When it comes to cooking with alcohol, wine’s all well and good, but why not stick a cork in it and grab a bottle of beer instead? Beer makes an excellent choice in the kitchen due to the extremely wide range of styles and flavors available. Follow these simple guidelines to create endless recipes using your favorite brews!

PRO TIPS:

• Match the intensity of the beer to the dish. A light lager won’t do well in a braised short rib dish, but a stout or porter would be perfect.
• Balance the small amount of bitterness found in most beers with a touch of sweetness.
• Instead of wine, use your favorite beer to deglaze the pan—just be careful not to reduce the beer too much or it will accentuate the bitterness.
• Create unique salad dressings using pale, low bitter lagers or fruit beers as the base.
• Beer makes great marinades, as it helps tenderize meat and can marinate longer since it’s less acidic than wine. Stick to heavier, darker ales or try a fruit beer for tangy taste.
• Substitute beer for soda water in fried food batters to add an extra depth of flavor.
• You can also use beer as a substitute for yeast in some bread recipes.
• Beer makes a great poaching liquid, as well. Sink shellfish like mussels, clams or shrimp in a beer bath for an extra flavorful finished product!

Try your hand at cooking with your favorite craft brews with these beer-tiful recipes!

Guinness Stout Ginger Cake: Stout it out! Spice up traditional ginger cake with a bit of Guinness Stout and freshly grated ginger and nutmeg.

Peanut Butter Ale Waffles: Peanut butter and ale add fun and flavor to your standard waffles. Add Orange Gose Blackberry Syrup as a sweet complement!

Pumpkin Shallot Beer Bread: Take a savory approach to baking with pumpkin by adding roasted shallots, fresh sage, Dubliner cheese and, of course, beer!