5 Beer and Cupcake Pairings

Turkey and cheddar, peanut butter and jelly, beer and cupcakes? Until now, I wouldn’t have thought the last two would ever go together. In the craft beer scene, unique pairings are popping up all over the place. The brainchild of my once upon a time college roommate Jamie, a beer and cupcake party, was planned for twenty of our closest friends.

Baker and Brewer2

Whether it was because she loves sweets or was tired of watching her husband and I drink beer and have more fun, the fact remains, this had to be one of the most entertaining and taste bud tantalizing pairings I have ever been to. Below are the pairings of my beers and Jamie’s semi-homemade cupcakes.

Pairing 1: Spruce Pale Ale with Vanilla Cupcakes

A recent bronze medal winner in an AHA sanctioned home brew competition, my Spruceski Brewski was paired with a vanilla/vanilla cupcake. Using regular yellow cake mix and this frosting recipe created a perfect pairing with the piney elements of the beer. Light and flavorful, this simple cupcake allowed for the ale to shine through.

Vanilla frosting

2 lbs powdered sugar

½ to1 stick of butter

2 tsp vanilla

Half n half to get to desired consistency

Vanilla Cupcakes

Pairing 2: Hop Soup IPA with Lemon/Vanilla Cupcakes

An aromaticaly hoppy IPA, this Hop Soup IPA isn’t as bitter as the first smell would make you think. While I prefer an overly bitter IPA, I made this one to appease the palettes on a broader spectrum. The cupcake chosen to go with this beer was a Lemon/Vanilla cupcake. Using lemon box cake mix and this cream cheese frosting, this cupcake provided a strong citrus backbone to the mild ale.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese softened

½ cup butter softened

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 cups powdered sugar

half n half to thin if needed

Zest lemon on top of frosted cupcake

lemon-cupcake

Pairing 3: Coconut Oatmeal Stout with Coconut Cupcakes

A trip to Maui a few months back reignited my love of coconut. Bringing back some Maui turbinado sugar and dehydrated coconut syrup, I added them to a tried and true oatmeal stout recipe. Finishing the ale off with a fifth of coconut vodka made the coconut apparent throughout. Obviously, pairing this with an almond frosted coconut cupcake was a no brainer.

Almond Frosting

½ stick of butter

2 lb powdered sugar

2 tsp almond extract

Half n half to get desired consistency

Scoop frosting onto cupcake and coat with shredded sweetened coconut.

COCONUT-CUPCAKES

 

Pairing 4: Peanut Butter Porter with Caramel/Chocolate Cupcakes

Using a family recipe along with triple chocolate cake mix, this rich combination of chocolate and caramel became an indulgent pairing with my Peanut Butter Porter. Finished off with caramel vodka after fermentation, my PBP accentuated the rich caramel icing.

Grandma’s Caramel Icing

1 cup brown sugar

¼ tsp of salt

3 tbsp butter

⅓ cup evaporated milk

**Boil for 5 minutes**

Remove from stove and add 1 tsp of vanilla

Cool slightly add 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth

caramel-cupcakes

 

Pairing 5: Triple Hopped Barleywine with S’More Cupcakes

Last but not least was this 18% barleywine along with a marshmallow frosting adorned chocolate cupcake. Aged for nine months, HB3 went well with the light texture of this cupcake. As the grand finale, this combination left imbibers with nice warm bellies.

Marshmallow Frosting

4 oz cream cheese softened

¼ cup butter softened

7oz jar of marshmallow creme

2 tsp of vanilla extract

2 ½ cups of powdered sugar

When finished frosting, sprinkle with crumbled graham crackers.

smores
About this Beer Blogger Heather Erickson is a beer writer, advocate and teacher in Tacoma, WA. A craft beer lover for over a decade, she religiously brews 10 gallons a month on a SABCO Brew Magic system.

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Kegerator Registry

kegerator-registry

Remember those painful long hours of wandering aimlessly through a department store searching for gifts to the soon to be wed couple based off of a long laundry list of requests? What’s even worse, in my opinion, is getting lost in the baby department looking for exactly the right dirty diaper holder according to the bar code these soon to be parents clicked. Enter the solution: Amazon Wish List . This might just have to be the ultimate godsend for all the too busy to shop people out there, like me.

Even though I don’t see an event worthy enough of registering for gifts anytime in my future, why not create a registry for something like a kegerator and have your friends and family buy individual parts? I took the plunge and created an account.

When logging into the Amazon Wish List, you can create a wish or gift registry for pretty much anything and choose the type of gift list. I created my Kegerator Registry under ‘Wish List;’ other options were ‘Wedding’, ‘Friends & Family’ and ‘Baby.’

I began to browse for some homebrew keg accessories. I found a few ball locks for my Cornelius keg. Once I was on the page of the actual item, I simple could add the item to the Wish List. The side screen popped up, asked me specifics like color and quantity, and then I added them. I also had the option to either keep this item private or to leave a note about it. Once it was added, I could click on a link to look at my current registry. Lots of options. Lots of wish list dreaming.

Now, on the search for more accessories, I added some CO2 and Nitrogen tanks. All different sizes…all different styles…you can never have enough. Repair kits, cleaning solutions, pumps, and valves, all made their way onto my kegerator registry. Even my dad would be proud of how proactive I was with gadgets and gizmos. (I still don’t know if he has ever forgiven me for ruining the engine in my first car due to lack of oil).

After far too many hours of picking out enough kegerators and accessories to furnish my entire apartment building, I went back to see what I had done. A beer hoodie (as in a bottle of beer nestles itself nicely in the front pouch), a 12 can holster, bootlegger booze holder, and even a jockeybox set up had all “mysteriously” found their way on my list. Just like any gift registry associate will tell you, it is important to have distinct variations in price points on your registry. As I scanned through my extensive list, I saw that I had items ranging from $10 to several thousand dollars. Who am I to think that someone wouldn’t want me to have the best kegerator money could buy? That being said, feel free to check out my example Kegerator Registry.

Follow these easy steps to set up your registry.

  1. Log on to www.Amazon.com
  2. Set up a profile, decide what kind of list you want, verify the privacy of your list.
  3. Take inventory of what you already have, in terms of kegerator/homebrew supplies.
  4. Start browsing for replacement items.
  5. Find your first item you want, practice using the Add to Wish List button. Be sure to specify quantity, size, and color if needed. Also, add a note to make sure that you let your shopping friends know exactly why you NEED this item.
  6. Once you have gotten comfortable with the wish list adding process, dream big, add away. The more options for shoppers, the better.

About this Beer Blogger

Heather Erickson is a beer writer, advocate and teacher in Tacoma, WA. A craft beer lover for over a decade, she religiously brews 10 gallons a month on a SABCO Brew Magic system.

Follow Heather on