April is North Carolina Beer Month, and celebrations including festivals, tastings and dinners have been happening across the state. With nearly 100 breweries in the state, beer lovers certainly have something to celebrate. According to the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild, North Carolina boasts the largest number of craft breweries in the South.
In honor of beer month, we looked through the archives of Local Dish to find a recipe that calls for beer. The recipe we found calls for two bottles of dark beer. We then asked around for a few North Carolina dark beer recommendations that would work well in the recipe. A list of suggested N.C. beers is below, but if you have other suggestions, offer them in the comments:
Dark Cloud Dunkel at Mother Earth in Kinston
Milk Stout at Duck Rabbit in Farmville
Thrilla In Vanilla Porter at Double Barley in Smithfield
Mexicali Stout at Birdsong in Charlotte
Oatmeal Porter at Highlands in Asheville
Battlefield Bock at Red Oak in Whitsett
This Local Dish recipe can be adapted to whatever North Carolina seafood is in season. Lisa Prince suggests adding mussels and to just “pour out the stew on a table covered in newspaper and dig in, making sure to supply plenty of napkins.” This dish is also referred to as Low Country Boil.
Ingredients:
- 2 bottles dark beer
- 4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 4 ears of corn (cut in half)
- 12 small red potatoes (cut in half if large)
- 1 pound N.C. shrimp
- 12 N.C. clams
- 4 crab clusters
- 1 pound polska kielbasa sausage (sliced/cut into bite size pieces)
Instructions:
Fill a large pot ¾ full with water; add beer and Old Bay seasoning and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and let boil for 10 minutes. Then add the crab clusters and corn, let them boil for 5 minutes. Add the polska kielbasa and clams and wait 5 more minutes until you finally add the shrimp. Let it all simmer together for 3-5 minutes longer or until the shrimp are pink.
Cocktail Sauce: ½ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon fresh horseradish, ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 2 dashes of Worcestershire. Stir to combine. If you like it hotter, add more horseradish.