You can probably make ice cream with many different types of beer, but the most obvious one is of course a stout. If you use a dark bitter imperial stout, you should make sure to compensate with plenty of sugar to balance out the bitterness. On the other hand, if you use a milk stout, or a pastry stout, you don't need as much sugar, as the stout is sweet in itself. Serve the ice cream with some fresh sour fruit and of course with a good stout.
Beer Suggestion: Nerdbrewing - X-Mas Override Chocolate Orange Milkshake Stout
Stout Ice
( it takes about 1 hour actively, with 4-16 hours waiting)
1 vanilla pod
4 dl whipping cream
2½ dl whole milk
6 egg yolks
80 g sugar
1 stout beer (33 cl.)
100 gr. orange chocolate, finely chopped
Start by pouring the beer into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Reduce the beer to about half, so you get a stout syrup. Set aside to cool, possibly in a container in the refrigerator.
Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the empty vanilla pod in a saucepan, along with the milk and cream, and cook to 90 degrees. Measure with a thermometer.
Put egg yolks, vanilla seeds and sugar in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until it is a light and fluffy eggnog.
Remove the vanilla bean from the pan and slowly whisk the vanilla extract into the egg mixture. Whisk continuously until well combined.
Return the mixture to the saucepan, along with the cooled stout syrup, and slowly heat, stirring constantly, until the vanilla cream reaches exactly 80 degrees Celsius – measure with a thermometer. The vanilla cream should start to thicken slightly, then it is ready.
Pour the vanilla cream into a container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour - but preferably longer. The mixture must be completely cold.
Pour the vanilla cream into an ice cream maker along with the chopped chocolate and let it run until you have a nice soft serve. Pour the ice cream into a container and put it in the freezer for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
Then it's ready to serve, with stout of course.
Cheers and enjoy!
TIP: The higher the alcohol percentage in the beer, the harder it can be to freeze. So give it a little extra time.
My suggested beer from Nerdbrewing already has a nice orange chocolate flavor that goes well with this ice cream. However, I would recommend buying 2 beers if you also plan to drink the beer with the ice cream, and of course you should.
However, you can use most pastry stouts, or sweet milk stouts for this recipe. The only limit is your imagination.