American Craft Beer Week: Rye Not?

Just when every week was starting to feel like craft beer week, the Brewers Association went and made it official. We kicked-off this year’s ACBW with a beer we brewed especially for the occasion. Our ACBW Rye IPA is a robust India Pale ale with spicy rye malt flavors, a vibrant floral aroma, and a clean citrus hop bitterness.  It’s currently on tap in our Brewery Restaurants and in honor of ACBW, 64oz growlers to-go are $9 bucks – including the glass.

Below is a recipe I came up with, ironically on Meatless Monday, which highlights multiple layers of this hoppy special release.  I’ve got no beef with the herbivores; this was purely by chance,  so be on the lookout for a Meatless Monday installment next month. Ya dig?

Spicy Rye IPA Skirt Steak

ACBW RYE IPA Marinade

Ingredients:

1 Growler of American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA
1 lb Skirt Steak
1 Meyer Lemon
1/2 Cup White Onion (sliced)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 Jalapeno Pepper (coarsely chopped)
1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro (bruised)
¼ Cup Clover Honey
1 Tbs Kosher Salt
1 Tbs Course Ground Black Pepper

Instructions:

Step 1:  Pour one 16oz pint of Rye IPA into a glass mixing bowl and reserve the rest for drinking.
Step 2: Halve lemon, squeeze juice into beer, and add both halves to the bowl. Add salt and honey and whisk until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and transfer to a 5 gallon freezer bag.
Step 3:  Add steak, seal bag, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Step 4: Cook steak in a grill pan on high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let rest for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Fire-Roasted Habanero Aioli

Ingredients:

4 Vine-Ripened Tomatoes
1 Medium White Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Habanero Peppers
1 Tbs Powdered Chicken Bouillon
¼ Cup ACBW Rye IPA
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Mayonnaise

Instructions:

Step 1: Adjust oven rack to top position (about 6 inches below flame) and preheat to broil.
Step 2: Peel and quarter onion, quarter tomatoes, peel garlic, and remove stems from habaneros.
Step 3: Place above ingredients in a baking dish and broil for 15-20 minutes or until skins begin to char.
Step 4: Transfer cooked ingredients to a blender or food processor and emulsify. Slowly add in beer, olive oil, and bouillon.
Step 5: Allow emulsion to cool to room temperature before mixing in mayonnaise.
*Tip: Omit mayonnaise for a killer hot sauce.

Steak on Rye Sandwich with Fire-Roasted Habanero Ailoi

Spicy Rye IPA Skirt Steak

On Tap in May:

Pintail Pale Ale 5.3% ABV – An American Pale Ale brewed with Cascade and Amarillo hops for a vibrant floral aroma and citrus hoppiness. Caramel malts provide balance, rounding out its dry refreshing finish.

American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA 7.6% ABV –Our American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA is a celebration of craft beer culture in America. This robust India Pale Ale combines the zesty spice of malted rye with the citrus and floral hop character of American Ahtanum hops.  Finishing crisp and dry, it’s the perfect way to celebrate ACBW on the West Coast.

Minden Maibock 7.5 % ABV – A traditional German springtime lager with crisp toasted malt flavors, balanced by the soft bitterness of noble Tettnanger hops.

May’s Featured Pairing:

American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA & Crispy Cheese Stack

Crispy Cheese Stack: Rye breadcrumb-crusted sharp cheddar and provolone sticks, crispy pastrami bacon, and jalapeno honey.

The Pairing: This dynamic and flavorful appetizer pairing puts tired cheese sticks to bed.  Spicy rye flavors in the beer provide a delicate complement top the savory melted cheese and crispy breadcrumb crust, while its assertive hop flavors balance the richness and jalapeno spice between bites.

American Craft Beer Week Rye IPA

May 18, 2011 | Categories: Cooking with Karl | Tags: #craftbeer, #SanDiego, ACBW, american craft beer week, beer and food pairing, beer blogs, beer marinade, brewers association, craft beer, craft beer blogs, habanero hot sauce, IPA, Karl Strauss, Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurants, meatless monday, Minden Maibock, Pintail Pale Ale, Rye IPA, San Diego | Leave a comment