EVO and top with fresh grated parmesan

• Michael A. from Washington for his “Pacific NW Salmon and Chiles” pizza which includes grilled King salmon, cilantro, parmesan, Thai red chilies, jalapenos, and a drizzle of Teriyaki over top

UPDATE! Week 3 Winners include:

• Nathan W. of Troy, OH for his “Chicken & Waffle Supreme” pizza which includes a waffle crust with fried chicken, cheese, and a sweet tomato sauce (served with a side of Maple Syrup for dipping)

• Jennifer M. of Baltimore, MD for her “Poe’s Pie” pizza which includes gruyere and parmesan cheeses, chunks of crab meat, grilled shrimp, and then topped with a sprinkling of lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning.

• Sheri S. of Newton Falls, OH for her “Chowda Pizza” which includes parmesan white sauce, little neck clams, potatoes, and shredded white cheddar cheese.

• James P. of Owensboro, KY for his “San Francisco Gold Rush” pizza which includes sliced pepperoni, golden bell pepper, yellow gold heirloom tomato sauce with mozzarella.

Pizza Chef Mark Bello has sent along a few more inspired pizza recipes for the teams who are hosting games this weekend – check ‘em out!  Do you have a great pizza recipe for this weekend’s games? Submit it here for your chance to win a Samuel Adams hoodie!

ATLANTA: BBQ PIZZA

BBQ, Pizza, and Boston Lager come together!

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.) – recipe here
• 1/4 cup (2.5 oz.) your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup (2.5 oz.) your favorite pizza sauce
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) shredded whole milk mozzarella
• 2.5 oz. (about 1/2 a cup) diced onion (preferably Vidalia)
• 8 oz. (about 1/2 cup) seasoned/cooked pulled pork
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• Extra virgin olive oil plus more oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix BBQ and pizza sauce. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Swirl on sauce mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. In this order: evenly distribute mozzarella cheese, then onion, then pulled pork, all to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
5. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
7. Out of the oven, let rest a few minutes. Then cut, serve and enjoy.

DENVER: DENVER OMELET PIZZA 

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.) – recipe here
• About 1 cup (4 oz.) diced ham
• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced yellow onion
• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced green bell pepper
• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced button mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• About 1/4 cup (2 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

Cooking Instructions:

1. Toss onion, green pepper and mushrooms in olive oil. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Evenly distribute ham, onion, pepper and mushrooms, all to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes
5. While baking, scramble eggs and grated cheese.
6. After initial 6-8 minute bake, remove pizza from oven. Carefully pour on egg mixture, evenly sprinkle on shredded cheddar, then gently ease back into oven and bake for about 4-7 more minutes until eggs are set.
7. Out of the oven, add black pepper, hot sauce, ketchup and/or whatever you like to add to your omelet. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

NEW ENGLAND: NEW ENGLAND CLAM PIZZA

Clams? On a pizza? Only in New England!

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.) – recipe here
• About 1/2 cup (3 oz.) chopped clams from one 6.5 oz. can drained and reserve juice*
• About 1/2 cup (4 oz.) whole milk ricotta
• About 1/2 a cup loosely packed (2 oz.) whole milk mozzarella
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano plus more to shake on out of the oven
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more to shake on out of the oven
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen
• 2 Tablespoons clam juice*
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• Lemon juice

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix clams, ricotta, mozzarella, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, olive oil, mozzarella, and clam juice. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer of clam/ricotta/spice mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
6. Out of the oven, drizzle on lemon juice and/or add more oregano and/or red pepper flakes to taste. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

SAN FRANCISCO: SPICY PIMENTO PESTO PEPPERONI PIZZA

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.) – recipe here
• 1 jar diced pimentos (4 oz.) drained
• 1 clove raw garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
• 1 Tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) whole milk mozzarella
• 18 thin slices pepperoni (about 1 oz.)
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a blender, blend pimentos, garlic, Sriracha hot sauce, pine nuts, olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of the grating cheese into a slightly chunky paste. Transfer into a separate bowl, mix in mozzarella and set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer of pimento/mozzarella mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Evenly distribute pepperoni slices.
5. Evenly sprinkle second half of the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
7. Out of the oven, let rest a few minutes. Then cut, serve and enjoy.

Beer, Pizza, and Playoff Football!

What’s better than a great beer and delicious pizza? The same great beer and pizza during a big game.

With the football playoffs kicking off this week, we turned to our good friend, Pizza Chef Mark Bello of Pizza a Casa Pizza School in New York City, to create some amazing pizzas inspired by this weekend’s games. Not only do the pizzas pair perfectly with Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, but they use his special Samuel Adams Boston Lager infused pizza crust. Check out his recipes below!

When it comes to pairing pizza with Boston Lager, the possibilities are endless. So we wanted to give you a chance to join in on the fun. Do you have some great pizza ideas that pair with our Boston Lager? We want ‘em! The pizza just needs to meet two basic criteria: it should pair with Boston Lager and represent a playoff team’s city in one way or another (this will require a bit more creativity).

We’ll keep the contest going up until the Big Game and our brewers will review each weekend’s entries and give Sam-inspired prizes to the fans that create the best pizza for each city. Find more information and submit your pizza ideas by clicking here.

To help you get started, here are a few tips from Brewery Manager Jennifer Glanville: Samuel Adams Boston Lager® is so balanced that it can easily pair with all types of pizza. The rich, malty flavors in Boston Lager can develop and deepen pizza flavors while the hop character can cut through some of their richness. It’s one of our favorite pairings because there are so many different kinds of pizza, and depending on the toppings, the flavor combinations can be so different. For example, the caramel and toffee notes of the malt in the beer may be most prominent, or with a spicier ingredient like pepperoni or hot peppers, the citrus character of the noble hops will help cut some of that heat from the pallet.

Cheers and Enjoy!

SAMUEL ADAMS BOSTON LAGER® INFUSED PIZZA CRUST

Prep time:  15 minutes

 Ingredients: 

• Approx. 3½ cups (20 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
• 1 packet instant yeast aka: highly active or bread machine yeast
• 1 Tablespoon (.65 oz.) fine granulation salt
• 1 Tablespoon (.55 oz.) extra virgin olive oil plus more for greasing your rising container and oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen
• 12 oz. bottle of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® warmed up to 120ºF-130ºF

 Cooking Instructions:

1. Warm the beer to 120ºF-130ºF (warming the beer properly means your yeast will activate properly). Warm the bottle in a bowl of very warm (not boiling water) or by running it under hot water from the tap. A thermometer insures success – if you don’t have one handy, the beer should feel very warm (not too hot) to the touch.
2. In a 5 quart or larger bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and oil.
3. Add beer to flour mixture, and stir with a fork (not stirring with your hands just yet – it’s too sticky at first) until the dough is lumpy. Then, go in with your hands. The dough will now still be a little sticky, so gradually add flour as you knead* to the point that the finished dough should be just slightly tacky and elastic. To tell when the dough is done, periodically poke it and when the dough gently springs back after you poke it, it is done. Don’t worry if it is not perfectly smooth – don’t over knead it! *kneading: press down, push, fold, repeat.
4. Your finished dough, if you have a scale, will weigh right around 2 pounds (30-34 oz.). Break into two equal pieces – use a scale or eyeball it.
5. Ball each piece up and place each in a separate airtight container lightly greased with olive oil. Each container needs to be at least a quart in size to allow for each dough ball to double in size (deli quart containers work great for this).
6. Set dough aside to rise in a warm location, about 70ºF-80F is good. After dough has expanded/up to doubled in size (about 1-2 hours), gently remove from container and stretch to fit on a lightly greased 12” or 14” cookie sheet, pizza pan or pizza screen.
7. Dress according to which football team pizza you favor, and bake in a 500ºF preheated oven until your crust and toppings are to your desired crust (about 10 to 15 minutes).
8. Out of the oven, allow a few minutes to cool. Then cut, serve and enjoy.

BALTIMORE: CRAB CAKE PIZZA

Baltimore Crab Cake Pizza

Ingredients: 

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• About 1/2 cup (4.25 oz.) lump crabmeat from one 6 oz. can drained and reserve juice*
• About 1/2 cup (4 oz.) whole milk ricotta
• About 1/2 a cup loosely packed (2 oz.) whole milk mozzarella
• 1 Tablespoon chopped chives more to sprinkle on out of the oven
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons crab juice*
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen
• Lemon juice

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix crab, ricotta, mozzarella, chives, hot sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, and crab juice. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer of crab mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
5. Out of the oven, drizzle on lemon juice and/or add more chives to taste plus whatever else you like on your crab cakes. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

CINCINNATI: 4-WAY CHILI PIZZA

Ingredients: 

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• 1 cup (about 7 oz.) Cincinnati chili (your favorite brand or recipe)
• About 1/2 cup loosely packed (2 oz.) shredded whole milk mozzarella
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• About 1/2 cup loosely packed (2 oz.) shredded mild cheddar
• About 1/4 cup (1 oz.) chopped onion
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix chili and mozzarella. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Spread on chili/mozzarella mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
6. Out of the oven, add chopped onions then shredded cheddar. Let rest a few minutes. Then cut, serve and enjoy.

GREEN BAY: CHEDDAR BRAT PIZZA

Green Bay Cheddar Brat Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• About 1/2 cup (4 oz.) whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into little cubes
• 2 Tablespoons your favorite bratwurst mustard
• About 1 cup (4 oz.) cheddar cheese curds (extra squeaky preferred)
• 2 brats (about 6 oz.) precooked and cut into 1/4” thick discs
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)

 Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix ricotta, butter, and mustard. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer of ricotta mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Break up, and evenly scatter the cheese curds.
5. Evenly distribute discs of bratwurst.
6. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
8. Out of the oven, let rest a few minutes. Then cut, serve and enjoy.

HOUSTON: TEXAS CHILI CON QUESO PIZZA

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• 1/4 cup (2.5 oz.) chili (specifically beef w/ no beans– your favorite brand or recipe)
• 1/4 cup (2.5 oz.) your favorite pizza sauce!
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) shredded Colby/jack cheese divided into two equal portions
• About a 1/2 cup (2 oz.) sliced pickled jalapenos
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• About 1/3 cup (1 oz.) chopped green onion
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

 Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix chili, pizza sauce and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese,
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Spread on chili/sauce/cheese mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Evenly distribute jalapenos to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
5. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
7. Out of the oven, add second half of shredded cheese and chopped green onions. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

INDIANAPOLIS: ONION PIE PIZZA

Ingredients: 

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• About 1/2 cup (4 oz.) whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into little cubes
• About 1/2 cup (2 oz.) chopped onion
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) whole milk mozzarella
• 1/2 cup (about 1 oz.) sliced black olives
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix ricotta, butter, onions and mozzarella. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer of ricotta mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
5. Arrange sliced black olives on your pizza to resemble a horseshoe.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
7. Out of the oven, let rest a few minutes. Then cut, serve and enjoy.

MINNESOTA: PURPLE ONION and GOLD PEPPER PIZZA

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• About 1/2 cup (4 oz.) whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into little cubes
• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced red onion
• About 1/2 cup (2.5 oz.) diced yellow bell pepper
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) whole milk mozzarella
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix ricotta, butter, pepper, onions and mozzarella. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer of ricotta mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
6. Out of the oven, add lemon zest and add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

SEATTLE: BLUE CHEESE and GREEN PESTO PIZZA

Ingredients:

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• 3 Tablespoons (about 3 oz.) basil pesto (your favorite brand or recipe)
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) whole milk mozzarella
• About 1 cup loosely packed (5 oz.) cooked chicken chunks
• 1/4 cup (about 1 oz.) crumbled gorgonzola or other blue cheese
• 6 leaves fresh basil sliced into fine strands
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

 Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix pesto, mozzarella, blue cheese and chicken. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Apply an even layer pesto/cheese/chicken mixture to about 1/2” from the border of crust.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until your toppings are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
5. Out of the oven, add basil and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

WASHINGTON D.C.: RED SKIN POTATO PIZZA

Ingredients: 

• 1 risen ball of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Infused Dough (approx. 16 oz.)
• 1 medium red potato
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon fine granulation salt
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen
• About 1 cup loosely packed (4 oz.) shredded cheddar
• 2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz.) grated cheese (i.e.: parmesan or Romano cheese)
• 1/2 cup (4 oz.) sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon chopped chives
• Extra virgin olive oil for oiling your cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen

 Cooking Instructions:

1. With a mandoline slicer or a very steady hand, thinly slice potato into 1/16” discs. Toss with garlic powder, salt and extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
2. Stretch dough to desired diameter (12” thicker, 14” thinner), and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, pizza pan or screen.
3. Evenly distribute the dressed potato slices to about 1/2” from the border of crust – careful not to overlap or the potato slices underneath will not fully cook.
4. Evenly sprinkle on the grated cheese to the very border of the crust.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes and crust are golden brown.
6. Out of the oven, add the shredded cheddar cheese, then sour cream and chopped chives. Let rest a few minutes, and then cut, serve and enjoy.

Holiday Cookies Baked with Winter Lager!

Baking cookies around the holidays is a Samuel Adams favorite among our brewers. And like all our favorite things, we take to it the only way we know how – by adding beer! While we know a thing or two about brewing, we tapped some real baking professionals for ideas on how to create this year’s batch of Samuel Adams Winter Lager cookies.

We’re excited to collaborate with LuLu’s Sweet Shoppe of Boston and Colonel De Gourmet Herbs and Spices of Cincinnati – both proud participants in our Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program – to create our Winter Lager cookie recipe. While the recipe comes courtesy of Sandy Russo at LuLu’s Sweet Shoppe, Colonel De Gourmet Herbs and Spices provided the spices we needed to add the holiday flavor.

Bake your own Winter Lager cookies (and send us some) by following the simple directions below!

Samuel Adams® Winter Lager Cookie

Recipe by Sandy Russo of Lulu’s Sweet Shoppe

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Samuel Adams Winter Lager
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp ginger
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange powder
• 2 Tbsp orange zest
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar for 3 minutes, add molasses, beat for 1 minute.  Add the egg & beer, beat 30 seconds.

Combine flour, salt, spices and baking soda.  On lowest speed of mixer, beat in half of the flour mixture.  Using a spoon, stir in remaining dry ingredients. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2-3 portions; press each into a round, flattened disk and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll dough to ¼” thickness and cut into perfect pint shapes. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet & bake for 10-15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Royal Icing (optional):

• 3 egg whites
• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp orange extract or pure vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in bowl and beat on medium high for 10 minutes. Icing will become thick and glossy. Spread over cookies immediately and enjoy!

Sam Fan Recipes featuring Winter Lager

Happy Wednesday! As the temperature continues to drop here in New England, we wanted to pass along a quick and easy recipe that may hit the spot for the cooling temperature. From the kitchen of Sam Adams drinker John C. in Winchester, MA, here is a great tomato soup recipe that incorporates our winter seasonal, Samuel Adams® Winter Lager. You can find Winter Lager currently in the Winter Classics variety pack and standalone 6-pack, 12-pack and case.

According to John, Winter Lager adds a subtle spice that pairs nicely with the coriander while the warm winter spices of the beer add additional flavors to this traditional soup, making it an ideal go-to lunch option.

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 bottle of Samuel Adams® Winter Lager (Find it here)
• 1 shallot
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Pinch of ground coriander
• 2 cloves garlic
• One 28oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sour cream

Cooking Instructions:

• In a frying pan, sauté 1 shallot, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, and 1 celery stalk, chopped in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter
• Add a pinch crush red pepper flake and pinch ground coriander to sauté mix
• After 5 minutes add 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• After 30 seconds, add ¾ bottle of Winter Lager, reduce to ¼ cup (about 8 minutes)
• Add one 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and 1 cup of water
• Puree with stick blender, then add 2 tbps sour cream and continue to puree
• Let soup simmer for 5 minutes
• Add salt and pepper to personal taste
• Right before serving, add the remaining Winter Lager

The chef recommends pairing with a grilled cheese and another Sam Winter Lager.

Have a recipe to share with fellow Sam Adams drinkers? Send us a note or leave your recipe in the comment section below!

Taco Tuesday featuring Wee Heavy!

After a month apart, we’ve come together again with a local Boston food truck, Pennypackers Food Truck, to create a taco using one of our beers. Check out some of the great recipes they’ve created in the past.

While the temperature continues to drop here in New England, this month we gave the guys our Wee Heavy, a big beer inspired by both traditional Scotch ales and Scotch whiskies. Pennypackers decided to match the distinct deep roasted flavor and earthy smoke character with braised short ribs to create a delicious contrast.

Samuel Adams Wee Heavy is a complex beer with huge maltiness and peaty smoke from specially smoked Scottish malt. Using the Wee Heavy as a base for a sauce based on a traditional Mole was a bold move but one that paid off. The peat smoke and malt sweetness were a great canvas for all of the complex spice and chile flavors used in braising the short rib; with an earthy finish from the chocolate that perfectly matched the beef. Cooked all day until fork tender, these short ribs showed off all of these complexities while keeping their big beefy flavor. Wrapped in a warm tortilla with earthy Cojita cheese and the snap of fresh cilantro and pickled onions; these were perfect for today’s cold and rainy weather.

Given that not all Sam fans can get to Boston to enjoy these in person, Pennypackers once again was kind enough to pass along the recipe and simple cooking instructions for you to experiment and create your own.

Cheers and enjoy!

Samuel Adams Wee Heavy Chocolate and Chili Braised Short Rib Tacos

Ingredients

• Samuel Adams Wee Heavy Scotch Ale (Find it here)
• 4 to 5 pounds boneless beef short ribs
• 10 dried guajillo chili peppers
• 1 habanero
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
  

  To create our own unique style of Wee Heavy, we added peat smoked malt to bring the unique flavor of Scotland to this complex and satisfying brew.

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 large yellow onions
• 1 quart red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• cotija
• cilantro
• taco shells

Preparation:

For the short ribs

1)     Start by stemming and seeding the guajillos. Then soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes.

2)     Clean any excess fat off of the short ribs, and season with salt and pepper. In a hot sauté pan, sear each side of the short ribs. After they’re seared, transfer them to a deep casserole dish with the sprigs of thyme.

3)     After 30 minutes, put the guajillos in a blender with the habanero (whole, with seeds), cumin, chili powder and cider vinegar. Add two cups of the water the chilis were soaking in, and purée. Put this in a pot and warm on the stove. Add the chocolate and allow melting. Whisk together and pour this mixture over the short ribs.

4)     Cover the short ribs with Samuel Adams Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, until fully submerged.  Cover with aluminum foil, and cook in a 300 degree oven for 3-4 hours, until very tender.

5)     When they’re done, pull the short ribs out of the liquid, and shred. Strain the cooking liquid into a pot, skim the fat off the top, and reduce by half (or more). Mix back in with the short ribs, and re-season with salt and pepper. Hold warm until ready to serve.

For the pickled onions

1)     In a pot, combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil on the stove.

2)     Julienne the yellow onion, and put in the boiling vinegar. After adding the onions, allow the liquid to come back up to a boil, and immediately turn off and cool.

To serve

Grill or warm tortillas, add some short rib, crumble a little cotija over it, put on some if the pickled onions, and garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro.

Sam Fan Recipes featuring Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Happy Friday (and National Drink Beer Day)! As we head into the weekend (looks to be a rainy one here in Boston) we wanted to pass along a baking recipe that may hit the spot for the cooling temperature. From the kitchen of Sam Adams drinker Steve C. of Gahanna, Ohio, here is a great pumpkin spice beer bread that features our Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale, which is currently available in the Harvest Collection variety pack and standalone 6-pack.

Have a recipe to share with fellow Sam Adams drinkers? Send us a note or leave your recipe in the comment section below!

PUMPKIN SPICE BEER BREAD

Harvest Pumpkin Ale is available in the Harvest Collection variety pack and stand alone 6-pack.

• 1 (12 0z) Bottle of Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (find it here)
• 3-1/2 C Self Rising Flour
• 3 T Sugar
• 1 T Brown Sugar
• 1t Cinnamon
• 1/2 t All Spice
• 1/2 t Nutmeg
• 1/2 C Pumpkin Puree
• 2 T Butter, melted

Instructions:

Sift dry ingredients together, make a well in the flour, add the pumpkin and Harvest Pumpkin Ale. Stir until well mixed. Turn into a well greased loaf pan and bake at 375F for 40-45 min*. Remove from oven, brush with butter and return to oven for 10-15 min or til properly browned. Turn from pan to wire rack to cool.

* Feel free to enjoy a Harvest Pumpkin Ale while waiting! 

Fall Tailgating with Our Boston Lager Cut

Grilling is undoubtedly one of the greatest culinary triumphs of summer, so why let the BBQ fade away when the cooler weather rolls in?  As we’re easing into fall (and FOOTBALL!), consider the other great grilling season, fall tailgating, with the Boston Lager Cut packages that our friends from Robinson’s Prime Reserve have put together.

Beer and meat… does it get any better?

Developed by artisanal meat purveyor Jake Dickson of Dickson’s Farmstand Meatsin NYC, the Boston Lager cut is designed to be the ideal beef counterpart to our flagship Boston Lager.  The brew’s upfront malt flavor matches the caramelized flavors of the meat, and its hoppy finish prepares the palate for the next bite.  The beef and beer intersect with great caramel notes and sweetness, while the elegant hoppiness of our Boston Lager finishes the rich, meaty flavor of the cut.

Through a partnership with Robinson’s Prime Reserve, the Boston Lager Cut is available nationwide in two packages.  Pair with a few Boston Lagers, and you have the ultimate tailgate pairing.

• The Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cut Package includes: (6) 8 oz Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Cuts and 2 Boston Lager Pint Glasses for $89.95
• The Samuel Adams Boston Lager Mixed Grill Package includes: (4) 8 oz Samuel Adams Boston Lager® Cuts, (6) 8oz Steak Burgers, crafted from the same high-quality beef, and 4 Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glasses for $99.95

To order visit: http://www.robinsonsprimereserve.com/samuel_adams.aspx

And here’s a suggested Lager Cut recipe to try at home:

Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cut Tacos with Boston Lager Grilled Peaches and Chimi-Chorizo sauce

Recipe by Samuel Adams Chef Partner David Burke

Serves 4

Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cut Tacos

Ingredients

• Four (4) Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cuts
• 12 taco shells
• Shredded lettuce
• Chopped tomatoes
• Guacamole

Method

Grill Boston Lager Cuts for 3-4 minutes on each side and slice. Place into taco shell garnish with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and guacamole, plus Chimi-Chorizo sauce (recipe below).

Chimi-Chorizo sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped chorizo
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup red pepper chopped
• 1 bottle Samuel Adams Boston Lager
• 12oz chicken stock
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup olive oil

Method

Sweat out chorizo with olive oil in medium sauce pan. Add peppers, onions and spices and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat until tender. Add Boston Lager, reduce by half. Add chicken stock, and reduce to a sauce-like consistency.   Serve with tacos.

Boston Lager Grilled Peaches

Ingredients

• 6 peaches, halved and pitted
• 1 bottle Samuel Adams Boston Lager
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Method

Combine peaches, salt, sugar and Boston Lager in a bowl. Marinate for 6 hours.  Grill peaches for one minute per side and serve alongside tacos.

Taco Tuesday featuring Harvest Pumpkin Ale!

For the third month we’ve come together with a local Boston food truck, Pennypackers Food Truck, to create a taco using one of our beers. The previous installments provided awesome recipes for shredded pork tacos with a Dark Depth’s Baltic IPA barbeque sauce and lemongrass chicken tacos cooked in Verloren.

To honor the changing of the seasons here in New England, this month we gave the guys our Harvest Pumpkin Ale, a fall favorite that is brewed with over 17 pounds of real pumpkin per barrel and traditional pumpkin pie spices, adding a full body and spicy sweetness to this dark reddish amber brew.  Pennypackers decided to match the distinct roast and spice character with beef short ribs to create a contrasting experience for fall.

Beef short rib tacos with tomato-cranberry salsa and cilantro cooked with our Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Given that not all Sam fans can get to Boston to enjoy these in person, Pennypackers once again was kind enough to pass along the recipe and simple cooking instructions for you to experiment and create your own. Imagine substituting Harvest Pumpkin Ale with our new Double Pumpkin, Fat Jack!

Cheers and enjoy!

Beef short rib tacos with tomato-cranberry salsa and cilantro 

Ingredients:

• 6 pack Samuel Adams® Pumpkin Harvest Ale
• 2-3 lbs beef short rib
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 2-3 jalapeños
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lime
• Tablespoon cumin
• Tablespoon paprika
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• Cilantro
• Taco shells

Preparation:

1.) Lightly salt and pepper the short ribs.  In a really hot pan, sear all sides of the beef.

2.) Place short ribs in a deep pan, with the cinnamon stick, and cover with Samuel Adams® Pumpkin Harvest Ale.  Don’t be afraid to drink the remaining beer.

3.) Cover pan and braise slowly in a 275 degree oven for 4 hours.

4.) Take out of oven and pour juices out into a pot. Skim the fat, and reduce the liquid by at least half.  Return liquids to the pan with the beef

5.) To make the salsa: in a pot combine cranberries, sugar and cider vinegar, and cook on medium high, until thick- about 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

6.) Finely dice the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños. Add in the juice from the lime, the red wine vinegar, the oil, the cumin and paprika, and season with salt and pepper.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  Add the cranberry mixture and let stand for 2 hours or more.

7.) Heat up a tortilla; add some short rib, a little salsa, and some sprigs of cilantro. Enjoy with a cold beer!

Check out more food and beer pairings here!

Sam Fan Recipes featuring Boston Lager & Tasman Red

Each week we receive a wide variety of awesome recipes from Sam fans that incorporate beer. As Jennifer has discussed before, cooking with beer can offer so many more complex flavors that can really make your dish standout (especially if you’re a beer lover). We recently came across a few side dishes featuring our flagship Boston Lager and Tasman Red from Sam Adams fan Dan Manca that we wanted to share for a variety reasons: they are quick and easy to prepare and they sound AWESOME! Take a look at the recipes below!

Got a recipe to share? Drop it on us in the comment section below!

BOSTON LAGER ONION RINGS

Ingredients:

• 12oz Boston Lager
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 large white onion
• Salt
• Pepper

Prep:

TASMAN RED POTATOES AU GRATIN 

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Samuel Adams Tasman Red*
• 2 large Idaho potatoes, sliced thin (for a “redder” experience use red potatoes)
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ pound American cheese, sliced thin
• ½ pound cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt
• Pepper
• Breadcrumbs (optional)

Prep:
Pre-heat oven to 400°. In a medium saucepan start heating the beer. Add American cheese slowly and allow it to melt. Sprinkle in cheddar cheese and allow to melt. Add milk until you get a creamy consistency. Salt and Pepper to taste. Line glass baking dish with overlapping potatoes, be sure to spread evenly to cover entire dish. Pour cheese sauce over potatoes. Bake at 400° for 1 hour (you may need to put a cookie sheet under your dish in case of cheese boiling over the edge). If desired, cover with breadcrumbs during the final 10 minutes of cooking.

This recipe is also great for fondue.

* Tasman Red can be replaced with Samuel Adams Irish Red for a different taste profile.

Taco Tuesday featuring Verloren!

You may remember back in July we came together with a local Boston food truck, Pennypackers, to create a taco using one of our beers. The first installment was a huge success, as Pennypackers created an awesome barbeque sauce using Dark Depths, our Baltic IPA, in a phenomenal shredded pork taco.

This month we gave the guys Verloren, our gose (pronounced “goes-uh”) style beer which is brewed with over 50 percent malted wheat and spiced with coriander and salt. While we understand some may not be able to make it to Boston to enjoy today, Pennypackers was kind enough to pass along the recipe and simple cooking instructions for you to experiment and create your own.

Cheers and enjoy!

Gose-Lemongrass Chicken Tacos (with Scallion-Red Pepper Relish and cilantro)

Ingredients:

For the chicken

• 22 oz. bottle Samuel Adams Verloren (Find Verloren here)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 5 Thai bird chilies
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small knob ginger
• 5 stalks lemongrass
• 5 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 cups sugar
• Veg oil
  

  Taco Tuesday!

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper

For the relish:

• 2 bunches scallions
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sambal chili paste
• Cilantro sprigs

For the chicken:

1.) Peel the ginger and garlic. Trim and remove the fibrous outer leaves of the lemongrass and rough chop the tender white parts.  Put the garlic, ginger and lemongrass in a food processor and mince. Rough chop the chilies.

2.) Clean the chicken thighs and breasts, and cut into 1″ cubes.  Put in a bowl and mix with the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, bird chilies, fish sauce, soy sauce, 1 cup of the sugar, and season with a little bit of salt and pepper.

3.) Put a large heavy pot on the stovetop on medium low.  Add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups veg oil.  Add the remaining sugar (1 cup) and cook until the sugar begins to caramelize and you have a thick brown paste in the pot. Be careful not to burn.

4.) Turn the heat to medium high, add the chicken mixture and cook for ten minutes, turning frequently.

5.) After 10 minutes, pour the Verloren over the chicken and turn heat to high.  Allow to cook down until liquid becomes thicker and more intense, 20-30 minutes.

For the Scallion Relish:

1.) rough chop scallions, and julienne the red pepper very finely.

2.) put the rice wine vinegar and sugar in a pot on the stove and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and add sambal.

3.) pour the rice wine vin/sugar/sambal mixture over the scallion and red peppers and allow to cool.

To make the tacos:

Griddle a tortilla and put some of the chicken in. Add some of the scallion relish, and garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.

Check out more food and beer pairings here!

Looking Back on SAVOR 2012

After a few weeks of catching up on operations here at the brewery, I’ve finally found a couple minutes to jot down some thoughts about the endless food and beer wonders at this year’s SAVOR event. For those not familiar with SAVOR, it’s a beer festival unlike any you may have attended before. As the website describes, SAVOR is a “must-attend for craft beer aficionados and foodies alike” and as an avid fan of both, this event definitely lives up to the description. SAVOR takes place in the beautiful National Building Museum in Washington D.C. (again, this isn’t your everyday beer festival) and 75 breweries are there pouring their brews with appetizers that compliment each style. The food and beer combinations that come together never cease to impress me and they seem to get better each and every year (I’ve been each of its five years of existence). You may recall the collaboration brew we released with Dogfish Head Craft Breweryat last year’s SAVOR event.

Grumpy Monk Belgian IPA paired with Burrata on toast with arugula pesto and lemon zest.

Events like SAVOR exemplify the fusion of these two movements and demonstrate the boundless creativity in the craft beer community. I frequently tell friends who want to jump into cooking with beer, the flavors offered from beer are much more complex than wine and there really is no way to make a dish unpalatable because of the addition of beer. I can honestly say I’ve never created a dish with beer that I didn’t enjoy. Sure recipe tweaks and changes are a part of being a good cook, but removing beer as an ingredient is never an option for this cook. I knew I was onto something when my friends started planning what they were drinking on a Sunday afternoon during football season based on what I was cooking. Trust me, if you knew this crew, you’d understand how proud a moment it was.

This year I wanted to bring an array of  flavors to SAVOR for attendees to try. We brought our Samuel Adams® Grumpy Monk (from our IPA Hop-ology variety pack) because of its unique contrasting flavors between its spicy clove & fruit notes of Belgian yeast and hoppy bitterness of an IPA. Grumpy Monk was paired with Burrata (a fresh Italian cheese) on toast with arugula pesto and lemon zest which helped cleaned a drinker’s palate with every sip. We also brought a beer that is special to me, Samuel Adams® Oyster Stout, which is brewed with actual oyster’s (15 pounds to be exact) from Wellfleet, Massachusetts, a popular vacation destination where I spent my summers since I was old enough to remember. The roasted flavors with a hint of saltiness in this dry stout were paired with prosciutto wrapped in grilled asparagus and shaved manchego to create an excellent balance in flavors.

Among other brewers in attendance, here are a few (of the many great) pairings that stuck out to me:

• Smoked Vienna Lager from Bell’s Brewery Inc. (Paired with Duck confit taco, queso fresco, pickled cherry)
• Indra Kunindra from Ballast Point Brewing Company (Paired with Coconut macaroon, whipped crème fraiche and lemon zest)
• Highway 78 Scotch Ale aged in Scotch Barrels from Stone Brewing Company (Paired with Butterscotch cheesecake)
• Noble Rot from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Paired with Warm Maryland Blue crab; shaved cauliflower curry; pickled grapes and lavosh cracker)

Our Brewery Ambassador Coordinator Adam and Jim share a laugh at this years SAVOR.

Hopefully, this has helped whet your appetite for all that’s possible with food and beer combinations. I can’t stress enough how easy and fun cooking with beer can be and the amount of variety that beer offers as an ingredient. They key to success (at least for me) is a love of beer and food, a creative imagination, and no fear of failure.

I’ll be sure to check back in with some fun pairings I’m working on… especially during football season!

Cheers!