Thursday, July 11, 2013

Blueberry infused IPA

Recently, I was at a pub with my husband.  He ordered a blueberry ale and I ordered an IPA.  When the bartender delivered our drinks, the smell of blueberries mingling with the bright hoppy aroma of the IPA was amazing.

So, I said to the handsome young fellow, "Can I ask you to do something weird for me?"

He was hesitant to reply. Who can blame them man. If you know me then you know weird can be pretty frickin' weird.

I said, "Relax.  I just want you to mix a little of the IPA and the blueberry ale in a glass together."  Which he did with some apparent relief.

The taste was surprisingly good.  Maybe not so surprising considering the aroma.  But it was good!  Really good!

Then it occurred to me that it might be interesting to infuse fresh blueberries with a good IPA. So, that's just what I did.

My husband almost had a conniption when he saw it was the Racer 5 I used.  Eh, get over it.  I only used a wee bit.

Blueberry IPA Infusion

Crush a half a cup of fresh blueberries and place them into the bottom of a French press. Drizzle with a drop or two of honey.  And then pour 12 ounces of a good bitter IPA into the pot. Let the beer soak into the blueberries for 4 minutes.  Finally, press the filter down slowly and pour into a glass.

The results were understated but significant.  The blueberries and honey soften up the IPA.  Mellowing out some of the bitterness and giving it a silky mouth feel. Very interesting. And tasty, too!

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