Windansea Shrimp Ceviche
In case you missed the memo, Windansea Wheat is now available in bottles year-round. That’s right, six-packs and twelve-packs of our refreshingly smooth Bavarian-style Hefe hit store shelves just in time for summer. So, to celebrate the bottle release of our favorite warm weather wheat beer, we’re sharing this fresh summertime ceviche recipe and pairing.
Traditional ceviche is a cold dish consisting of fresh fish, shrimp, or shellfish, cooked in citrus juice. Its origins are believed to date back to the Inca, but rather than compromise the brevity of this post with a culinary history lesson, we’ll just say that ceviche has been around long enough to vary from region to region. In SoCal, ceviche is typically prepared Baja-style, using fresh caught shrimp, or rockfish and lime juice. The recipe below is based on the Baja-style, with a few ingredients added to match Windansea Wheat’s bright fruity flavors.
Windansea Shrimp Ceviche
1.5 lbs fresh shrimp – peeled, deveined, and diced in ½” pieces
1.5 cups fresh-squeezed lime juice (8-10 limes)
8oz Windansea Wheat
5 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium hothouse cucumber, diced
1 large mango, peeled and diced
1 cup watermelon, diced
1-2 red jalapenos, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Sea salt to taste
Step 1: Combine fresh chopped shrimp and lime juice in a medium-sized bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours. The acidic lime juice will cook the shrimp, causing their color to change from blue/gray to pink.
Step 2: Remove lime marinated shrimp and drain off 2/3 of the lime juice. Add 8oz of Windansea Wheat, cover, and return to the refrigerator for an hour. Adding the beer will not only cut the acidity of the lime, but its sweet, fruity flavors will complement the watermelon and mango.
Step 3: Remove shrimp from refrigerator, drain off liquid, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add tomato, red onion, cucumber, mango, watermelon, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix ingredients well, add salt to taste, and return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Step 4: Serve with tortilla chips and a Windansea Wheat.
Beer-Braised Oxtail Tacos
Even if you don’t consider yourself a Yelp-crazed foodie, you may have noticed a resurgence of “odd bits” on local menus. Comparable to beef tongue, cheeks, and tripe, oxtail holds a tasty place outside most people’s comfort zones. And while they’re more commonly used to create flavorul stocks and stews, we’re putting them to good use in a San Diego favorite – the street taco.
Preparing oxtail isn’t difficult, it just takes time (9-10hrs). Well-prepared, oxtail is rich, tender, and flavorful. If undercooked, it will have the texture of a chew toy. So, if you’re a patient master of the crock pot, this recipe should be right up your alley.
Beer-Braised Oxtail Tacos
What you’ll need:
3lbs Oxtail
Dry-Rub:
Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl.
¼ Cup chili powder
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tsp. black pepper
½ Tsp. cayenne pepper
½ Tsp. cinnamon
Browning:
Large Frying Pan 
½ Cup all-purpose flour
½ Cup butter
Cooking:
6-qt Crock Pot
1 22oz bottle Off The Rails
1 cup chicken stock
1 large white onion, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 serrano chili, seeded/chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
Serving:
Corn tortillas
Chopped white onion
Chopped cilantro
Lime
Salsa verde or habanero hot sauce
What to do:
Rinse oxtails in cold water and pat dry.
Coat oxtails in dry rub, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Melt butter in a large skillet, dust oxtails in flour, and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. When oxtails are golden brown, remove from skillet and reserved on a plate.
Add onions, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic to the skillet and sauté on high until onions are golden brown. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to the crock pot, adding the chicken stock and bottle of Off The Rails to the remaining vegetables in the skillet. Bring to a gentle boil and remove from heat.
Arrange browned oxtails in a layer over the sautéed vegetables in the crock pot. Pour the warm liquid contents of the skillet over the oxtails, cover, and cook on low for 9-10hrs.
Once the oxtails have finished cooking, meat should easily fall away from the bones.
Suggested beer pairing: Tower 20 IIPA – T-20’s dry hop bitterness will cut through the oxtail’s rich flavors, while complementing the zesty lime and cilantro.
Super Beer Sunday
Super Bowl Sunday is an American holiday about the important things in life: food, friends, and football BEER. Regardless of one’s football affiliations, the big game has grown into a national Sunday Funday – a wide-spread celebration of indulgence. Whether you plan to watch the Super Bowl or the Puppy Bowl, odds are you’re going to be in the market for some good eats to go with your favorite beers. If this is the case, check out these recipes for Off The Rails-braised beef short ribs and Red Trolley chili. Oh, and if you happen to run into Biff Tannen, ask him when the Chargers are headed back to the Super Bowl…
Off The Rails Braised Short Ribs
What you’ll need:
4 bone-in beef short ribs, about 2.5lbs
1 22oz bottle Off The Rails
1 cup chicken stock
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red jalapeno, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs olive oil
Salt
Pepper
What to do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Season short ribs with salt and pepper and dust in flour. In a Dutch oven or large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil on high heat and brown short ribs for 2-3 minutes on all sides. Remove seared ribs from pan and reserve on a plate.
Add onions, celery, peppers, and garlic to the skillet and sauté on high until onions are golden brown. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, before adding chicken stock and Off The Rails. Bring mixture to a boil and return short ribs to the skillet. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
Uncover and continue to roast for 20 minutes, or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove from the oven and skim the fat from the braising liquid.
Red Trolley Chili
Red Trolley Chili Pre-Boil
What you’ll need:
2 lbs ground sirloin
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 red jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 15oz cans black beans, drained
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained
3 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, not drained
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 12oz bottle Red Trolley Ale
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tbs beef bullion
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne
Salt to taste
8oz white cheddar cheese, shredded
What to do:
In a large stock pot, brown beef over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and peppers and sauté until onions are translucent.
Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and red trolley ale and bring to a boil. Stir in chili powder, beef bullion, black pepper, brown sugar, paprika, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 ½ hours.
Top with Off The Rails braised beef short rib, shredded white cheddar, and serve.
Red Trolley chili with Off the Rails-braised short ribs
Ryan Ross
KarlStraussBrewing
Karl Strauss Brewing Company Blog 