IPA Pickles?!?

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Revvy

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Over the last couple of days I've been reading a few very interesting Charcuterie blogs. One of them, Punk Domestics is an aggregate blog to other food blogs. Amongst the zillions of interesting recipes for everything from making your own liquor, to bacon making, to bacom liquor making, were a couple links to IPA Pickles.

Has anyone heard of this phenomenon?

This one is for Sea Hag Ipa.
Sea Hag Hopped Up Pickles (Spicy IPA Pickles)

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2 Pounds Small Cucumbers
1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Can Sea Hag IPA (or any good IPA)
2 Tablespoons Pickling Salt OR
3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
8 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
4 Teaspoons Dill Seed
2 Teaspoons Black Peppercorns
1 Teaspoon Red Chili Flakes

Cut off the ends of cucumbers. This is important because there are enzymes in the ends that will soften the pickles . . . i.e. less crispy.

Cut the cucumbers into quarters, make sure they’re short enough to fit in quart mason jars without sticking up too high. Pack the cucumbers into the jars

Split the rest of the ingredients between the two jars.

Combine the vinegar, beer, and salt together in a saucepan, heat until just boiled. Be careful because it will boil over.

Using a ladle, pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers leaving about a 1/4 inch of headspace. Screw the lid tops on and allow the jars to cool on the countertop.

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Shake the jars gently to mix the spices around. Put them in the fridge and allow the pickles to absorb all the wonderful spices.

After about a week open the jar, take a bite and be completely impressed with your awesome pickling skills!

PS . . . I use New England Brewery Sea Hag cuz it's a rockin' good beer that make seriously rockin' good pickles!


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This one is for Sam Adam's Ipa.

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Basically I used a regular, basic pickle recipe and added a bottle of beer to the brine once it was boiled. If you want to make it more like Brooklyn Brine’s, then add some caramelized onions & a bit of sliced up chili pepper to the cukes when you pack the jars. I didn’t do either of those things, mainly due to availability. I had onions, I just didn’t feel like caramelizing them, and I didn’t have any chili peppers around. I’m adding them into the recipe, you can do as you like.

MARILLA’S HOP-PICKLES MADE WITH IPA
Makes about 4 pints

Ingredients:

8-10 small pickling cucumbers (about 3 pounds)
2 cups white vinegar, 5%
2 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
4 sprigs fresh dill, 4 dill heads or 4 teaspoons dill seeds
1 teaspoon pickling spice (divided into fourths)
a little sprinkle of mustard seed per jar
half of a medium sized white onion, caramelized (done beforehand, allowed to cool & patted “dry”)
1 chili pepper, seeded & sliced
a dash of cumin seeds
2 medium cloves garlic, each cut in half
1 bottle Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA (or the IPA of your choice)

Directions:

Cut a thin slice from the ends of each cucumber. This prevents a “mushy” pickle, as the ends of cucumbers contain an enzyme that makes them mushy. Place jars in canner to sterilize them and place lids in hot water to soften seal. Keep jars hot.
Meanwhile, combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add the bottle of beer (you will end up with leftover brine, it’s almost certain).
Remove hot jars from canner. Divide the fresh dill or 1 tsp dill seeds, 1/4 teaspoon pickling spice, chili peppers, cumin seeds, onions and garlic among the jars (they should be still hot); pack in cucumbers.
Pour the hot beer brine mixture over cucumbers to within ½ inch of rim (head space). Place lids, then bands, turning only to fingertip tight. Let sit in a cool dark place for 24 hours. Check seal. If not sealed, put the jar in the fridge and enjoy right away! If sealed, allow jars to sit for one week before opening for optimal flavor.


Anyone done this???
 
I was just going to say, why not skip the beer and add hops directly to the brine. Chinook perhaps? I wouldn't add strong flavors like garlic, chile, or cumin to this mix though since it may drown out the hop flavors.
 
Yum, that sounds delicious.

You guys see the SN article in BYO about dry hop aging a pig? I like where this is headed.
 
Yum, that sounds delicious.

You guys see the SN article in BYO about dry hop aging a pig? I like where this is headed.


What what what? I'm failing at google on this one. Link?
 
DogFish and a company called Brooklyn Brine have done this on a production basis. Defanitly a "different" Flavor.
 
Sounds good. I was watching Anthony Bourdain's Mind of Chef the other night and they interviewed a chef in Denmark that used blanched hop vines in a salad. The segment was called Garbage in reference to things that people throw away. I just dumped my vines in the compost pile last month. I figured I could have used it as a garnish inside the jar. Out of curiousity I was wondering if people regularly ate hop vines:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/ancient/wild-food-entry.php?term=Hop Plant

Pickled Hop Shoots:
http://www.tastingtable.com/recipe/pickled_hops_recipe_tastingtable.pdf
 
I might have to give the pickle recipe a shot. It looks like a quick turnaround on something I'd like to keep on hand, for a quick snack. Thanks.
 
DogFish and a company called Brooklyn Brine have done this on a production basis. Defanitly a "different" Flavor.

I had these a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved them! Couldn't really pick out any hop flavor, but good nonetheless.
 
DogFish and a company called Brooklyn Brine have done this on a production basis. Defanitly a "different" Flavor.

I saw these in Whole Foods recently but just couldn't bring myself to spend $10 on a jar of pickles. Would rather spend $10 on some DFH beer.
 
I followed the Sea Hag recipe, using the Kosher Salt (couldnt find pickling salt), and SN Celebration. I made two jars with some mini cukes i found at the grocery store. I think its a great recipe, good dill flavor, with a nice balance of sweet with a little heat. I took some to the office and received a number of compliments. I'll be making these again, for sure.
 
Did anyone else need to double the liquid and salt for the first recipe? , the amounts listed only made a quart of pickling juice. I hope I didn't use too much salt by doubling that as well but it didn't seem like an inordinate amount for pickles
 
Second Go round of this recipe today. First one was awesome. Added a tsp of extremely hot dried pepper dust(also homemade, where the "mildest" pepper in the batch was habanero) to one of the jars, and they were amazing. Backed off the heat a bit this time, only half a tsp. can't wait to try them in a week.
 
I have a question. I've never made pickles before, but everything I'm reading about pickle making says that after you put the pickles in the jar and pour in the hot brine, you seal the jars, put them in a canning bath and boil them. How come these you don't?

I know there are different types of pickles out there from quick cures to fermented, but if we don't do that step will these not store? I bought enough cukes last night to make 4-6 jars of these things, and I live alone, and probably only my beer geek friends will ever want any of them. So I don't want to end up making 5 jars of eventual dumpers.
 
I guess I found my own answer going back to the original blog this came from.

Before anyone gets on my ass, no I didn’t process them. I figured the salt & vinegar was enough to ensure safety, not to mention the fact that I had a feeling they’d be opened & eaten fairly quickly. If you want to process them, then go right ahead. An experienced canner should know exactly how long, etc (as a general rule it’s 10 minutes for pint jars, 15 for quart). However there are a lot of pickle recipes (like this one) that don’t require processing, the lids seal as soon as the liquid/jars cool. I’ve never had a problem with doing pickles this way now & then, but obviously you need to make sure all of your produce is 100% clean and that your equipment is 100% sterilized, and that you’re using white vinegar with 5% acidity. Yes, yes, yes, I know the USDA would have my head for that. But whatever. I’m nothing if not a rebel.

I guess I'm going to be a nervous noob and make sure all my bases are covered and process them.
 
Rev,

I've made pickles a few times and did try a variation on this recipe. I guess you would call these "refrigerator pickles" which, in my understanding, are meant to be kept for shorter periods of time in the fridge.

I've never done true fermented or canning pickles before, but in my experience the amount of sugar and salt in my pickle recipe seems to help them hold up for quite a while (a couple months, at least).

The recipes in this thread don't have the sugar like my standard recipe (I assume because of residual sugar in the beer??) so I can't really say how long they'll hold for you.

Anyway, I'd imagine that If you use canning jars and boil them, you'd be in good shape to stow them away for quite some time. Perhaps someone with more canning experience will chime in here.

Happy pickling!
 
FYI, I just found a version of wet hopped IPA pickles. For those who thought about actual hops in the jars.

A trip to the farmer’s market inspired one of our famous brainstorm sessions, which produced some awesome ideas of what I should try. Some were conventional (pickled beets!), some were more a case of me running wild with it (“Caulcannon Pickles”!). You’ll be seeing some of those creations here over the next while! (Edited to add: We now have a whole recipe category for pickling and canning!)

I don’t remember if I was joking or not when I asked my husband if I should create a hop flavored beer pickle. Even if I had been, the way his eyes lit up meant that I absolutely had to make it happen. What a crazy idea, beer flavored pickles!

Well, after a bunch of work designing the recipe – making sure the acid level was right, planning flavors to compliment the style of beer, etc – I was disappointed to learn that Dogfish Head Brewery beat me to it, with their Hop-Pickle from Brooklyn Brine. Boo! I hate it when I have a great idea, only to find that someone got there first!

Anyway, these pickles are fabulous.

Also, they cost a fraction of the ready-made price AND gives you the flexibility of using your favorite brew! I designed this around my husband’s favorite beer – Hopslam – and we used a homebrewed clone version of that beer for this recipe. The hops we chose were ones we grew ourselves – Centennial – chosen because of how the flavor compliments the beer. Garlic, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and jalapenos round out the recipe, all flavors that work well with the beer.

No sugar at all, though – if you’re into sweet pickles, this may not be the recipe for you. These pickles are sour, and as bitter as you want them. You can vary the level of bitterness by adjusting the amount of hops used, and the length of time you boil them in the brine. We used a full oz of “wet” hops, and boiled them for 10 minutes to produce a very bitter pickle – exactly how my husband wanted them. If you don’t subscribe to his “the more bitter, the better!” mantra, feel free to use less hops, and only boil them for a few minutes.

As an idea of yield, we made a double batch of this recipe and ended up with:

- 3 quart jars (2 of whole pickles, 1 of spears)
- 4 pint jars (All as spears)
- 5 little jam jars (All as slices)

I recommend sticking to slices and spears. They look nicer, take up the flavor quicker, and require far less of the liquid. Also? The jam jars of pickle slices would make really great gifts! We’ll definitely be putting another big batch of these on soon, for just that reason!

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Extra Hoppy IPA Pickles

2 lbs pickling cucumbers, washed/scrubbed well.
5 cups vinegar (5% acidity)
24 oz IPA of choice (We used a Hopslam clone)
2 cups water
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/2 – 1 oz wet hops (or equivalent dried).*

Per pint jar (2x for quart jars):

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 tsp pepper corns
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 – 1/2 jalapeno, sliced (optional)

Canning Equipment:

Clean, sterilized canning jars & rings
New, never-used, sterilized canning lids
Canning funnel
LARGE pot to process them in
Jar lifter (nice to have, not necessary if you can handle pain!)

Slice your cucumbers into whatever form you prefer – we did spears for pint jars, and slices for little jam jars – they’d make cute little gifts!

Measure your “per jar” ingredients into your sterilized jars, along with one or two hop cones, if using. Arrange your prepared cucumbers into the jars, packing them tightly. If you’d like, cram another hop cone or two down the side – they’ll want to float, so keep that in mind as you position them!

Fill your LARGE pot with at least 6″ of water, put on medium or high heat to bring it to a boil as you prepare your brine.

In another pot (NOT the canning pot!), combine vinegar, beer, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring well to dissolve the salt. Once mixture reaches a boil, add hops and stir well, mashing them around a bit. Allow them to simmer for 5-10 minutes, tasting frequently.

Once mixture has reached your desired level of bitterness, use a slotted spoon to remove all hop cones and stray hop leaves. Bring mixture to a boil.

Use a canning funnel, pour boiling beer brine into prepared jars, leaving about 1/2″ head space. Wipe off the top edges of the jar with a clean, wet towel, top each with a new, sterilized lid, and carefully screw on a clean lid ring. I like to use a kitchen towel for this, the jars are HOT! Carefully place your jars of pickles into the boiling water pot, allow to process for 15 minutes. CAREFULLY remove them, allow to cool overnight.

The next morning, check to make sure that all of the jars achieved a proper seal – try to push down in the middle of each lid. If it “pops”, it did not seal. Any jars that didn’t seal should be put in the fridge and used in the next few weeks.

Leave the jars alone for at least a few days, to allow the flavors to permeate the cucumbers. Store in a cool, dark area (ideally) for up to 1 year, chill well before eating.

Enjoy!

* We used Centennial hops, as that was one that we were growing that would go well with Hopslam / a Hopslam clone. Simcoe would be a great choice, if you’re looking to buy them from a homebrew supply store. In addition to the hops called for in the recipe, I also recommend having a few extra fresh ones – if using fresh – to put in the jars when canning. It looks pretty!
 
Thanks for posting this. Sounds delicious. Will have to try it out. Have never done any pickling before, but actually ordered seeds last night to plant/grow some pickling cukes this summer.
 
I bought enough cukes last night to make 4-6 jars of these things, and I live alone, and probably only my beer geek friends will ever want any of them. So I don't want to end up making 5 jars of eventual dumpers.

Believe me when I say this Revvy, once you start eating them, you will continue until they are all gone. A couple of my buddies who made these popped them open after 4 days and ate the whole jar in one sitting.
Add a little extra hot spice and they become really addicting
 
I just stopped at kroger's for more cukes and a mixed sixers of IPAs, Bigfoot, Founder's Centennial, and Ranger- 2 of each, one to make pickles with, and one to drink while making pickles. I'm off for 3 days, so I plan to make these and to brew an ipa, which I'll probably make some more pickles with that down the line.
 
So I was off today, and finally settled in for an Ipa pickle marathon. Not sure what IPA I wanted to do, I decided to do 3 different batches.

Two Hearted (My Fave IPA) Sierra Nevada Torpedo, and Centennial IPA from Founders.

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The Gear.

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Boiling the pint jars.

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Cutting the cukes.

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I followed the second recipe's guidelines and brought the vinegar, salt and water to a boil, and killed the heat then added the beer.

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Loaded the jars with garlic cloves, pickling spice, dill, peppercorn, mustard seeds, and some dried Thai chillies, that the farmer who I helped butcher his chickens last spring gave me.

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Packed in the cukes, and ladled in the hot brine solution.

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Did the same brine, then the Big Foot, and later, the Founder's.

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Processing the jars.

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The finished product, I have enough hoppy goodness for the Zombiepocaplyse....but more than likely my local brew buddies will be getting presents.

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Now I gotta wait a week to get to try them...sigh. :)
 
Well once the homebrews were ready I've stopped drinking from my kegerator. Then all my friends got out of the army or got transferred. SO, a keg of beer plus 4 cornys of homebrew plus my liquor cabinet and my constant experimentation with different craft brews, makes it hard to drink it all.
 
Ok so I haven't pickled anything in approx 6 years, so I don't remember pickling being as easy as this was. But I don't know why it would have been any harder. The whole thing probably took about 20 minutes.

In the first pic you see the ingredients laid out as well as my Genesee cream ale clone alongside the real Genesee cream ale. So I was able to conduct my head to head test as I prepared the pickles. (I was also baking a loaf of bread using the leftover mash my today's Raging Irish Red brew, but that's neither her, nor there.)

Bottom line, it was easy and I can't wait to sample the finished product. The only thing I would do differently is buy full sized cucumbers and cut them down to size, rather than paying a lot more for the mini cucumbers.

After I started I realized that my garlic had begun to sprout. Is that malted garlic? (I pulled the sprouts out.)

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