Hot Beer? Um… Sure why not?

I have something to admit. I love Christmas. Like really crazy, dance-in-the-snow, listen-to-only-Christmas-music, watch-every-christmas-special, over-the-top-wrapping-paper, tiny-Christmas-tree-for-my-tiny-apartment kind of love. Being from western New York, I grew up with “Lake Effect Snow” being one of the most dreaded sentences in the English language, but I always got excited about it. I like to wear gloves and fun hats and make snowmen, and more than anything, I love all the hot, heart-warming beverages that come with the holidays. Hot coco, hot toddies, and mulled cider always make me smile. 

 

I just realized that I’m starting to sound a little crazy… ok I’ll get to the point.

 

So I was looking up exactly what I needed to buy to make my own mulling spices and came across a recipe for mulled beer… Like hot beer, with spices. I was super hesitant but figured it was worth the shot. As it turns out, hot beer ain’t half bad! 

 

Mulled Beer

 

3-4 bottles/cans of beer 

-I used a home brew I was trying to finish up but I would recommend either something light and simple in flavor or something with a little spice already. Think Harpoon Winter Warmer or Southern Tier 2Xmas.

Mulling spices 

-You can buy these prepackaged at the grocery store, or if you happen to have them, you need 2 Cinnamon Sticks, 1 Tablespoon All-Spice, 1/2 tablespoon Whole Cloves, 2 slices fresh Ginger, Zest of 1 orange.

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons Sugar (I used Brown Sugar)

Honey to taste

                  -I used Maple syrup and I used 2-3 Tablespoons

2 Egg Yolks

                  -This step is optional but it really does add something!

 

Pour your beer into a sauce pan and add the mulling spices and butter. Heat the beer and spices over medium to low heat. 

 

Separate your egg yolks and add to it your sugar. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until they begin to turn white. This takes a lot a whisking. 

 

You’re now going to want to temper the eggs. What this means is to bring them up to temperature slowly so that they do not start to cook. The way to do this is to add the warm beer to the eggs one Tablespoon at a time whisking after each addition until the egg mixture is very war or hot to the touch.

 

Add the egg mixture to the beer.

 

Add honey or Maple Syrup to taste. 

 

Use a strainer to sieve out the spices and any egg that way have “cooked”. If you tempered the yolk this shouldn’t happen.

 

Pour into awesome Christmassy mugs (I like to leave the cinnamon sticks in and add and orange peel) and enjoy the deliciousness!

 

Cheers and Happy Holidays!