Beerific Apple Pie With Rustic Cheddar Beer Crust

This ain't your gramma's apple pie!

The apples are marinated in beer so when they get put into the crust their pretty well sauced.  

As for the crust, I would almost rather chew glass than make pie crust from scratch. I literally want to chuck the dough across the room when it comes time to roll it out.  But this crust is a must-do!  Beer and sharp cheddar cheese mixed into the dough make this crust amazing!

Beerific Apple Pie With Rustic Cheddar Beer Crust

Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 tbs pale ale or wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter

Filling:
7 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced 
16 oz pale ale or wheat beer
1 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbs flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch

Note:  I used Samuel Adams Summer Ale in the crust and a combination of the Summer Ale and Boston Lager for the apples.  Delish! (I drank what was left in the bottles  :D)

Combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix until well combined.  Add the remaining flour and continue mixing for about a minute.

Move to a bowl and add the cheese and 6 tbs beer, mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix. If the dough is too dry, add more beer until the right consistency is reached.

Split into two equal sized portions and form into disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, about two hours. Because this dough is so soft, it is very important for the pie dough to be very cold and very firm.

Place the apples, lemon juice and 16 ounces of beer in a bowl and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours. If the apples are not fully submerged, toss every half hour to redistribute. Remove the apples from the beer and allow to drain and dry for about 30 minutes, or until fully dry.

Preheat oven to 350.







Add the apples and the remaining filling ingredients to a bowl and toss to coat.

On a well floured surface, place one of the disks, add flour to the top of the disk as well. Roll out into an even thickness.

Add you pie dough to a pie pan and press into shape, removing any excess. Add the filling.
Roll out the second disk of pie dough and add to the top of your pie. Press the top crust and the bottom crust together at the edges, cut holes to vent steam.

Brush with 2 tbs melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cover the edges with foil of the edge starts to brown too quickly.