Easy recipe ideas to use that last bottle of pumpkin beer

As the winter takes hold, beer drinkers are ready to say goodbye to the fall beers and enjoy the robust stouts and hearty porters. Still, no beer should succumb to be fed to the slugs and keeping a bottle of pumpkin beer for the next harvest would not be welcome at any Great Gourd event. With a bottle or two of that pumpkin beer on the shelf, what easy recipe ideas can make use of that seasonal fall beer.

Beer bread

Beer bread is always a good idea to use up beer. Given that many of the pumpkin beers have warm spices, it can lend themselves to a tasty quick bread. Even if that beer is a little past its prime, the flavors and the carbonation can help raise a loaf that will delight everyone.

Chili

Creating a great chili recipe can take years of practice. Even if the spices include a dash of this or a sprinkling of that, a bottle of beer can be the nuance that makes the chili taste even better. Since cinnamon can help round out many chili recipes, the warm spices in a pumpkin beer are a delightful option to balance all the other flavors in a chili.

Fondue or beer cheese

Beer and cheese are always a tasty pairing. Why not use some of that seasonal beer to flavor that beer cheese. Whether served with pretzels or a baguette, it can be the satisfying treat on a chilly day.

Stew

Similar to a chili, a braised stew can benefit from beer. Since pumpkin beers tend to be a little darker, the ale and the stew meat work well together. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors meld together.

Brats

As many cooks appreciate, cooking brats in beer prior to putting them on the grill is essential. Even if the pumpkin flavors might not work their way into the brats, they can make the onions in the pot more flavorful. After all, layers of flavor always make a dish more enjoyable.

Beer can chicken

Probably one of the best ways to cook a whole chicken is the beer can method. Even if no one wants to drink half of that pumpkin beer, it avoids just pouring the whole can down the drain. And, do not worry about the chicken tasting like pumpkin, it will not impart too much flavor

Since beer should never be just poured down the drain, give that pumpkin beer another purpose by putting it to use in the kitchen. What other dishes or recipes do you enjoy that use beer?