TIP OF THE DAY: 12+ Uses For Flat Beer

July 12, 2015 at 8:23 am · Filed under Beer & Hard Cider, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

When leftover beer goes flat, there’s no need to toss it. With respect to all of the household and personal care uses, we prefer to consume it. When you add it to recipes, the flatness doesn’t matter at all; it becomes analogous to adding still wine.

The beer is substituted for all or some of the water (or, in the case of a marinade, another liquid). Here are 12+ uses for flat, leftover beer:

Batter: Make beer batter shrimp, chicken, anything battered and fried.

Beans: Substitute for water, as in the Mexican recipe Frijoles Borrachos, “drunken beans”.

Beer Can Chicken: Set a whole chicken atop a beer can, atop a grill (recipe).

Braises: Add to pot roast and other slow-cooked meats like short ribs and pork butt. Check out this Belgian recipe for chicken with beer and prunes or carbonade flamande, a Belgian beef stew.

Brats and Franks: Steam them in beer.

Bread: Check out recipes for beer bread. There are a number of beer bread mixes, too: Just add the beer!

Who knew: You can add flat beer to pancake and waffle recipes. The slight bitterness is a nice counterpoint to the sweet syrup. The Silver Dollar Waffle Griddle is from Nordicware.

Butter: Make “beer butter,” a compound butter used for cooking. There’s a recipe below to use as a bread spread.

Cheese Soup: This was a popular breakfast soup in medieval Europe, sometimes poured over yesterday’s bread (or toast). Try it for lunch or dinner (recipe).

Honey Beer Sauce: Cook chicken breasts in this tasty sauce.

Marinades and Brines: Beer helps to tenderize and adds flavor.

Pancakes and Waffles: Replace the water with beer.

Sauces: Use beer instead of wine.

Seafood: Combine with water to steam clams, mussels, shrimp, etc. Consider adding some Old Bay seasoning.

Use leftover beer in a hearty cheese soup—a breakfast staple in medieval Europe. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

RECIPE: HONEY MUSTARD BEER BUTTER

Ingredients

1 stick/8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room
temperature

1 tablespoon honey

1 heaping teaspoon Dijon or honey mustard

1 tablespoon beer

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. BEAT the butter in a mixing bowl until very soft and silky, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle in the honey and continue mixing until well incorporated.

2. ADD the mustard, beer and salt. Beat until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Use immediately or tightly wrap and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Adapted from a recipe on SoupAddict.com, where it was used with Irish soda bread.

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