Big Bottoms Brisket

•  3 lb. beef brisket
• 2 c. apple cider (or hard cider)
• 1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, then slightly crushed
• 2 Tbsp whole peppercorns
• 1/3 c. fresh thyme (chopped)
• 1 Tbsp mustard seed
• 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 bottle (12 oz.) dark beer

1. Put brisket, 1/2 c. of the cider, and all other ingredients except the beer into a large resealable plastic food storage bag. Seal, and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
2. Put the brisket and the marinade into a slow cooker and add the remaining cider and the beer.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours or until the brisket is tender. Strain the sauce and pour over the meat if you choose. Then slice brisket and serve - preferably on some flat onion rolls.

- Turtlehead suggests a beer-flavored barbecue sauce if you need some

Backstage Banana

• Hazelnut Brown Nectar (12 oz.)
• 1 big scoop of Häagen-Dazs Cinnamon Dulce De Leche
• 1 shot of Creme de Banana liqueur

A tribute to C.C. Banana (only because we couldn’t think of a heavy metal tie in to bananas), this is easily our best beer float to date. It all started with trying to concoct a beer version of Bananas Foster and this is what we came up with. The smooth and creamy sweetness of Rogue’s beer is complimented perfectly with HD’s Dulce De Leche ice cream with the cinnamon undertone that kicks it up a notch on the flavor scale. Splash on a little Creme de Banana for bite and you’ve got a dessert brew that kicks monkey ass.

A Little Dunk(el) In Your Trunk

• Warsteiner Dunkel (12 oz.)
• 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla

As featured in our first podcast, the smooth carbonation of Warsteiner Dunkel (German for “dark”) is complimented by the richness of Ben & Jerry’s pure Madagascar Vanilla ice cream. It’s a beer float at its most understated and it’s a good place to start your beer and ice cream odyssey.

The Hobgoblin

• Oranjeboom Pilsener (12 oz.)
• 2 scoops of Häagen-Dazs Mango Ice Cream

As featured in Podcast #3, the hint of orange at the end of this fine pilsner from Holland is picked up nicely by the rich fruity flavor of its Häagen-Dazs Mango payload. For a good result, make sure the ice cream is just soft enough to hold together in the glass.

The Decadence Dance

• Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (16 oz.)
• 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry’s Dublin Mudslide

As featured in Podcast #2, the bitter taste of your average stout is downplayed by the chocolatey undertones of this delicious “dessert beer”. Dancing on the border of decadence, we’ve added the incredible flavor of B&J’s fantastic Dublin Mudslide; a rich concoction of Irish cream liqueur ice cream with chocolate, chocolate chip cookies and a coffee fudge swirl. Oh, you will sleep good tonight.