Easy recipe for drop beer biscuits & beer style recommendations.
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Read on for useful tips and step-by-step pictures (1 min)
Ingredients & Equipment
Our recipe is very low key while at the same time yields great results. You will need just a handful of ingredients:
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar (optional, we don’t like sweet biscuits so we omit it)
- Butter (cold and cut in cubes)
- Beer (see below for styles suggestions)
If the ingredients remind you of those typically used in beer bread – you are right! The manner of preparing the biscuits however is more similar to that of buttermilk drop biscuits which is why the texture is actually better than that of beer bread.
The main reason these beer biscuits are so incredibly easy to make is that a food processor does most of the work for you. You will also need
- a standard size baking sheet
- parchment paper (or silicone mat)
- (optional) cookie scoop
Process
Step 1. Begin by adding the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar (if using) and cold butter pieces into the bowl of the food processor.
Step 2. Pulse a couple of times until all the ingredients are combined and the mixture looks crumbly as shown below.
TIP: If you don’t have a food processor you can use a pastry cutter/butter blender to manually mix the flour and butter and then a wooden spoon to incorporate the beer.
Step 3. Next measure out the beer and add it to the Bisquick-like mix you created. If you’d like to add shredded cheese add a cup along with the beer.
Step 4. Pulse a few more times until all the ingredients form a mass and it lumps against the wall of the food processor bowl.
Step 5. Use a cookie scoop or simply two spoons to transfer the biscuits mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
If you want to freeze a certain quantity of the biscuits, especially if you made a double batch, first scoop them onto a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until they harden enough to be transferred to a gallon zip lock bag, then freeze. Before you bake frozen beer biscuits allow them to come to room temperature.
Step 6. Bake the biscuits for about 15 minutes. Take them out once golden and allow them to cool down a little. Serve while still warm.
Do not waste time and enjoy them before they cool off completely. I love breaking them in two halves and slathering each with herb compound butter. I can eat a few so fixed biscuits and call it a complete meal, perhaps with a side salad. Definitely with a beer.
How to Make Rosemary Butter
This time around I made rosemary butter with a bit of salt, but you can vary the fresh herb or if baking sweet beer biscuits make a whipped honey butter. Whatever you feel like. The pictures below show the few easy steps to make rosemary compound butter.
Simply combine room temperature butter cut in pieces with very finely chopped fresh rosemary and a bit of salt – to taste, mix them well with a fork and transfer to a bowl. Or you can roll the butter in parchment paper and refrigerate it for later use like I did with this cilantro, red pepper flakes and preserved lemons version.
TIP: If you are making these beer biscuits to go with grilled food the rosemary compound butter will be great on grilled steak, chicken, fish, potatoes, veggies… Two birds with one stone:)
Best Beer Styles for Drop Beer Biscuits
Not every beer style out there is appropriate to add to your biscuit mixture. After all, who wants to eat bitter beer biscuits?
Look for predominantly sweet or well balanced lagers and ales. Styles with bready and/or biscuity notes are perfect to use in this recipe.
I used Upslope Brewing Company American craft lager, brewed exclusively with malted barley. It is very light-bodied, balanced, with a slightly spicy Saaz hops aroma and IBU only 15.
In short, good styles are:
- American craft lagers
- Bohemian pils or Munich helles
- Dunkel lagers, bock lagers, light bock lagers
- wheat ales
- low bitterness amber ales or lagers
- as a flavor twist – porters or pumpkin ales if you want to impart mocha or pumpkin spice flavors
Other Recipes You Might Like
Beer Pulled Pork Slow Cooker
Dark Beer & Balsamic Braised Brisket
Oven Beer Chicken with Potatoes
White Bean Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
Easy Beer Biscuits (Drop Biscuit Style w/Optional Cheese)
Easy drop beer biscuits. One batch yields a dozen. You can add shredded cheese if desired or a bit more sugar than suggested for a sweeter version.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional, reduce or skip if you do not want sweet biscuits)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in cubes*
- 1 cup beer (such as American craft lager)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor combine all the dry ingredients and pulse to combine.
- Add the cold, cubed stick of butter and pulse until the butter is broken down into small pieces and the mixture resembles cornmeal.
- Add the beer and pulse about ten times. Stop as soon as the mixture clumps and sticks to the side of the food processor bowl.
- Use a large cookie scoop or two spoons to drop beer biscuit mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. **
- Bake until the biscuits turn golden (about 15 minutes) in the lower half of the oven. ***
Notes
*You can substitute shortening for butter.
**Each biscuit should work out to be about 3 tbsp worth of mixture, total of 12 per batch.
***Depending on the calibration of your oven you could bake at 450 F.
Nutritional information is per biscuit, not using sugar.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: biscuitAmount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 281mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
You really can’t go wrong with drop biscuits! These look absolutely delicious!
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says
I missed your recipes!! Where have I been all this time! These drop biscuits are easy to make, fast, and look absolutely delicious! Love the herb butter to go with them, yum!!
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Nicoletta! So happy you are back!
Leanne says
Love the ease of drop biscuits! My hubby could probably eat biscuits with every meal of the day, so I definitely need to give these a try!
CraftBeering says
They are a bit dangerous:) So easy to devour before you even sit down for a meal:)
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I’ve never thought of making biscuits in the food processor but that’s how I do pie crust so I love the idea! I have to try these soon–I’ll be dreaming of them tonight!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
This is great timing! My neighbour just gifted us some beer and I was wanting to use it in a food recipe. These biscuits would go great with some stew or chili on the snowy days ahead of us (yes that’s right – snow) 🙁
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
As soon as I saw this, I hit ‘PIN’ even before I read it because I know they’re gonna be delish! We have freezing rain here the past couple of days and I knew ALL the comfort food I can get in the form of warm bowls of soup, pastas, breads and the like. These would be so yummy right now!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Biscuits are made with regularity in my kitchen. So nice with a bowl of soup or stew. Can’t wait to try these ones. They look perfect 🙂
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
I forgot to give a rating that is well deserved 😉
Marvellina|What To Cook Today says
oh my gosh…these beer biscuits look sooooo good! (or is it just me being hungry at 9:26 pm?). But seriously looks great and love the step by step photos that makes it looks so easy! I just need to get a beer!!