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Beer: An early taste of new brews
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Pumpkin Beer milkshake
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Try some brews so new you can't even buy them yet at the first Butler Craft Beer Festival, which starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Brickhouse, 118 Main St. in the Butler county seat.
You can try beers (a pumpkin porter and a Berliner weiss) from Shu Brewing, the brewpub that Zachary and Erika Shumaker plan to open early in 2013 in downtown Zelienople. And you can try brews from Butler Brew Works., which is opening a brewpub in downtown Butler. Also pouring will be nano startups Milkman Brewing and Hop Yard Brewing (West Deer), as well as Slippery Rock's new Rebellion Cider Works.
Tickets, $15, are available at the Brickhouse or online at butlercraftbeerfestival.com.
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PG staffers Gretchen McKay, Kevin Kirkland and I used "Shu Brew" Murphy's Paw porter, and a new pumpkin version of it that the Shumakers dubbed "the Great Pumpkin Murphy Brown," in the chocolate porter and pumpkin ale beer milkshakes that we served during both sessions of the Sept. 8 Steel City Big Pour at Construction Junction in Point Breeze.
About 1,600 people attended each session of the beer, food and art festival, and the nonprofit expects to net about $146,000.
The beer voted overall "best of the fest" was Idle Hands double IPA from Helltown Brewing in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County. It won the second session hands down, but tied in the first session with a Cucumber Wheat from Copper Kettle Brewing in Greenfield. Learn more about the top beers, foods and more by getting the app at constructionjunction.org/pages/bigpour.
Pumpkin Ale Milkshake
PG tested
Milkshakes are a very personal drink -- some like them uber-thick while others prefer them a bit thinner. So feel free to use a little more (or less) beer or ice cream, depending on taste.
I used Saranac Pumpkin Ale in this recipe, but any pumpkin beer will work.
- 4 large scoops (16 ounces) good-quality vanilla ice cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for garnish
- 2/3 cup pumpkin beer
Place ice cream,1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and beer in a shake machine or blender. Pulse several times to break it up. With blender motor off, use a flexible spatula to mash mixture down onto the blender blades. Continue pulsing, stopping and mashing until mixture is well blended, thick and moves easily in a jar, roughly 30 to 90 seconds. Pour into chilled glass or glasses. Garnish with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Serve immediately.
Makes about 2 cups.
-- Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Chocolate Stout Milkshake
PG tested
Use more or less beer or ice cream, depending on how thick you like your shakes.
- 4 large scoops (16 ounces) vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup stout
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Hershey's chocolate syrup
- 1 tablespoon Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
Put all ingredients in shake machine or blender and pulse several times to break up the ice cream. With power off, push ice cream down with spatula. Since this is a dry shake, you may have to pulse and push down several times. Then blend on high for about 30 seconds. Pour into chilled glass or glasses.
Makes about 2 cups.
-- Kevin Kirkland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
First Published September 13, 2012 12:00 am
