http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/beat-the-heat-frozen-beer-on-a-stick-and-beer-ice-cream/offbeat-news

Beer and hot summer days go hand in hand, just as beer does with ice
cream. Say WHAT you ask? Yes, so you may just want to grab one the
latest crazes to hit Virginia streets for frozen beer on a stick — a
creation concocted by chef Frank Morales, at the Rustico Restaurant in
Alexandria, Virginia, when he accidentally froze his cherry-flavored
beer in the freezer and soon realized it made for a tasty treat.

Beer on a stick 8Beer on a stick 6

The summer-time favorite ‘Hopsicle’ has made its come-back after the
restaurant was granted permission to sell frozen beer on a stick.

As a base, Morales uses Belgian fruit beers that are low in alcohol
and minimally hopped. The icy beer-infused treats are subject to beer
availability and come in 7 flavors — framboise, cherry kriek, peche,
cassis, banana, plum and the new and improved chocolate stout, at $5 a
pop.

Morales whisks the beer thoroughly to drive off carbonation, adds
chopped-up fruit and two “secret ingredients,” then heats the mixture
to a boil. Once it’s cooled, he pours it into molds shaped like a
cylinder, a cone, a star and a rocket ship.

The Hopsicles have a slightly slushy texture and an intense
fruitiness, with the beer adding extra layers of flavors. The banana
pop has a dry, biscuity maltiness, as well as a faint hop
bitterness. The plum bears some of the earthy flavor typical of
Belgian lambics — beers that are exposed to the atmosphere and
fermented spontaneously.

beer 1
Photo Electronic Alchemist

The brainchild of the brew pop by Frank Morales and Beer Director Greg
Engert ruffled the feathers of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control (ABC) last year, citing numerous conflicts, and the
control board prohibited Rustico from selling its brew pops which were
selling like hot-cakes.

ABC regulations require the beverage to be “served in its original
container or immediately after pouring.” The board amended the law on
alcohol content in prepared foods, so Rustico is able to sell its brew
pops once again.

beer pops 1
Photo Erincooks

“As long as adults consume responsibly, government should certainly
not over-regulate the inclusion of alcohol in food — or brew pops for
that matter.” said Ebbin, a co-sponsor of the bill.

Morales’s original hopsicle recipes were made entirely from beer, but
he changed them to incorporate other ingredients in an effort to
appease the local liquor control board.

“Go into a restaurant that uses wine as a food ingredient and you
don’t have these issues.” says Morales, who also uses beer in soups,
potpies, ragouts and even a peanut-butter-and-beer-jelly sandwich.

The beer pops will be available through to September at the
restaurant, located at 827 Slaters Lane.

Now that the restaurant can legally sell the hopsicle, the state is
awaiting confirmation of the alcoholic beer-sicle’s legal status.

Beer Desserts

Beer may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think icy
treats and desserts, but plenty of recipes and restaurants serving
them abound with a plethora of microbreweries, restaurants, and pubs
that brew their own blends — from honey to blackberry — putting beers
on the dessert menu on a regular basis.

Strong, dark beers can have a noticeably bitter after taste, but many pair well with fruit to make sorbets. Dairy can mute the flavors of some malts, but also conceals lingering bitterness, so it pairs well with stronger ales.

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