Mushroom Barley Stew with Austin Amber Ale

Austin Beer Week is here! That means it’s time to pull out your pint glass, fire up the hospitality fridge, and enjoy the dozens of beers brewed right here in Austin. The Texas Craft Brewers Guild and other Beer Week organizers have outdone themselves this year; there are countless events, specials, tastings and parties all week long in celebration of Austin’s brewing community. (See the full calendar of activities here.)

I’m celebrating Austin Beer Week in my home kitchen, with a series of special beer recipes I’ve developed for the occasion. Each recipe features a different locally brewed craft beer, and I tried to select varieties that are widely available at Austin-area gas stations and liquor stores.

The first recipe in my Austin Beer Week series is a mushroom barley stew made with Independence Brewery’s Austin Amber Ale. Austin Amber Ale pours burnt orange with a thick white head, and it has a medium body. It is lightly carbonated with flavors of roasted barley, grass, and a hint of citrus, and it finishes very clean.

My stew recipe plays up the nutty qualities of the beer with barley, while celery and lemon juice complement the ale’s citrus notes. Three kinds of local mushrooms add umami and a rich texture to the stew, without overpowering the beer’s subtle flavors like beef would have. I definitely would have gone a different, darker, direction with this stew if I had been using a heavier beer,; however, the finished recipe is satisfying and clean without getting too heavy– just like Austin Amber Ale.