Summertime Beer Picnic

Summer picnics and craft beer were made to go together. While our picnic menu is packed with traditional favorites like fried chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, and blackberry cobbler, we ventured a bit out of the basket to bring you some unique beer pairings.

Usually malt-forward styles such as pilsners, märzens, and Munich helles are good pairings with fried chicken. The malts in these styles resonate with the browned crust on the bird. Our Spicy Fried Chicken has a mild kick to it, thanks to the taco seasoning added to the crust. We combined this with The Cowboy, a smoked pilsner from Evil Twin Brewing. The beer deepens the flavors of the meat, creating the sensation of chicken that’s been smoked over a cowboy’s campfire.

The Cowboy also deepens the flavors in our classic potato salad, but we preferred the brighter notes teased out by Black Raven Brewing’s Flock Party Pale Ale. It’s a malty brew heavy with orange citrus zing. This combination harmonizes with the richness of the creamy mayo and elevates the other, lighter flavors in the dish. It may leave you wondering if you just had dessert. It also might send you back for seconds.

While you’re loading up your plate with more potato salad, pour an extra glass of High Water’s Cucumber Kölsch for the Grilled Corn on the Cob with Green Chile-Spiced Butter. As with Black Raven’s pale ale, High Water’s kölsch lightens up the potato salad and is delightfully refreshing with the corn and butter.

Our Blackberry Cobbler keeps the happiness flowing when paired with Quilter’s Irish Death Dark Smooth Ale from Iron Horse Brewery. The cobbler has crust on the bottom and the top. Because of the high crust-to-berry ratio, stouts and porters with vanilla and caramel notes are classic styles to pair with it, but Irish Death enriches the dessert in a holistic way. This “beer candy,” as Iron Horse lovingly calls their brew, brings together the rich, buttery crust and the juicy berries without rendering the whole thing cloyingly sweet.

Black Raven’s Flock Party Ale is a delicious alternative (or additional) pairing with the cobbler. It brings out the sweetness in the cobbler while creating a taste combination that can only be described as “doughnutty.”

If the idea of pairing flavors like citrus and cucumber to potato salad and corn on the cob leaves you cold, allow us to suggest one last beer: Bainbridge Brewing’s Kömmuter Kölsch. In spite of its rainy Seattle roots, this brew has a sunny disposition that plays well with everything on our menu. It’s a classic picnic beer that is pleasing all the way around.

Now that you’re armed with an unbeatable menu and pairing options that are both unique and classic, gather up your friends, find a sunny patch of grass, and enjoy the summer sun.

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes

6 hardboiled eggs

3 large dill pickles, or to taste

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup stone-ground mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Peel the potatoes, rinse, and cut into bite-size pieces, about 1-inch. Place in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-high and continue a gentle boil for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. Drain in a colander and set aside to cool.

Peel and chop the eggs to desired size – larger pieces will give the salad an eggier bite, smaller pieces will mix into the background of the salad. Likewise, chop the pickles to desired size for similar effect.

Add the eggs, pickles, mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper to the cooled potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.

For best results, make a day before eating and refrigerate overnight to allow all the flavors to come together.

Serves 6

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Green Chili-Spiced Butter

Ingredients:

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained
½ teaspoon taco seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
4 ears of corn

Directions:

Make the butter at least 2 hours before grilling the corn. Place all the ingredients for butter into a small bowl. Mash and stir until they are well combined. 

Spoon butter onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

To make the corn, heat a grill on high. Remove the husks and silk. Butter each ear of corn with 1 tablespoon of Chile-Spiced Butter. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Wrap each ear of corn tightly in aluminum foil. Place on the prepared grill. Cook approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is tender.

Serve straight off the grill with additional Chile-Spiced Butter.

Serves 4
 

Spicy Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

6 pieces of chicken meat with skin on
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons taco seasoning 
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Pour vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet or heavy-duty pan until there is about an inch of oil in the pan. Set the heat to medium-high to bring the oil temperature to 350°F.

While the oil is heating, prepare the chicken. Place the flour, salt, and taco seasoning in a sealable bag. Seal the bag and shake it until spices are mixed throughout the flour.

Add several pieces of chicken to the bag. Seal it and shake it gently until the chicken is coated in the flour mixture. Shake excess flour off the chicken and place it on a clean plate. Do this with all the chicken pieces until they are coated. 

When the oil is heated to 350°F gently lower two or three pieces of chicken into the pan. Be careful not to overcrowd the meat. 

Cook chicken until it is golden brown on each side. This will take about 10 minutes per side. The finished internal temperature should be 165°F or higher.

When the first batch is complete, remove it to a cooling rack set over a sheet pan. Finished chicken can also be kept warm in a 200°F oven. If serving cold, cool it at room temperature, place it in a sealable container, and store in the fridge.

Serves 6
 

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, divided in half
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup milk, room temperature
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
2 tablespoons sugar, divided

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt a ½-cup of the butter in the microwave. Pour into the bottom of a 10-inch round baking dish. (To make individual servings, divide the butter over 8 medium-sized ramekins.) Set aside.

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium to medium-high heat until the sugar melts and the liquid is clear. Set aside.

Dice the remaining butter and add it, along with the flour, salt, and baking powder, to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the butter is cut into fine crumbs. Add the milk and pulse several times until the mixture comes together and the dough leaves the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead three or four times. The dough will be buttery and smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half to the size of the bottom of your baking dish. Place that half on the bottom of the butter-coated dish. 

Spread the berries evenly over the dough in the dish and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Roll out the second half of the dough. Cut the dough into circles using several different sizes of round pastry cutters. Place the pastry circles in a decorative way over the berries. 

Carefully pour the sugar syrup over the dough and berries. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven, cool, and allow the juices to firm up in the refrigerator overnight.

Serves 8-10

Now that you’re armed with an unbeatable menu and pairing options that are both unique and classic, gather up your friends, find a sunny patch of grass, and enjoy the summer sun.
 

All photos by Sherry Dryja.