FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2008
Contact: Nancy Piho 202 362-6644
Beer Flavors Fourth of July Celebrations
Alexandria, VA – If you’re planning a special celebration for Independence Day, you probably already have beer on the menu. The Fourth of July holiday period is the peak time of the year for beer sales and servings, according to IRI InfoScan Data. But this year, if you’re attending a neighborhood potluck party or hosting a picnic, try serving a favorite beer in a new way: as a part of one of your recipes. From the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) of Alexandria, Virginia, here are two new recipes that are perfect for holiday or any-day gatherings. Both feature luscious peaches which are in season during the summer months, and both use a flavorful beer as a tasty surprise ingredient that accentuates the decadent fruit flavor. Spinach Salad with Bock Beer Vinaigrette is easy to prepare and beautiful to present as part of a picnic buffet. Whisk together a vinaigrette dressing by combining Bock Beer with rice vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, chopped tarragon and an extra-virgin olive oil. Marinate sliced peaches and chopped red onion briefly in the mixture, then add baby spinach leaves, toasted pecans, chopped hard boiled egg and crumbled blue cheese to the salad. This recipe serves four for an easy weeknight meal, but it can be doubled or even tripled easily to serve a crowd. For a delicious dessert, serve Wheat Beer Peach Cobbler. This recipe makes the preparation simple by calling for frozen bagged peaches, but if time for peeling allows, substitute with fresh fruit. Start by boiling a bottle of fruit or honey-flavored Wheat Beer down to a thick reduction. Stir in sugar, light brown sugar, cornstarch, Chinese five-spice powder and the peaches; boil until hot and cooked through. Pour into a large serving dish and top with refrigerator buttermilk biscuits. Bake just 15 minutes and cool slightly
before serving with vanilla ice cream. A crispy, fruit Lambic Beer would be a perfect accompaniment to this dessert. NBWA represents more than 2,750 licensed beer distributors with operations across the country. These distributors deliver nearly 13,000 labels of beer safely to American consumers from coast to coast. 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, which began the state-based system of alcohol distribution that today gives Americans the safest alcohol system in the world. America’s beer distributors encourage everyone to consume alcohol beverages responsibly. If you chose to drink, don’t drive drunk, and it’s illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase or consume alcohol beverages. ###
For more information about beer distributors, and more recipes featuring the great taste of various beers, please visit http://www.nbwa.org.