Beer for Picnics

It's picnic season! That means plenty of delicious grilled foods with side dishes of fresh fruits and salads...so why settle for "beer water"?

Try these beer styles for picnic pairings...

BBQ ribs... Vienna lager
Carrot cake... India pale ale
Cherry pie... kriek (cherry) lambic, chocolate stout
Fruit salad... hefeweizen, American pale wheat, kolsch
Potato salad... hefeweizen
Green salad w/creamy dressing... pilsner
Green salad w/vinaigrette dressing... hoppy brown ale
Grilled chicken... dunkel lager, dunkelweizen, kolsch
Grilled salmon... dunkel lager, bock
Grilled steak... porter, Irish dry stout, Belgian dubbel
Hamburger... amber ale, brown ale, English or American golden ale
Sausages... Oktoberfest-Maerzen, Vienna lager, bock, hefeweizen
Smoked salmon... Irish dry stout, Scottish ale/wee heavy
Spinach salad w/vinaigrette dressing... Flanders red
Steamed clams & mussels... witbier, pilsner
Stuffed mushrooms... kolsch, Dortmunder lager

Beer & Food Pairing: Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are my go-to appetizer. Not only are they delicious, but friends and family always request that they be brought along.

The best style of beer we've found to serve with stuffed mushrooms is Kolsch. Kolsch beers originated in Cologne, Germany and are brewed with all barley, only with pale Pils malt. The style is slightly fruity from its own special ale yeast, with which the brew is cool fermented, near freezing point. A lagered ale, it takes almost two months from brewing to bottling, to create the subtle and delicate Kolsch.

For pairing with stuffed mushrooms, I generally choose several Kolsch beers. This allows each guest to find the Kolsch that best suits their palate and get a larger pour of their favorite—

• Reissdorf Kolsch
• Sunner Kolsch
• Pyramid Curveball Kolsch
• Hale's Kolsch
• Alaskan Summer Ale

The earthiness of the mushrooms is particularly complemented with the Hale's Kolsch. The pale malts of all Kolsch beers mesh well with the shrimp, cheese, and mushrooms, while the carbonation cleans the palate, preparing you for the next delicious bite.

Side note: Another style that pairs well with these stuffed mushrooms is Dortmunder/Export Lager. Choose Baltika No. 7, Spaten Premium Lager, or Lomza Export.


The mushrooms take about 50 minutes to make, including preparation time.
Here's how to make 'em...

Ingredients
24 medium mushrooms
1 bunch green onions, minced
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
8 ounces fresh shrimp
3/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup white wine

Note, these are so popular that I usually make 36. To increase, just start with 36 medium mushrooms, bit more shrimp and 1/4 cup more of Monterey jack cheese. Keep all other ingredients at the same quantities.




Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Wash the mushrooms. Remove the stem from each mushroom. Using a melon baller, carefully remove some of the inner flesh from the mushrooms; this will create more room for the filling. Chop the stems and excess mushroom flesh. Set the mushroom caps aside. Mince the green onions.

In a saucepan over Medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add chopped stems/flesh and onions. Heat until the water evaporates, stirring occasionally. Once the water has evaporated, remove from heat.

Add lemon juice, shrimp, egg, bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup cheese, stirring well until thoroughly mixed.

Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a 9"x13" pan and coat the mushroom caps with the butter as you place each into the pan. Next, fill each cap with a heaping spoonful of the shrimp-cheese mixture.

Sprinkle all caps with the wine and remaining cheese, then bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Place mushrooms on a platter and garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary.