- Go straight to the Recipe Card or
- Read on for a few relevant tips (2 mins).
When it comes to infusing an ice cream custard with stout flavors it is all about choosing the best stout possible. Obviously, this is as subjective of a notion as it gets, but we do offer a few tips below.
Additionally, putting to work twice the stout typically used in similar recipes turns up the volume and might just cause you to forget any other stout ice cream you may have had.
Just a Few Ingredients
- Milk & cream. Use whole milk and a good quality heavy cream.
- Eggs. Key to creating the custard that lends richness to the ice cream. Pay attention to the notes on using raw eggs and tempering raw eggs below.
- Sugar. Brown sugar to arrest some of the stout's bitterness.
- Stout. See the notes below for details.
- Vanilla & salt. A bit of vanilla extract is added, you can replace it with Kahlua if you'd rather amplify the coffee notes. Salt is added to bring out the sweetness in the custard.
TIP: If you'd like to create an extra silky texture in your stout ice cream a trick is to add a bit of corn syrup (about 1 tbsp) to the custard. It works, but then again it is corn syrup, so decide based on your own food ingredient convictions. We usually leave it out.
What Stout to Choose?
Over the years we've experimented with several styles and various recipes. We find that a well-balanced stout such as Obsidian Stout brewed by Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR brings about great results. The bitterness of roasted barley and hops combined is just enough to balance the sweetness of the malt and the addition of wheat helps with the mouthfeel. It is a good choice if you can find it where you live or simply select/ask for something similar with balanced dark chocolate and espresso notes and silky roastiness.
Otherwise excellent options are:
- sweet British stouts with lactose aka milk stouts
- tropical stouts
- nitro stouts (like the one we used in our beer nog recipe)
- oatmeal stouts (when not brewed with too much roasted barley, like this one)
- flavored varieties - chocolate, caramel, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, coffee etc.
Generally - avoid aggressively hopped stouts, Irish stouts or others with lots of roasted barley in the grain bill and gravitate to balanced representatives of the style.
On that note - porters work great too.
How to Make It
The key is to reduce the stout to a thick simple syrup. The flavors will concentrate and a lot of the alcohol will evaporate (less alcohol means easier to freeze custard).
Besides that, it is a matter of creating a basic custard, adding the cooled down stout simple syrup to it and running the mixture through your ice cream machine.
NOTE: Our recipe calls for raw eggs in the custard. If you have reason to doubt the quality and freshness of the eggs you are using it is best not to prepare recipes that use them as they could carry salmonella bacteria.
As an extra safety precaution (not guaranteed to eliminate salmonella) you can always prepare the custard by first bringing the milk and cream to simmer, then beating the eggs in a separate bowl and tempering them with small amounts of the heated milk/cream mixture, until you can gradually add it all as you stir. The so prepared custard should be cooled down of course before use.
Serving Tips
Because our ice cream recipe calls for so much of the ale, it is quite soft.
Yes, you will 'cook off' a lot of the alcohol in the beer in the process of reducing it but some of it will remain. And alcohol does not freeze easily.
Be sure to keep the ice cream in the freezer for at least twenty-four hours after you transfer it from the freezer bowl of your ice cream machine. Especially if you made it with a bourbon aged or imperial stout with high ABV.
In order to keep it from melting for the longest time possible do serve it in chilled bowls. Not that it will take you that long to eat it, not at all, but something that tastes this good should be presented and enjoyed in its best state possible.
Toppings Ideas
Obviously, go with whatever speaks to you, but if we may suggest - try crushed yogurt dipped pretzels and a sprinkle of freeze dried coffee (aka instant coffee).
An ice cream that has the flavors of a balanced stout as its backbone welcomes the sweet and salty crunch of the pretzels and the distinct zing delivered by the coffee.
Besides that - candied nuts, mini chocolate chips, mini salted caramel chips are among our favorites.
Other frozen desserts with craft beer as ingredient
Strawberry Ale Strawberry Sorbet
Porter and Coconut Beercicles
IPA Pineapple Popcicles with Hops Salted Caramel
IPA Pineapple Slushie
IPA Mango Slushie
Recipe
Double Stout Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 24 oz stout ale*
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 6 egg yolks**
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups of heavy double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Before you begin make sure that the freezer bowl of your ice cream machine has been appropriately frozen.
- Start by gently pouring the two stouts and the brown sugar into a large sauce pan.
- Bring to simmer (just over medium heat and just under medium high heat) and stay nearby to make sure that the stout does not begin to foam and boil over (it can happen if the heat is too high).
- Let simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture is reduced by half (to just over 12 oz). On average this step takes about 15 minutes.
- Remove the (now) stout syrup from the heat and let cool off and then chill in the fridge. Once chilled, you can begin to make the custard for the ice cream.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks, the milk and the cream.
- Add the chilled stout syrup, the vanilla and the pinch of salt.
- Mix well and transfer to the freezer bowl of your ice cream machine.
- Churn according to the instructions of your ice cream machine maker.
- Once the ice cream has reached thick and creamy consistency, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 24 hours before serving.
- Serve in chilled bowls for maximum enjoyment.
Gregg
I’m curious if anyone would suggest trying to cook into into a crème brûlée base instead of ice cream?
Elizabeth
Oh I completely forgot one more very key point. I have no ice cream maker or machine. I love doing things the old fashioned way.
After freezing for about 3 hours, I used my hand mixer to break up the ice. Next day, the mixture froze fine and still medium hard enough to easily scoop.
I think if you've got a good custardy product, regular freezing works just as good as ice cream makers.
CraftBeering
Thank you Elizabeth for this feedback, sounds like a great solution and we will try your method as well!
Elizabeth
I made this icecream and its dynamite. I LOVE the end product, however, as much as I love whipping cream, I completely substituted milk and cream for half n half or 10% cream, the rest of recipe I followed.
The amazing malty stout flavour is to die for.
I used farm fresh eggs so no problem with salmonella bacteria.
Mine turned out like a sorbet due to low fat but I like sorbets.
Recipe is easy to follow. I definitely think by slow reduction of sugar and stout created ideal syrup for retaining strong stout flavour.
Thank you. Definitely a keeper.
Bill
Are there any concerns with not cooking the custard at all? I'm planning to use my bottle of Rum BA Dark Arts (15% ABV) for this since the whiskey and tequila barrel ones were so sweet. Should I consider reducing the amount of brown sugar?
CraftBeering
Hi, Bill, it is up to you if you want to reduce the sugar - we would if the ale was sweeter vs balanced. As to the custard, you could bring the milk and cream to simmer, beat the eggs in a separate bowl and temper with small amounts of the heated milk/cream mixture, then gradually add it all as you stir. Then of course let the custard cool down completely.
Kiko
Is there a way to do this without reducing the beer? I want to keep it nice and boozy (I'm using Hardywood Hoax Milk Stout)
CraftBeering
Hi Kiko and thanks for stopping by!
That milk stout sounds dreamy! When I looked it up the ABV is listed as 13.5%. The higher alcohol will lead to a softer serve ice cream than what you'd get following the original recipe, but it should work.
Use only 12 oz, maybe even 10 oz, in lieu of the reduced stout. Do warm up the stout on the stove just enough so that you can get the brown sugar to dissolve, then chill before adding to the other ingredients.
Would love to hear how it turned out!
Milena
Debra
Made this for Father's Day, using Rogue Chocolate Stout since my store had run out of Obsidian (P.S. thanks for explaining what flavor profiles to aim for; super helpful). I've never enjoyed dark beer -that's my husband's thing- but even I thought this was a.ma.zing. Definitely saving this recipe to use again on company. Thank you guys!!
CraftBeering
Thank you so much for taking the time to share Debra! Using the Rogue Chocolate Stout sounds like a great choice. Never had a bad beer from Rogue!
Heather
Thanks for this recipe! It was super delicious, the only change was using dark chocolate pretzels instead of yogurt ones. Definitely will be a repeated.
CraftBeering
Thank you, Heather for trying it out! Happy to hear you liked it. Dark chocolate covered pretzels sound so good right now, mmm.
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
Wow, Milena, what flavors you have here! I don't think I've ever tried stout ice cream...I know, shame on me 😉 , Your double stout ice cream sounds wonderful, and the yogurt pretzels must be delicious crushed in there. Those bowls look really nice and perfect for either hot and ice food, and the ice cream scoop is so nice!
CraftBeering
Thank you so very much, Nicoletta! Hope you guys have a fabulous New Year's celebration. I am sure the food will be top notch:)
Alisa Infanti | Livin' Well
Ok first... those bowls are beautiful and that ice cream looks amazing.
Lane & Holly | With Two Spoons
The ice cream looks amazing but I am OBSESSED with these bowls!!!
CraftBeering
Thank you so much!
Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen
this is a brilliant idea! love the flavour combo, and those bowls look so so SO cool!!!!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Hmmm - I see a chocolate stout in my future! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
This ice cream looks amazing! I have some cream in the fridge that I want to use up, and this looks like a really good solution!
annie@ciaochowbambina
I say YES to all of it! The ice cream, the bowls, the pretzels, the freeze-dried coffee! Such a flavorful experience you have going on here! I love, love, love it!!
CraftBeering
Thank you so very much, Annie!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I'm in Oregon right now and I have a feeling Obsidian Stout is available at the grocery store down the street. Which is both good and bad because I NEEEEEED this ice cream right now. But I also really don't need it considering the fact that I'm about to eat cookies for breakfast. . .Ugh! You're killing me with this! In a good way 🙂
CraftBeering
Thank you, Kelsie! In Oregon you can get beer at the grocery store can't you? Such a perk. You gotta at least drink some dragonglass beer:)
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
That ice cream is a beer-lovers dream come true! Yum 🙂 And those bowls and scoop - gorgeous! Want 🙂
CraftBeering
The bowls and scoop really do justice to the ice cream:) Thank you, Jennifer!
Albert Bevia
I have never had or heard of anything like this before, let me tell you this sounds delicious, great recipe with easy to follow steps, this will a winner with my brothers for sure 🙂
CraftBeering
Thanks, Albert! Very flattered!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Those bowl are pretty gorgeous and this ice cream? Yes please! My fave ice cream is mint chocolate chip and this time of year I always have candy cane floating around our freezer. I will definitely have to give this one a try cos this girl loves her some stout. Those yogurt pretzels and freeze dried coffee on top sound like the perfect addition. I can only imagine the lovely punch-in-your-taste-buds flavour of the salty sweet pretzels with the stout ice cream. YUM!!! Dangerously good, my friend 😉 Pinned!
CraftBeering
I love drinking stout with mint choc chip ice cream:) You said it so well about this ice cream though - the freeze dried coffee sprinkled over the stout ice cream does feel like a punch in the face a bit:) Then you get the intense stout flavors from the ice cream...Gosh, it is so good, still have enough for a bowlful in the freezer...