Sunday, March 18, 2012

A Toast! To Spiced Beer Jelly

Several weeks ago, when I first started this blog, I promised to share with you my second attempt at a recipe for spiced beer jelly. Unfortunately, several family emergencies kept me out of the kitchen for awhile, but I had a chance to get back in there yesterday and am happy to report SUCCESS on the beer jelly front!

First and foremost, I need to give credit where it's due. I originally found this recipe on Putting Up with the Turnbulls, which is a great site to check out and listed in the "Links I Like" section of this blog. Their recipe calls for making your own pectin by cooking apples and using the resulting juice to get the gel in your jelly. I followed their instructions, but the altitude here can be tricky and I ended up overjelling my mixture. The end result was something more akin to spiced beer honey than jelly. Not a terrible thing, mind you. It still tasted amazing on toast and served as a really nice glaze ingredient for poultry. My mission, however, was to create an actual jelly. Yesterday, I went back to the drawing board, making a few concessions to ease and speed, two items I hold in very high esteem.

I eliminated the apple step and opted, instead for two packets of liquid pectin, a huge time saver! Another problem that gave me fits during my first crack at this jelly was the fact that the beer mixture kept foaming to ridiculous heights. It was nearly impossible to keep in the pot, probably because of the carbonation in the beer. Instead of going right to the jelly-making step, I decided to try steeping the beer with the spices first, in order to take a little "life" out of the beer before attempting to turn it into jelly. The end results were wonderful; a nicely spiced jelly, with the right consistency and a cooking process that was much more controllable. Want to give it a try? I'll walk you through the recipe here:

My ingredients, ready to go
Spiced Beer Jelly - Ingredients
(Makes 12 4-ounce jars or 6 6-ounce jars)
(2) 12-ounce bottles of amber ale (You can try whatever beer appeals, but I really like the flavor of our local Avalanche Amber Ale from Breckenridge Brewery).
2 sticks cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Grated zest of 1 orange
Ingredients for steeping
2 cups 100% apple juice
Juice of 1 lemon
5 1/4 cups sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin


Put beer, cinnamon, cardamom and orange zest into a medium-sized, stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover and allow ingredients to steep for 20 minutes.
Remove and discard cinnamon sticks.



Transfer beer mixture to large, stainless steel pot. Stir in apple juice, lemon juice and sugar. Heat on high, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a full, rolling boil that can't be broken by stirring. Add both pouches of pectin and continue stirring. When mixture comes back to a full, rolling boil, continue boiling hard and stirring constantly for two minutes, or until mixture begins "sheeting" off a spoon.
Filled jars
Remove from heat, quickly skim foam and fill hot jars to 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims with clean, wet cloth and cover with lids and bands. Tighten bands to fingertip tight (just until you feel resistance). Place jars into water bath canner. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Process for 10 minutes at sea level, 25 minutes here in Castle Rock, Colorado.
After 25 minutes, turn off heat and remove canner lid. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then remove jars to clean towel on countertop. Allow to sit for 12 to 24 hours until all jars have "popped," indicating an adequate seal. Reprocess or refrigerate and promptly use any jars that don't seal properly.

Enjoy!


Filled, processed jars

Spiced beer jelly on toast. YUM!

Close-up of spiced beer jelly.
Can you see the spices and pieces of orange zest?







29 comments:

  1. I look forward to trying round 2 of spiced beer jelly. Round 1 may be an odd consistency, but it still tastes damn good.

    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We'll crack open a jar when you're here!

      Delete
    2. The odd consistency was it to runny or too rubbery? I wanted to try the recipe and wanted to know if any changes needed making to the recipe.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. Thanks for visiting! The recipe posted here has been adjusted and tested and jelled perfectly. The version I had tried originally from another site used home made pectin rather than the purchased liquid variety and it was THAT version I had overcooked and so the consistency for that first attempt was more like honey (too thick). You should be fine with this recipe as printed. As a warning, the spoon sheeting test didn't really work on this (probably because of the alcohol content), but putting a little drop on a frozen plate works great. Are you familiar with that method of testing your jel? If not, let me know and I'll post that in my tips and tricks section.
      Sydney

      Delete
    5. Hi Sydney

      Thanks for the info, I have a pot on the stove as I write of the recipe, Keeping my fingers crossed, thanks!!!

      Delete
    6. Good luck! Please let us know how it goes.
      Sydney

      Delete
    7. Hi Sydney

      Well the first batch is done that I tried with a summer ale. I am a little worried because granted it is still warm/hot but is very runny yet. Once you do the spoon test if it is to runny would you suggest more pectin? Or if this one does not jell any suggestions?? I am at sea level. Thanks
      Deb

      Delete
    8. Hi Deb~
      I would not suggest additional pectin, but would continue to boil it hard until it passes the freezer test. To do this, put a small plate in the freezer for a few minutes until cold. Put a drop of your jelly mixture onto the plate and put it back in the freezer for a minute or two. Take it out and gently push at the edge of the drop with your fingertip. If the surface of the drop "wrinkles" when pushed, your jell should be adequate. The challenge with this recipe is that the different amounts of alcohol in the different beers can really change the boiling time required. The freezer test seems to be the key here. This one does take a day or so to fully set up, but you should have an idea if it's working by whether or not you get more of a jelly residue on your spoon and pot. You could certainly try reboiling the batch until you get the right jell. If not, it makes an awesome syrup as well!
      Sydney

      Delete
    9. Thanks Sydney, I will try that tomarrow, I won't give up. Will let you know what results were acheived. Keeping fingers crossed. Thanks for the plate info.

      Delete
    10. Hi Again

      Sydey would you suggest waiting till you get a longer hard boil before adding the pectin for a while, is it possible to boil off the pectin?

      Delete
    11. Debbie~
      It's not possible for the pectin to boil off, so don't worry about waiting to add the pectin. The alcohol and water content will reduce first, which will help get you to the proper jell anyway. Of course, it's also about the temperature, so be sure you keep it going at a hard boil. Just be careful. If you didn't already notice, this one has a real tendency to boil high in the pot! I'm so excited for your efforts and can't wait to hear about the final results!
      Sydney

      Delete
    12. Hi Sydney

      Well after adding more pectin and lemon juice the first batch did gel but I am going to try the guiness beer with the plate method tomarrow. Thanks for the help and you are right the first guiness batch we drizzled over french vanilla ice cream all I can say is WOW!!! Thanks will keep you posted for tomarrows batch.

      Delete
    13. Hi Debbie~
      So glad to hear that you finally got a good gel on that first batch. Also glad to hear you enjoyed the syrup version on your ice cream. That's what I love about this recipe. It's not the easiest one to make, but no matter how it turns out, it's delicious and useable! Let us know how your next batch works out. By the way, it makes a delicious glaze for chicken also.

      Delete
    14. Hi Sydney

      Well I did the second batch and added 3 TBS extra pectin, because I was not getting a good gel and then sure enough it set but littl too well. So I am in the process of finding a happy medium. I have to tell you, I love the plate method it has really helped. What I was boiling for the 2 minutes has become 15min for Guinness. I am going to get the right combination still, I am if nothing persistant.
      Thanks for all your help along the way.

      Delete
    15. You are awesome, Debbie! I know you're going to get this down perfectly. It doesn't surprise me that the Guinness took that long. It's tricky when you're working with alcohol. I'm guessing what you got today is what I ended up my first go-round. Looks a lot like thick honey, with a similar consistency. I'm sure it tastes outstanding. As I've mentioned, it's still good on toast and as a glaze for meats or poultry. You'll get it next time. I'm sure of it!
      Sydney

      Delete
    16. Hi Sydney

      Well finally I got a great set and a awsome flavor. The plate trick was the best advice. I really do appreciate it. My husband took some to work with him and everyone agreed it was yumm. It really has almost a cross between a spiced apple cider and a beer flavor almost more cider. Thanks again. Hope you post more of your what I call interesting flavors. I would love to try them.

      Delete
    17. Debbie~
      Hooray! I'm so glad you perfected the recipe. It's such a tough one that if you can get it right, you can handle anything. I'm working on a couple of other "inventions" that use white wine as a base and hope to have another unusual recipe posted in the next week. Last weekend, I made a Meyer Lemon vanilla bean marmalade that's just delicious.

      Delete
    18. Hi Sydney

      Well, after the set my husband took some to work for his friends to try. Ugg now they all want him to bring more. So back to the stove. hehehe. The meyer lemon vanilla sounds yummy. Have you posted that recipe or any other yummy ones. Let me know thanks again.

      Delete
    19. Hi Debbie~
      Yep, that's what happens when you make yummy jelly. Everybody wants some! The marmalade recipe is now up on the main page of the blog and also on the newly created alphabetical listing of recipes tab. Sign up a a member of the site so you won't miss a thing! It's easy and there's a link on the right side of the page.

      Delete
    20. By the way, did you get my email about making crockpot chicken wings out of the overjelled beer jelly? My family went crazy for them and now they want me to intentionally overcook a batch of the jelly so I can make more "spiced beer honey" to make more chicken wings!

      Delete
  2. Sydney, I just love your blog and you have been awarded with the Liebster Bloggers Award!! To receive your award please visit this link!! Love ~ Pammy http://thymesquaregarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/liebster-blogger-award-goes-to-tsg.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Pammy! How nice of you to pass this honor on to me. I'll get on it!

      Delete
  3. Are you using a pressure cooker or just boiling in a covered bath?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jess! Thanks for visiting! I just use a boiling water bath method as you would for most jams and jellies.

      Delete
  4. Hello!
    I tried making some beer jelly... and when I pulled me jars out of the water bath, it looked like a couple were still releasing a few bubbles (carbonation?) inside. Is that normal?
    I did try a sample and it was delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cindy~
      My guess is that the bubbles went away within 24 hours of taking them out of the water bath. If they didn't, I'd be concerned that it wasn't processed properly as there shouldn't be any carbonation left in the final product. If the bubbles aren't moving once the jam has completely cooled, it should be fine and might indicate that you incorporated air into the jars as you were filling them. To avoid that in the future, use a funnel to fill the jars and pour the hot jam against the side of the funnel rather than straight into the bottom of the jar. IF THERE ARE STILL BUBBLES AFTER COOLING AND THEY'RE MOVING, DISCARD THE BATCH AND DON'T EAT IT. Moving bubbles indicate spoilage

      Delete
    2. Thank you for your response!
      The bubble I saw when I took them out did stop once it cooled. I was just so nervous when I took the jars out of the waterbath and saw a few jars with rising bubbles.
      Some look a tiny bit foamy at the top... but they all popped/sealed. When I left the jars and tilt them around, nothing moves.
      I need to stop being stubborn and just break down and get a funnel :)

      Delete
    3. So glad you've got a successful batch! Yes, get a funnel. It will make the process so much easier, and a bit less messy. I love mine from Progressive as it has headspace markings right on it and a lip that keeps the bottom from getting covered in jelly. A little foam on some is no problem either. Can just mean that you either didn't skim the foam off from the pot well enough before filling your jars or it took you a little too long to fill them all. No biggie!
      If the jelly doesn't move at all when you tilt the jars, it might be overjelled, but still completely edible. I've done that myself with this recipe. (It's a hard one!) if it overjelled, you'll find a product that has a consistency more like honey than jelly. It's still delicious, great on toast, etc., but that will also be an awesome glaze on chicken (especially wings!) and pork.
      If that's the case, next time, don't cook the mixture quite as long and it should be perfect!

      Delete

Print Friendly