America's Beer Distributors

ALEXANDRIA, VA –  The cold winter months were made for entertaining, when damp and dreary weather makes warming smells from the oven even more inviting.  

If you are planning for festive occasions like the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day or another special event, look to beer as the source of deep flavors for the food you make. With more than 13,000 different labels of beer available today, there is a flavor to complement every dish and provide accents ranging from nutty to fruity, smoky to sweet. 

From the National Beer Wholesalers Association in Alexandria, Virginia, here are two new recipes that fully highlight the flavor of the beers.  Serve together for a memorable special meal, accompanied by complementing glasses of a favorite beer.

Roast Lemon-Ale Chicken is a different and unusual way to present a whole chicken, which is still one of the most economical ways to buy poultry.  The whole chicken is “butterflied,” which means the backbone is cut out so that the two sides of the chicken (a breast, wing, drumstick and thigh on each side) can be opened up and flattened before cooking.   (This recipe works equally well when the whole chicken is cooked intact, according to the same directions.)  Place the chicken in a roasting pan and gently pull the skin loose.  Make a flavorful rub by combining softened butter, lemon zest, fresh thyme leaves, sugar, salt and black pepper, and then spread the mixture both underneath the skin and on the outside of the bird.  Pour a bottle of Brown Ale Beer and a little lemon juice into the roasting pan, add some twigs of thyme and cook in a 475 F oven for about an hour.  Add another bottle of beer about halfway into the cooking process.  When the chicken is done, pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and boil, to make a delicious pan sauce.  Serve with baked potatoes or brown rice and a green salad or vegetable for a complete meal.  Pour a glass of the same Brown Ale Beer or a favorite Lager to enhance the moist flavor of the chicken.

A perfect dessert is Chocolate Stout Red Velvet Cake, an easy-to-make two-layer cake that is as pretty as it is tasty.  The cake batter is made by combining flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and then combining with a beaten mix of butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, red food coloring, vinegar and baking soda.  The chocolate flavor is added by a pour of Chocolate Stout Beer.  Bake for about a half-hour; the finished cake will be a lovely deep red hue.  Make a complementing frosting by beating together softened cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar.  Cold Chocolate Stout or Raspberry Lambic Beer is delicious served with the cake.

There are nearly 13,000 labels of beer available from coast to coast to consumers of legal drinking age today. America’s beer distributors are proud to serve as the vehicle to market for this unparalleled variety of beer that provides excitement to American consumers – whether they are using it as a cooking ingredient or enjoying as a beverage.

To learn more about the important role of America’s beer distributors, visit www.americasbeerdistributors.com.

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Roast Lemon-Ale Chicken

Serves 4

1                           whole chicken (about 4 pounds), butterflied (see note)

4 TBLS                   butter, softened

2 TBLS                   grated lemon zest

1 TBLS                   chopped fresh thyme

4 sprigs                  fresh thyme

½ tsp                     salt

½ tsp                     black pepper

½ tsp                     sugar

2 bottles                 Brown Ale Beer (12 ounces each)

¼ cup                     lemon juice

1 TBLS                   chopped parsley

Position rack in middle of the oven and preheat oven to 475 F.

Pat chicken dry with paper towel and place in heavy roasting pan. Starting at breast, gently slide fingers between skin and flesh of the breast to loosen, being careful not to tear. Starting at side of thighs, loosen skin on thighs and drumsticks.

In small bowl, mix together butter, lemon zest, thyme, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, sugar and pepper.  Rub half of butter mixture under the loosened skin and spread the remaining on top of the skin.

Pour one bottle of the Brown Ale Beer into the roasting pan.  Add lemon juice and thyme sprigs.  Place in hot oven and roast until skin is golden brown and the thigh meat registers 170 F to 175 F on a meat thermometer, about 50 minutes, adding the remaining bottle of beer to the roasting pan after 30 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes while finishing pan sauce.

To make the pan sauce, pour liquid from the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Skim off and discard any fat from top of the liquid. Place on stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Simmer 4 – 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in parsley. Season with remaining salt. Carve chicken and serve with pan sauce.

To Butterfly Chicken:  Place chicken on cutting board, breast side down. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut down one side of the backbone, staying as close to bone as possible. Cut along other side of backbone and remove it. Press chicken open like a book, and flip over so that it is skin side up.

Nutrition Information, Per Serving:

700 calories; 41 g fat; 16 g saturated fat; 9 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugars; 60 g protein

Chocolate Stout Red Velvet Cake

Makes 12 servings

Red Velvet Cake:

2 ¼ cups                               all-purpose flour

1 ½ TBLS                               unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ tsps                                baking powder

½ tsp                                     salt

½ cup (1 stick)                       butter, softened

1 ½ cups                                sugar

2                                            large eggs

1 bottle (1 oz)                        liquid red food coloring

1 ½ tsps                                vanilla extract

1 cup                                     Chocolate Stout Beer

1 tsp                                      baking soda

1 TBLS                                   cider or white distilled vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pkg (8 oz)                         cream cheese, softened

½ cup (1 stick)                     butter, softened

1 tsp                                    vanilla extract

1 box (1 pound)                   confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with waxed or parchment paper; coat with no-stick baking spray.

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low, beat in food coloring and vanilla until blended. Alternately beat in flour mixture and Chocolate Stout Beer, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, just until incorporated. Dissolve baking soda in the vinegar and stir thoroughly into the batter. Pour batter into pans and spread evenly.

Place in hot oven and bake 30 – 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then unmold and turn onto wire racks. Remove paper. Turn layers right side up and let cool completely.

Make frosting by combining in large bowl the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until no lumps remain and frosting is spreadable. Place cake on serving platter and frost both layers.

Finished cake can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days before serving.

Nutrition Information, Per Serving:

560 calories; 23 g fat; 14 g saturated fat; 83 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 63 g sugars; 5 g protein