Beer + Ice Cream = Beer Cream

I needed a desert for a meal the other day.  To be honest I did not feel like baking which is my default.  I was feeling lazy.  I happened to read over the weekend about all these breweries making beer ice creams.  I once enjoyed Edmund Fitzgerald Ice Cream and a Beer Float at Kona.  My problem is I lack an ice cream maker, but I found a solution.

I went to the store and bought a 1.5 quart container of Edy’s Slow Churn Vanilla Bean.  I took a 12 oz bottle of Barrel Aged Stout from Bluegrass Brewing Co. and headed into the kitchen.  I allowed the ice cream to soften and started shoveling it in my stand mixer.  When half the ice cream was in the bowl I added about a 1/4 bottle of stout.  With the mixer running I added the rest of the ice cream.  After I felt like it was mixed thoroughly I tasted, mixed in more beer and tasted again.  I used a total of 1/2 a bottle.  I recommend stopping the mixer occasionally to taste as you add the beer.  If I added anymore it would of been over powering.  If you lack a mixer letting the ice cream soften a bit more would mean you could use a sturdy spatula to blend it together.  Once your happy with the taste pour (it will be a bit soupy) the mixture back into the container and place in freezer.  It took my mixture about 2 hours to solidify.

Why this pairing?
I am of the opinion that bourbon and vanilla work together.  I picked vanilla bean because the flavor really pops. The BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout was picked for a less grand reason.  I had this beer at a beer festival some time back and remembered loving it.  I bought a four pack about a year later and let the beer age for about nine months.  The tastes was fine, but it was way over carbonated.  I assume it was an aging issue.  Mixing it with ice cream eliminated the carbonation problem and allowed the taste I like to come out creating a tasty treat.  I found this to be a good way to get rid of a bottle of beer I did not want.

Tags: Bourbon Barrel Stout, Food and Fun, Ice Cream