Dark Beer Jam — Homemade Spiced Mermelada de Cerveza Recipe

Versión en Español

Dark beer jam, or mermelada de cerveza negra, is stout or porter infused with vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, and orange peel, strained, cooked slowly with sugar, and set with a little agar agar, then sealed in a sterilized jar. It takes 30 minutes of preparation and about an hour of cooking, plus 12 hours of setting, and serves 6.

Sweet, toasty, and aromatic, it is a surprising spread for bread, cheese boards, pâté, and even some cuts of meat.

How to Make Beer Jam?

You can play with many sweet, roasted, or bittersweet flavors depending on the style of beer, especially porters and stouts. The beer is degassed, infused with the spices, strained, cooked gently with the sugar, thickened with agar agar, and jarred while hot.

Nutritional Information

Each serving of dark beer jam contains approximately 120 kcal, 0 g of protein, 0 g of fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 30 g of carbohydrates, 28 g of sugars, and 10 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

Homemade Dark Beer Jam Recipe

Preparation: 30 minutes (plus 12 hours setting)
Cooking: 60 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 330 ml of dark beer (stout or porter)
• 200 g (1 cup) of sugar
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 star anise
• ½ teaspoon of agar agar
• Peel of 1 orange

Instructions

1. Pour the beer into a medium pot, stir with a spoon, and let it degas for about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, orange peel, and cloves, heat over medium low heat, and keep it there for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Strain the mixture to remove the spices and return the liquid to the pot. Add the sugar, stir to dissolve, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add the agar agar, dissolve, and cook for 3 more minutes. Pour the hot jam into a sterilized jar, close it, turn it upside down, and let cool to room temperature.

3. Refrigerate for about 12 hours to set, then store in a cool, dry place. Serve with bread, cheese, pâté, or meats. Keep refrigerated once opened.

Additional Tips

Degas the beer

Do not skip degassing. Trapped gas makes a persistent foam during cooking that traps impurities and clouds the jam.

Keep the heat low

As the liquid reduces, the hop bitterness concentrates. A violent boil can burn the malt sugars and make the jam bitter.

Use apples instead of agar

Replace the agar agar with a couple of grated apples, whose natural pectin sets the jam and adds another layer of flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which dark beer should I choose?

Stouts or porters are ideal for their roasted, coffee and chocolate notes. For a more intense jam, try an imperial stout, and for a milder one, an oatmeal stout.

2. How do I sterilize the jars?

Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain upside down on a clean towel and fill them hot with the boiling jam.

3. How long does beer jam keep?

Sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, about 3 months. Once opened, up to a month in the fridge.

4. Does the jam contain alcohol?

Most of the alcohol evaporates during the long cooking, leaving the malt and hop flavors.

Pairings for Beer Jam

Dark beer jam is excellent with aged and blue cheeses, on toasted bread with pâté, and as a glaze for pork or roast meats, where its roasted sweetness balances savory flavors.

Beer in Chilean Cooking

Chile has a growing craft beer culture, and dark beers increasingly appear in recipes, from braised osso buco and short ribs to desserts and spreads like this jam.

Did You Know?

Beer is one of the oldest fermented drinks in the world, brewed in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt thousands of years ago.

Recommended

• Chilean Osso Buco in Dark Beer Recipe
• Chilean Short Ribs in Dark Beer Recipe
• Dark Beer with Condensed Milk Recipe
• Homemade Fig Jam Recipe