Pale Ale Brined Eggs (Beer Pickled Eggs)

A hamburger and a french fry walk into a bar. The bartender says, "I'm sorry we don't serve food here.

Actually, that's pretty unlikely.  Most bars do have food available to the customers, in some form or another. Whether it be bowls of pretzels and nuts, or hot wings, or pickled eggs.

Bar food is usually inexpensive. It is often hot or salty or mouth puckery, and it is almost always some form of finger food.

Why?  Because they want  you to eat when you drink so that you don't get totally sh!t faced, so you can drink more.  And all that spicy, sour, salty food makes thirsty, so you will drink more.  And, if you're not distracted by cutlery like which fork to use for which whatever, you will drink more.

It's all about drinking more.  And I, for one, am all for that!

You may or may not have ever seen a big jar of pickled eggs sitting on the corner of a bar.  If you've been in a dive, you probably have.

Although, I've never eaten a pickled egg in a bar, I like them.  I just won't eat them if they're sitting there and I don't know how long they've been sitting there.

I've decided to bring the bar to the egg to make beer brined eggs. I must say they are surprisingly tasty and go great with a cold, frosty brew.

I used Denver Pale Ale, which is an English style pale ale, because it's a little sweeter and  not as bitter as American pale ales. Also, it's light in color.  I didn't want to use an intense flavored beer so to not overpower the eggs. Nor did I want to use a dark beer because it will discolor the

That being said, use whatever you like.  Pickles eggs made with an amber ale might be pretty; pretty tasty, too.





Pale Ale Brined Eggs (Beer Pickled Eggs)

24 Small Hard-Boiled Eggs
1 (12 Fluid Ounce) Bottle Beer
2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Pickling Spice
2 Tbsp Parsley Flakes
4 Tbsp Kosher Salt
2 Hot Peppers

Place eggs in a large, deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Drain and place in fresh cold water.  When the eggs are cool peel. Stab each egg with fork so that all that tasty brine can fully penetrate the egg.

(She said fully penetrate! Yes, yes I did)

Divide the eggs into two quart sized canning jars ( or other air tight glass container).

In each jar place, 1 tablespoon each of the pickling spice and parsley flakes plus 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and a hot pepper.  Use whatever kind of pepper you like or omit the pepper if you don't want spicy eggs.  You can use the pepper whole or seeded or whatever you like depending on level of spiciness you like.

Combine the beer and vinegar and pour over eggs until they are fully submerged. Add additional vinegar if you need more liquid to cover the eggs.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 week before using.

Enjoy with your favorite beer or as a snack or even chopped up on a salad.

Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

This beer cheese is rich and flavorful.  There a little texture and spiciness that comes from the Guinness Mustard, you can tone that down by adding a little less or using a milder mustard.  The pale ale adds a hint of bitterness that is just lovely.

I used this as a topper for a burger but it would be perfect as a fondue to dip crusty bread or vegetables in.


Yum!





Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

3 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Pale Ale
2 Cups Smoked Gouda, Shredded
2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
2 Teaspoons Guinness Mustard


Smash the garlic with the bottom of a glass or a flat knife and rub the bottom of a heavy saucepan with the cloves. Leave the cloves in the bottom of the pan and pour the beer over them.  Bring the beer a boil over high heat.

In a small bowl, toss the shredded cheese with the cornstarch to coat.  

Once the beer has come to a boil, stir in the cheese.  Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat.

The sauce should be thickening up, at this point.  

Stir in the mustard.  Add salt and pepper, if desired.  

Continue stirring as the cheese sauce simmers and reaches desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

New Brew Thursday - Hoopla Pale Ale

I picked up this beer on a whim . . . beer and a brewery I'd never had before . . . and I kinda liked the look of the can.  What's all the Hoopla about?  I didn't know but I wanted to find out.

Hoopla is  brewed by Boulder Beer Company which claims to be Colorado's first microbrewery.   I don't know if that's true or not.  But Boulder Beer Company was founded in 1979, well before the explosion of microbreweries, so it's possible.  

Hoopla (5.7% ABV) is a pale ale.  It pours a rich golden color with a fluffy white head that wants to hang around but dissipates after a while.

I'm a lover of hoppy beer . . . seriously hoppy beer . . . so I tend towards IPA's, as opposed to pale ales.  But sometimes I want the bitter bite of hops without all the intensity.  Hoopla Pale Ale meets that want.  It would be a good entry beer for the novice hophead-to-be. 

I would say Hoopla is a middle of the road beer.  It's tasty, crisp and moderately hoppy with hints of fruit and citrus.  It's relatively light tasting which makes it very drinkable . . . good to kick back with and enjoy by it's self or with a meal.  Mmmmm, refreshing.

It's a good beer, not a great beer . . . but I liked it.

Visit Boulder Beer Company's website for more info about about their beers of check them on Facebook.

New Brew Thursday - Moat Mountain Iron Mike Pale Ale and Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale

There are many types of ales . . . Pale ones, Brown ones and Ales that hail from Scotland and Belgium, there are Old ones and Mild ones and so on and so forth.  They all have their own special characteristics, but in general ales are brewed from malted barley and hops.  

Ales are top fermented at a warm temperature because of the variety of yeast used.  Ales tend to have a sweet, full bodied, fruity taste and, depending on the amount of hops used, the hoppy bitterness acts in concert with the sweet malt to create symphony of flavor.

One of my favorite ales is Iron Mike’s brewed by Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery.  Moat Mountain is a small brew pub the makes micro batches of some marvelous beers.  Located in the Mount Washington Valley of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it is one of our favorite places to stop for beer and food when we vacation there. 

Iron Mikes is a pale ale that comes in BIG 24 ounce cans . . . and like it says . . . everyone likes big cans! 

Don’t be put off by the fact that this beer comes in a can.  The can does an excellent job of protecting the beer from ultra-violet light.  Not that I don’t like bottled beer, but the cans protect the beer from skunking much better than bottles that allow the evil light in. 

Poured into a tall, cold glass Mikes flows a paled golden color with a fluffy head.  It imparts a citrusy aroma that is a mouthwatering tease to the grapefruity flavor.  It’s hoppy without being overly bitter . . . Mikes is nicely balanced and a truly refreshing brew.  A very drinkable 5.6% ABV . . . sit back, have a couple and chill.  All hail the pale ale!

For more information, check out Moat Mountain's website or visit them on Facebook

A new-to-me ale that I picked up recently was Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale brewed by Rogue Brewery. Rogue is easily one of my favorite micro-breweries.  Located in the pacific northwest they are another brewery that made their start as a brew pub but have now expanded distribution so that we on the east coast may enjoy their yummy beers.

OREgasmic Ale is one of four special brews that are marketed as GYO (grow your own).  This particular beer is made with Dare malt and Revolution hops which Rogues grows on their micro farms . . . get it?  GYO?  

This ale has a golden amber color that holds it's creamy head.  Pouring this ale will release a piney/fruity aroma.  OREgasmic is a full bodied beer that tastes of hops and malt and caramel . . . 

. . . an amazing blend of flavors that are very well balanced.  It finishes clean with little to no after taste.  Quite delicious!  6.0% ABV

Visit Rogue at their website  or on Facebook 

New Brew Thursday - Double Tap . . . Cavalry Brewing Hatch Plug Ale and XLimited Ale

I love micro brews . . . I especially love to find breweries as close to home as possible; you know, support the local little guy.  I'd be hard pressed to find a brewery as close to home as Cavalry Brewing Company . . . they are a scant 23.5 miles away in scenic Oxford, CT.


Cavalry is owned by one man who also happens to be the brewmaster, Mike McCreary.  In 2008, he fell victim to the economic downturn that is plaguing so much of our country.   He was forced to find an alternate means of making a living and decided to pour his passions into a bottle and make beer.  

The concepts for his beer tell a story . . . not just about the craft of brewing a good beer but about his experiences.  His first line of beers pay tribute to those experiences and to all the soldiers who fight for this country.


I'm a patriotic gal to the core and I love beer . . . so, of course, when I saw Cavalry's beer at my favorite beer store I snatched up a couple of six packs to give them a whirl.  

The first beer I tried was the Hatch Plug Ale.  


A happy tanker is a fat tanker and a real fat tanker is a Hatch Plug. This beer is named after a 1st Lieutenant that was traded for six M-16’s to another unit prior to departing for Iraq in early 2003. Hatch Plug went on to run the Baghdad airport and helped establish the telecommunications system in the region. Despite what we did to him he remains a good friend to this day.


It is made in the style of a classic English ale. 
I would describe it as an anytime anywhere kind of beer.  It's light enough to enjoy a few while hanging out with friends but complex enough to compliment a good meal.  


It pours with a thin head and is a lovely a reddish gold color.  It smells like . . . mmm, it smells very bready.  The yeasty aroma carries over very well to the palate and finishes with a bit of sweetness.  


It's a very good beer . . . dangerously drinkable . . . like you could drink the whole six pack in one sitting dangerous.  It's low alcohol content saves the day at 4.5% alcohol by volume.

The second of my Cavalry selections was called X-Limited Ale . . . Lot #2.  The 'X' is for experimental and the lot number one of two batches out.  The idea is to get a thumbs up or thumbs down from consumers . . . like a missile, this beer will be launched only if the drinkers deem it so.  The brewery wants to know if it's a "Patriot" or a "Scud"!


I say Lot #2 X-Limited Ale is a Patriot!  It is an Extra Special Bitter ESB, which is my first time trying this style of beer.  ESB is a strong bitter pale ale as opposed to an ordinary bitter in which is the category the average British IPA falls into.

The head on this beer was amazing!  It poured with a thick creamy head very much like a root beer and was a deep golden color.  The aroma made my mouth water with its citrussy hoppy nose.  It was very hoppy but not overpowering . . . pleasantly bitter with a hint of malty sweetness.  The flavors balance out nicely with just the right amount of carbonation. 


With a relatively low 5% ABV, I could enjoy a few of these ESB without feeling like I got hit by a missile.



I think this is a beer that should definitely go from experimental to full-on production.  Two thumbs up!



I'm looking forward to trying more offerings from Cavalry . . . cheers!


For more information on Cavalry visit their website.