Coconut Porter Pancakes

I wasn’t planning on eating breakfast. Usually if I go to the gym too late on a weekend morning I am content with a cup of strong coffee and I just wait until it’s lunch time. But when I got home, Chris was making coconut porter pancakes. Using a bottle of this amazing porter that in my mind was destined for coconut flan. The kitchen smelled so nice and the first pancake tasted so good that I quickly set up two photography boards to take pictures (why miss an opportunity?)

Again, thanks Lyndsey and Bradley for the awesome Christmas gift of craft beer shipments! How did you know we will like it:)?

The flan will have to wait until we get some more Arcadia Ales Porter Rico. We had the first two bottles from the shipment several nights ago and were surprised by how drinkable it was.

This ale was somewhat deceptive in that it made us think that it was going to be heavy and boozy. Not the case. It poured with a rich tan head and was a dark brown color. It had unmistakable toasted coconut aromas and every sip was invigorating with its lighter body and higher carbonation (higher than typical porters). We thought that it was more of a dunkel lagerish crisp, definitely not full and syrupy as many porters are… The sweetness of chocolate and toasted malts was persistent and ended with a hint of coffee like acidity.

The batter was pretty thick and Chris used a 1/2 cup measure to make sure all the pancakes were the same size. I had no idea that if the pan was not hot enough, the batter would spread more and result in larger and thinner pancakes. Now I am better informed.

The pancakes were fluffy, sweet (adding maple syrup was not a necessity), and so flavorful. I have a feeling that if you made coconut porter pancakes you would not want to go back to a plain beer-less recipe. There was little alcohol in the Porter Rico (ABV 5.5%) to start with and none to be felt in the actual pancakes. Just the toasty coconut sweetness.

We loaded them with banana slices and unsweetened coconut shavings for crunch. They were superb with hot coffee.

To make your own just find a similar coconut porter or coconut stout. Or if you are not into coconut – use a chocolate porter or stout and chocolate chips in the batter? Or borrow the flavor profiles from this recipe for Hefeweizen Crepes with Ricotta, Blueberries and Lemon. Or just be creative. Craft beer makes awesome pancakes, you will not be disappointed.

Psst…If it is Sunday and you are not really going anywhere after breakfast…try pairing the pancakes with a glass of the very same beer you used for the batter.

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