Beer Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & cheese with bacon is pretty delicious. But how do you make it even better? Incorporate some beer into the recipe. I will show you how to use beer throughout the cooking process to make one amazing macaroni & cheese dish.

Ingredients: 

• 30 ounces beer of your choice (Dax prefers New Glarus Spotted Cow)
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (Dax prefers Nueske’s)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup half and half, or 2 percent milk
• 6 ounces IPA, or your favorite beer
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Combine 24 ounces of beer with the five cups of water and boil the pasta. 
   
2. While that is happening cook the bacon to your liking and crumble it up once it is cool. 
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
4. In a large pan melt the butter then add flour and stir till it’s a nice golden color. 
5. Add the milk and stir till there are no lumps and add the remaining 6 ounces of beer, continue to stir till smooth.
6. Add your pepper and cheese and stir until it’s creamy.
   
7. Throw in the pasta and bacon and mix together until everything is cheesy.  
8. Transfer everything to a cooking dish and put in the oven for 30 minutes uncovered. 
9. Once done slap it on a plate grab your favorite beer and enjoy.    

Is this a recipe you will try yourself? Do you have your own beer recipes? Let us know on Facebook & twitter.

This work by Daniel Mapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://bayareabrews.blogspot.com.

Pyramid Brewery

 

Sometimes it can be surprising but what seems to be a normal restaurant, is actually beer lovers hangout. Located in downtown Walnut Creek, CA is Pyramid Brewery. While some tap houses tend get muddled together. Once you sample their selection of brews, you will think they have reached the peak.

 The first thing people notice walking in is a huge chalkboard displaying all the beers currently on tap. Lining the bar are growlers, so that if you like the beer you can take some home with you.

 One of my favorites is the Outburst IPA. It has a pretty high alohol volume at eight and half percent but a just right balance of bitterness and hops. One thing to note bout this place is that, while the beer selection is good the food can sometimes be hit or miss. So don’t be scared away from one bad experience, the taste of their beer merits a second chance.

Tap 25

What can seem to be a hole in the wall, is sometimes the best place to be. This is exactly the case with Tap 25. Buried in downtown Livermore, CA. This is a place that can easily be missed if your not looking but is worth the search.

It is not a huge, but is a place that people can really enjoy craft beer. What really makes this place so special is that the beer selection changes everyday. The name might give you a hint but they are always rotating 25 handles of beer, so that you get to try something new every time.The staff is always friendly and willing to talk with everyone about that days beer selection. 

One drawback is that they do not serve food onsite. They do however have a deal with the wine bar next door so that you can order food from them. I have also never had trouble about having pizza delivered, so that is also an option. Also if you like youtube the owners  Carrie & tim Bryan post a series of videos where they review beers on the menu. Have you been here before? Let us know on Facebook & twitter.

Blow-off Tubes

Sometimes when home brewing the fermentation can go a little overboard. If you are using just an airlock this can create quite a mess for you. Using a blow-off tube when brewing is a safe bet you will not have any unwanted messes. They are pretty simple to make and require just a few items. I have also included a short podcast I made to help walk you through the process.
 


Materials:
1. A fermenter
2. Food grade tubing 5/16” is usually a safe size
3. Some type of container to hold fluid like an empty water jug.

Steps:
1. Sanitize everything
2. Attach the tubing to the rubber stopper on your fermenter so it’s airtight. 
3. Then route the other end of the tubing into the water jug with some sanitized water in the jug.