Making Erika’s Beer Bread With New Belgium 1554 Black Ale

Who knew baking could be so easy!  Read on to find out how I got by with a little help from my friends and ended up with a wonderful loaf of home made bread.

Before I start my story, I have to recognize Foodbuzz and the New Belgium Brewing Company.  They partnered through Foodbuzz’s Tastemaker Program to put beer in my hands to get creative with.  I say “Cheers” to that!

Its All About the Beer

New Belgium is a craft brewing company Located in Ft. Collins, CO.  You might know them for their wildly popular Fat Tire Amber Ale.  I’m a fan of Fat Tire, but while deciding what beer of theirs to cook with, I wanted a darker beer, like a dark ale or stout.

A Six Pack of new Belgium Brewing Company's 1554 Black Ale.

A Six Pack of new Belgium Brewing Company's 1554 Black Ale.

Fortunately, they have one in their line up:  1554 Enlightened Black Ale, named for its origin from a Belgian recipe written in 1554.  Upon sampling the beverage, I was immediately impressed with its chocolaty, malty flavor and an almost silky mouthfeel.

Now that I had my beer, I had to figure out what to do with it.

A Recipe That Even I Can Follow

To me, cooking with beer means sipping on a cold one while watching something sizzle on the grill.

While I tried to think of a more elgant approach to my situation, I came across a tweet from Erika of In Erika’s Kitchen:

Erika's Beer Bread Tweet

Erika's Beer Bread Tweet

I knew right then I had been saved!  Checking out the recipe on her website, my thoughts were validated:  the ingredients were few and easy to find, the prep time was short (5 minutes!), and her kids loved the results.  I figured I couldn’t lose!

My only modification to the recipe would be to increase the bottle count from one to six:  one to enjoy while the oven heats, one for the recipe, one to sip on while the bread is baking, one more to enjoy with the bread, and two to share with friends while they admire your baking prowess.

Look!  I baked a loaf of bread!

Look! I baked a loaf of bread!

Here’s a link to the recipe for Erika’s Beer Bread:
http://www.inerikaskitchen.com/2011/04/beer-bread-recipe.html

Following are a few pictures of my preparation.

1.  Mixing the dry – I used a whisk to make sure all the flours and and other dry ingredients were well blended.

Mixing the dry ingredients.

Mixing the dry ingredients.

2. Adding the wet – Pouring in the beer was fun!

Pouring in the beer.

Pouring in the beer.

3. Out of the oven – I let the bread cool for as long as I could stand it! Then I cut a few slices to enjoy, literally hot from the oven.  The bread was aromatic and dense, with a nutty, wheaty flavor.

4. Cheese Bread – I slapped a slice of pepper jack on top of a couple slices of bread and put them back in the oven for a few minutes.  The cheesy beer bread went great with barbecued chicken and a chilled glass of 1554!

This is a dark ale indede.  The glass is clear showing off the full color of this sily ale!

This is a dark ale indeed. The glass is clear showing off the full color of this silky ale!

Thanks again to Foodbuzz and New Belgium for introducing me to a wonderfully textured dark ale, and thanks to Erika for the great bread recipe. Cheers to you all!

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About the Author

Michael loves grilling, rum, and has a weakness for key lime pie.

2 Responses to “Making Erika’s Beer Bread With New Belgium 1554 Black Ale”

  1. Hi Micheal –

    Sounds like a great recipe. Do you know where to get 1554? I’m from Denver and 1554 is my go-to beer. New Belgium has many different styles that are all great. Their Trippel is fantastic, as well.

    Let me know where you got that 1554 if you remember.

    Thanks – Steve G – Redondo Beach

  2. Hey, Steve! I picked up the beer for this recipe at Total Wine in Redondo. If you haven’t been you’ll have to pay them a visit. They have an amazing selection of wines, including a few from New Belguim. The best part is, if you go in looking for something and they don’t have it, they will order it for you. Just ask!

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