I know plenty of people who make beer bratwurst, beer bread, or put beer in stew, and I find it a very tasty addition to the right meal. I am wondering, why doesn’t anyone make beer flavored spices?
I’m imagining a powder that carries the taste of beer and can sit right on your spice rack next to the coriander. A quick web search brought up this beer extract powder from Spice Barn, which is surprisingly much closer to the product I was envisioning than I thought was available on the market. One improvement I’d still like to see is someone offering extracts from a variety of different types and flavors of beer. Using generic beer flavoring seems along the same lines as drinking beer which could be an ale, lager, stout or some combination of the three without acknowledging that each carries a different flavor (not to mention the different flavors within each of these styles of beer). In the context of spices, it would be like having a “herb” spice without breaking it down to the specific type of herb it is.
Still, that such a product exists makes me excited to give it a try. I’ve already cleared a spot in my spice cabinet.
While I agree that a beer spice is a novel idea, I do not think it is really a suitable substitute for the real thing. At first read, your suggestion seemed reasonable, but after what probably was too much thought on the subject, I have determined that a single beer seasoning is sufficient and perhaps too much.
I think the liquid and real beer adds something that no spice can replace. Why not make a milk seasoning for your cereal? It could come in skim, 2% and whole.
It just doesnt work for good cooking. If you just want a simple beer spice, that is what you get, not the real flavor and selection of real beer.
I’m not quite sure that I would enjoy any food with beer flavored seasoning. In spite of this, I would like to mention that down in Argentina they have beer flavored ice-cream. So, while it may not fulfill your expectations as far as having a container of beer seasoning in your cabinet, you might make some space in your freezer, next to the chocolate flavored ice-cream. It’s not the same thing…but its as close as I could get!