Does this sound ridiculously indulgent? Yes! But man, does it work.
Stouts are a fantastic beer bedrock for infusions—they’re SO thick and flavorful that they’re difficult to overpower. Which ultimately means you can go pretty crazy. There are some fun stout successes to be had with about a half cup of toasted coconut (ALWAYS the unsweetened kind, never the sweetened) and vanilla bean (whose frightening price tag should really make us all appreciate that most basic of ice creams far more). But none of them allows a merry group of infused-beer drinkers to make deliciously terrible puns the way this s’mores stout will.
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
12-ounce stout (If you really want to make it count, get something barrel-aged. They’re expensive but always worth it—I employed a classic, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. Although maybe start with something cheaper as you get your moves and preferred ratios down.)
One full-size (4.4-ounce) Hershey’s milk chocolate bar (the kind you find on a convenience store rack), cut up into tiny pieces. (Yes, the whole thing!)
Two graham crackers, again, cut in tiny pieces
One marshmallow, also cut up
Instructions:
Pop everything into the press and put it into the fridge for about 25 minutes to steep. If you go with a standard stout instead of a barrel-aged variety, or one with less than, say, 9% alcohol, you’ll probably want to cut that steep time or your beer may be manhandled (by the chocolate especially), but again, play around with it and find the balance that you enjoy. The ultimate result is about as beer milkshake-y as one could ever hope for.
NOTE: Becoming tempted to spoon the mishmash of leftover infusion ingredients in the bottom of the press into your mouth does not make you deranged. Just, um, economical.
SECOND NOTE: Politely refrain from telling any hungry six-year-olds that you’re doing this.
More About Beer Hacks:
A tour de force of 100 tips and tricks, Beer Hacks is the ultimate guide to becoming a better beer drinker.
Discover the very best and most creative ways to serve, share, store, and savor your favorite brews. There’s problem solving: Warm beer? Chill a bottle in about a minute with a can of compressed air. DIY projects: Turn empty bottles into guitar slides. Party tricks: The only thing you need to know to safely tap a keg—and the one foolproof technique for shotgunning a beer. Flavor bombs: A French press is all you need to infuse ale with fresh berries.
Whether you’re replenishing after a workout (that’s right: beer has electrolytes), or relishing the singular tranquility of a shower beer, Beer Hacks is the ultimate guide to taking drinking to the next level, making it more fun and more practical. Includes an emergency bottle opener on the front cover!
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