Book Review: The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook

beer-lovers-cookbook.jpgDo you love beer? I mean, do you really love beer? If that is the case, then you have to read this book.

Beer is not just for drinking (or breakfast) anymore. Beer is so versatile that we are not just drinking it while tailgating but most of us are cooking with it in the parking lot too. But do you really know how to cook with beer? Don’t you wish there was a cookbook out there that was dedicated to the nectar of the tailgating Gods? Behold beer lovers: The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook by John Schlimm. It’s the most comprehensive and impressive cooking resource using beer as an ingredient.

The author, John Schlimm, comes from a family of brewer, most notably he is the great-great-grandson of Peter Straub. That along makes him an authority on the subject of not only brewing and enjoying beer but cooking with it as well. When I first received the The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook, the first thing I noticed was the sheer number of pages contained within. The over 350 pages hold more than 400 food and drink recipes containing beer as a main ingredient. From scrambled eggs made with beer at breakfast and a cheese steak sandwich with onion rings or a beer burger and Chocolate Beershake for lunch, to a surf ‘n turf beer-infused combo of lobster and steak for dinner (and a midnight snack of chocolate-dipped strawberries), beer lovers can feast on brewskis at any time of the day. Every genre of food is included: appetizers, breads, soups and chili, salads, fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, sauces, marinades, beef, poultry, pork, wild game, stews, fish and seafood, pasta, and desserts. If you can eat it, The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook let’s you do it with beer.

…The over 350 pages of The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook hold more than 400 food and drink recipes containing beer as a main ingredient…

The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook is not just recipes for your tailgate party menu. It also serves as a party drinks handbook, with a comprehensive collection of recipes for mixed drinks, chuggers, shots, chasers, party punches, milkshakes and flaming drinks all made with beer. From the Buzzy Navel, Beer Bullet, Red-Headed Mary and Beertini to the Woodpecker, Atomic Diva, Garden of Eden Punch and Flaming Sake Bomb, Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook can also double as your bartender’s guide. If that wasn’t enough, the book’s introduction chronicles beer’s 7,000 year journey through history.

Throughout the book, hilarious beer quotes by the world’s most illustrious beer fans are sprinkled amongst the recipes. Honestly, I found myself flipping through the pages just to read the quotes only to find myself discovering a great new recipe that I had to try out that night. With over 400 recipes contained within, I guarantee you can cook with beer every day for a year and never eat the same thing twice.

Here is a sample recipe from the book that you definitely should incorporate into your regular tailgate party menu.

Blue Cheese Dip (Page 7)
Yields 2 Cups

Ingredients:
3 (6-ounce) rolls sharp cheese (softened)
1 1/2 ounces blue cheese (Roquefort)
2 tablespoons butter (softened)
2 medium garlic cloves (minced)
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup beer (warm)
1 loaf rye bread or crackers of choice

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the beer and rye bread, mixing well with an electric mixer. Slowly add the beer, continuing to mix well. Refrigerate the mixture. Serve the Blue Cheese Dip cold with the rye bread or crackers.

Over the next few days I will publish select recipes from The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook and add them to the recipes section of TailgatingIdeas.com. Don’t think I am going to list all 400 recipes. You’ll have to buy the book for those.

You can find The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook at Amazon.com. (Just in time for Father’s Day.)