Beer & Food

07
Nov
2020
Gingerbeerble Flip: Mulled Beer, Beerblefish Style

Gingerbeerble Flip: Mulled Beer, Beerblefish Style

We’ve got a new beer in our range and it’s just perfect for this time of year! Our Gingerbeerble spiced beer has three different preparations of ginger in it, along with a blend of other spices, and is just the drink for cosying up by the fire on a cold, dark night.

Now, what if we said you could get even cosier? Right from the start of developing Gingerbeerble, we thought it would be great for mulling. Yes, mulled beer. In the UK, it’s not that popular these days (although it is undergoing a little bit of a renaissance as we brewers look for ever more interesting things to do with beer), but it was very popular at least as far back as the 17th century and is still popular in some other European countries to this day – that’s particularly true in Belgium, where Kriek is turned into Glühkriek (the beer equivalent of Glühwein), as well as in Germany and Poland.

Gingerbeerble Flip Ingredients

At one time, drinking warm beer, or “flip” as it was known in the UK and the USA, was so popular that various different tools and vessels were made to help in its quick preparation, including flip irons, which were put directly into the beer to warm it and it had a reputation in the UK for being a drink of the lower classes or ne’er-do-wells.

These days, we think everyone should at least try flip. In mulling our Gingerbeerble, we’re going to be making use of modern technology, relatively speaking, and we’ll be leaving our flip irons in the museum. There are lots of different things you could put in flip, and the proportions are certainly not set in stone – if you like it sweeter, put more sugar in; if you don’t like brandy, try rum or bourbon  instead.

Pouring Gingerbeerble into a pan at the beginning of making Gingerbeerble Flip

Ingredients:

  • 2 x 500ml bottles of Beerblefish Gingerbeerble spiced beer
  • 5 tbsp dark brown sugar (or more or less to taste)
  • 1 cinnamon stick (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 4 tbsp orange juice
  • 90ml brandy (or another dark spirit if you prefer – rum works well, so does bourbon) (optional)
  • Orange slices to garnish

Method:

  1. Heat the Gingerbeerble in a 1.5 to 2 litre saucepan on the hob.
  2. Stir in the sugar and add the cinnamon stick, nutmeg and orange peel.
  3. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 2-3 minutes (do not boil it!) and stir the mixture to help the sugar dissolve.
  4. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the brandy if you want to.
  5. Serve in mugs with an orange slice, a mince pie on the side and cosy slippers on your feet!

You can keep the pan simmering on the hob for as long as you need before serving (but keep an eye on it, of course!) – remember that the alcohol will decrease and the spice intensity will increase the longer you leave it.

If you try this recipe, please show us what you made using #beerblefish – we love seeing how you get on!

Gingerbeerble Flip and Mince Pies
Posted by Bethany in Beer & Food, Beer Styles and Recipes
11
Apr
2020
Did someone say cake?

Did someone say cake?

I’m pretty sure that no-one else has a much better idea of what day it is than we do, other than that it’s approximately Easter and probably still 2020! While we’re all busy staying at home and washing our hands, we’ve found some time to bake. “What’s this got to do with Beerblefish?” I hear you cry. Well, we’ve been baking with gin. Our award-winning Limited Edition Hopped Gin, to be precise.

Usually, we would strongly suggest drinking gin (in moderation) rather than baking with it, but these are different times, and different times call for a different approach. We’ve heard about many gin and tonic cakes over the last couple of years, some more successful than others, so we wanted to see if we could create something to suit the slightly citrusy flavour of our Hopped Gin. 

Most of the G&T cakes we’ve had in the past tried to incorporate the gin and/or tonic into the cake itself (often meaning you can’t taste them) or put them into a rich buttercream, which can be a little overwhelming. We wanted to try to preserve the delicate flavours and some of the heat of the gin, so we got down to some serious research and came up with Hopped Gin and Tonic Drizzle Cake.

Here’s the recipe for you to try at home. However, please shop responsibly and don’t stress yourselves out trying to find ingredients that might be a little scarce in some places right now – the recipe will still be here when this is all over!

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 100g butter
  • 100g light brown sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • Zest of 1 lime

For the drizzle:

  • 75g granulated sugar
  • 5 tbsp Beerblefish Limited Edition Hopped Gin
  • 5 tbsp tonic water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃/170℃ fan/gas mark 4.
2. Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper (all the easier if you have a loaf tin liner).
3. Put the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter (or use an electric mixer).
4. Add the light brown sugar and mix.
5. Mix in the beaten egg and add milk until the batter is smooth and will drop from a spoon.
6. Stir in the lime zest.
7. Put the cake in the oven and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours, until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. While you allow the cake to cool a little, mix the Hopped Gin, tonic water and granulated sugar together in a small bowl.
9. Use a skewer to prick holes in the cake to about half the cake’s depth and pour the drizzle over the top of the cake – the liquid should run into the holes, leaving the sugar to form a crust on top. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
10. If you feel like it, decorate the cake with some lime slices.
11. Serve with a Hopped Gin and tonic!

We hope you enjoy your gin and tonic cake and we wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Posted by Bethany in Beer & Food, Gin
28
Mar
2020
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

As many of you will have seen, this week we took the heartbreaking decision to temporarily close the brewery because of the Coronavirus outbreak. It’s horrible, it really is, for many reasons. However, we’re determined to stay positive and here’s a few things that we’re excited about, looking forward to or thankful for, regardless of what the world’s throwing at us right now.

We have time to ourselves. Running a business alongside other careers and interests is hard. Well, running a business is hard. So now we have some time to genuinely relax, as well as catching up on paperwork and those other bits and pieces we never quite get around to doing. We also have time to dream and plan, meaning we’re really looking forward to when we open again and we can start to put those dreams and plans into action!

We’re hoping to open a delivery and/or takeout service… soon-ish! The main reason we haven’t done this already is licensing – the brewery doesn’t have a permanent premises licence and we rely on temporary event notices for our monthly tap room events. We’ve taken advantage of our little bit of downtime to become possibly the only people to apply for a premises licence in March 2020! We’re guessing it completely confused the council. Anyway, if it all goes well, we should be able to partially reopen in the nearish future – keep your eyes peeled for news.

Our house is probably the tidiest it’s been for years! We had some work done on our house last year and even though it’s nearly a year since it finished, we still have some stuff that’s not been moved back to its normal place. Mrs Beerblefish found the potato peeler in the (converted) loft today – a genuine win, both because we can now peel potatoes safely and because it’s one more item towards the loft being a properly usable space again.

Brett is great in sourdough. We’ve had many brewing-related baking accidents over the years, mostly before the brewery was commercial and James was still homebrewing. We’ll never forget the mince pies that rose or the gingerbread people that looked pregnant because of the amount of yeast floating around in our kitchen. However, we very intentionally added a small amount of brett to our sourdough starter (named Barry) and it gives a wonderful, almost meaty flavour to the bread. Definitely one to try at home!

We’ll be back again next week with some proper beer and/or gin news, but in the meantime, keep yourselves well, wash your hands and REMAIN INDOORS!

Posted by Bethany in Beer & Food, Beerblefish HQ News
14
Mar
2020
Spotlight On… Holtwhites Bakery & Deli, Enfield

Spotlight On… Holtwhites Bakery & Deli, Enfield

In the second of our series on our regular stockists, brewery manager Glenn talked to Kate, the co-founder of Holtwhites Bakery & Deli in Enfield to find out about all things bread!

Spotlight On… Bready Beginnings

Kate told us that she can’t remember what her life was like before setting up the bakery with her husband, Richard, in 2011. She said, “Life was slightly crazy because I was running a micro-bakery from home, I had young children, I was working as a social researcher and Richard was a Spanish teacher.”  

Kate and Richard were baking for friends and word got out. They would bake on Friday nights and it got to the point that they’d have 60 people lined up outside their house on the Saturday, waiting to pick up their weekend loaves. Having a deli was part of their original plan, as it made sense to serve tasty cheeses and other delicacies. 

The couple lived just around the corner from the shop they set up in, so they knew the area and the space seemed perfect. As they lived on Holtwhites Hill, it made sense to use a local name for the new venture.

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Spotlight On… Rising to the Challenge

Glenn asked Kate about the challenges she’d faced in setting out: “On opening day, I’d never operated a till!”  On a more serious note, Kate said that being responsible for the livelihood of her staff is a massive responsibility, but there is a good network of support amongst bakers so she and Richard could ask questions when they needed to.  

Spotlight On… the Proof of the Pudding

Kate and Richard pride themselves on only using the best quality ingredients and traditional, “slow” baking methods which means that their products look, smell and taste great naturally. They aim to delight their customers with great customer service and want their shop to be a warm and welcoming haven for people who love good food. 

Kate said she thinks the business is such a great success because, “It’s a labour of love. We really believe in the product.” She thinks that regular customers would describe the bakery as a nice place with a lovely community atmosphere.

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Spotlight On… Going Against the Grain

Of her products, Kate’s favourite bread is the sourdough rye and the 100% wholemeal. Portuguese custard tarts are very popular with the customers. She’s seeing a big interest in Scandinavian baking at the moment, along with a surge in interest in vegan products – Kate thinks that’s down to people converting to veganism (rather than the bakery attracting new customers who are vegan).  Around thirty per cent of the coffees that Holtwhites sell are served with oat milk.

Spotlight On… Liquid Bread

Holtwhites started stocking Beerblefish bottled beers before Christmas to complement their existing line up of craft ales. So far, they’ve had 1820 Porter, 1892 IPA, Infinite Improbability Saison, Amarillo Single Hop and Cashmere Brut IPA.

Kate told Glenn that her customers love Beerblefish beers, saying, “When we first started stocking the beers, one customer noted that he was a fan already.”  Apparently, the Cashmere Brut IPA has also attracted a core following!

Spotlight On… Blooming Romance

Glenn asked Kate if any romance had bloomed in the bakery: “Besides staff… I’m not aware of any customers getting together, although it is a friendly atmosphere in here so it may have happened!”

Posted by Bethany in Beer & Food, Stockists
18
Jan
2020
Veganuary cooking and eating… with beer!

Veganuary cooking and eating… with beer!

We’re just past the half-way point of Veganuary and some people might have used all their new year’s inspiration – so we thought we’d offer a helping hand with an idea for how to use beer in your vegan cooking.

Before we get stuck in, remember that not all beer is vegan – take a look at our post from a couple of weeks ago for the reasons why that is – but also remember that ALL Beerblefish beer is vegan and we’ve pledged to keep it that way.

So, who’s up for a risotto? For those new to a plant-based diet, forgoing the lashings of butter and parmesan that typically go into this classic rice dish can be a tough sell, so we decided to see if beer can help. The answer is a resounding “YES”. As we’re trying something new here, we think we’ve got Veganuary and Tryanuary covered in one dish!

Here’s our recipe for Vegan Beery Mushroom Risotto:

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: about 30 mins (and requires constant attention!)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped (we used one red and one white)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 300g carnaroli risotto rice (or you can use arborio)
  • 500ml bottle Beerblefish Lager (you can use any vegan beer you want, but we suggest using one that’s not too bitter and not too hop forward. It’s also important that it’s bottle-conditioned – we want those yeasts in there!)
  • 500ml vegetable stock using your favourite stock cube/pot, etc., made according to pack instructions
  • Dash of dark soy sauce
  • About 350g-400g mushrooms, roughly chopped (we used 120g oyster mushrooms and 240g white mushrooms)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder/granules
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs

Method:

1. Put the stock in a saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil, then simmer gently with the lid on.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, then the garlic and fry gently for 3 or 4 minutes until slightly softened.

3. Add the rice to the onions and garlic and fry for another 3 minutes, stirring continuously.

4. Take a swig of the beer to make sure it’s the right one, then add half the bottle to the rice mixture. Keep stirring!

5. When all the beer has been sucked up by the rice and the mixture is starting to get stiff, add a ladleful of the stock; and keep stirring.

6. When the stock has been absorbed, keep adding alternating splashes of beer and stock each time the mixture becomes stiff. Keep stirring.

7. As you put the last bit of beer in, make sure you get the sediment out of the bottle and into the pan – the yeast contains some valuable B vitamins, a teeny bit of protein and a whole load of umami (savoury taste).

8. Add the mixed herbs and stir them in.

Note: If you’ve used all your stock and beer and the rice isn’t cooked yet, add a bit of boiling water at a time, still stirring, until the rice is cooked – this shouldn’t be necessary, but it does occasionally happen.

9. Turn off the heat under the risotto.

10. In a small frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil, then add the dash of dark soy sauce. Add the mushrooms and the garlic powder or granules and fry them until the mushrooms go golden brown.

11. Mix the mushrooms into the risotto and serve immediately!

We hope you enjoy your risotto – let us know how you get on and use #beerblefish to share your risotto pics with us!

Posted by Bethany in Beer & Food, Beer Styles and Recipes
16
Sep
2019
Infinitely Improbable Fondue?

Infinitely Improbable Fondue?

Here at Casa del Beerblefish, we decided we were in the mood for cheese this evening, so we put on our best 80s compilation and raided the fridge. You can probably replicate this with all manner of cheeses and dip in all sorts of tasty foods, but here’s our recipe for Infinitely Improbable Fondue.* Serves 2 very hungry people or 3-4 averagely hungry people.

Ingredients:

  • 25g plain flour
  • 250ml (half a bottle) Beerblefish Infinite Improbability Saison
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 thin slice of dried chili
  • 1 cubic inch Rutland red cheese, sliced (yeah, we know, don’t mix your units and all, but we didn’t know how amazing this would be and that we’d need to write the recipe down, so we weren’t really measuring!!)
  • 100g gouda, sliced
  • 80g strong cheddar, sliced
  • 1 cubic inch grana padano, sliced 
  • To serve: spelt bread, yellow bell pepper

Method:

  • Put the flour in a heavy-bottomed pan and add a splash of beer, mixing it to a paste.
  • Add half of the remaining beer and mix well.
  • Add the garlic and the chili and stir.
  • Add the Rutland red cheese to the pan and put the pan on the hob on a high heat, stirring vigorously.
  • As soon as the mixture starts to bubble around the edges, turn the heat down to low and add half of the remaining cheese.
  • Turn the heat up to medium and stir. Add bits of the remaining cheese and beer alternately until you achieve the consistency of fondue you like (we like it gloopy).
  • Serve immediately in the pan, dipping in chunks of spelt bread and pepper (use a fork and remember the fondue will be very HOT!)

*We cannot guarantee that your fondue will actually be infinitely improbable.

Posted by James in Beer & Food, Beer Styles and Recipes