Not Just for Drinking

by Matt Demarco

In what appears to be a relatively short time, pumpkin beers have become a fall staple.  While they certainly are enjoyable to sip on cool autumn evening or around a firepit, they also impart a wonderful flavor to food when added to a recipe.  I have included a few of my favorite ones here but I encourage you to experiment and add it to a few of your favorite fall dishes.  The recipes here are perfect for a Halloween party or any other autumnal gathering…

PumpCan Chicken

Beer Can Chicken on the grill pairs great with pumpkin beers. All you need is a can, some beer, a chicken, some spice rub, and a grill. Rub the chicken inside and out with the rub. Cut the top off the can and fill with 6 ounces of pumpkin beer. Use the can to stand up the chicken on a preheated grill over indirect heat or in a pan in the oven @ 350 degrees. Roast for about 2 hours. If you don’t want to wait, you can always pick up a rotisserie chicken.

Spice Rub for Beer Can Chicken
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cloves
1  tsp allspice

Pumpkin Tacos

Here is an easy way to incorporate pumpkin beer  into a recipe.  I use Pumking  but you can use any imperial pumpkin beer. For an extra pop of flavor, pour a little of the beer in the pan instead of water with your choice of meat and traditional taco spices. You can even top with some guacamole. The spices of the beer melds well with the spice of the tacos.  For an added pop of pumpkin top with this siracha sauce...

Pumpkin Siracha Sauce
½ cup sour cream
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 ½ tsp sriracha chili sauce
pinch of salt

Pumpkin Beer Ice Cream Float

Another thing that Pumpkin beers  pair well with is dessert.  A pumpkin beer  and apple pie is a match made in heaven. Another home run is a Pumpkin beer float. You’ll want to use a richer pumpkin beer such as Southern Tier Warlock, Uinta Punk’n, or Shipyard Pumpkinhead.

Pumpkin Beer Ice Cream Float
1 cup beer
3 scoops vanilla ice cream
½ tsp cinnamon

So go ahead and enjoy the flavors of fall and experiment with some pumpkin beers.