Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Long before there was ever fancy microbrew beer with added chocolate flavouring, there was Guinness. I’ve always maintained that drinking a glass of Guinness is like drinking a glass of chocolate milk. Both in the slight chocolatey flavour of the beer, and the thick richness with which it goes down your gullet and settles in your stomach. So for me, coming across porters and stouts in recent years that are actually designed to taste like chocolate was not such a great stretch. But as a girl who started off her beer-drinking days by downing a great lot of Molson Canadian, a pale lager, I can understand that for some, beer and chocolate might seem like an odd combination.
Starting a month or so before St. Patrick’s Day, I saw a lot of chocolate/beer recipes popping up, particularly ones that used Guinness. I was definitely intrigued, and even bookmarked a few to adapt for low carb, but never quite got around to it. I figured the moment had passed, since St. Paddy’s day was come and gone. And then I saw THIS gorgeous image on Scoop Adventures. It looked so rich and chocolatey and as I am currently having a little love affair with my ice cream maker, I knew I had to make it. I didn’t have any porter, but I did have a bottle of stout, in the form of Guinness. Close enough!
The Results: Deeee-lishus. This really makes for a refreshing, bold, interesting sorbet. The beer has quite a presence, so it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s malty and yeasty and rather intense, but I loved it. So did my husband. I didn’t even bother to feed it to the kids, I knew that they would take one taste, thinking it was all chocolate, and then the rest would go to waste. It’s not really the type of treat you give a child!
In the original instructions, she said you could cut back on the beer a bit and add more water. I think you would lose something by doing so but to each his own. If you freeze it for longer than a few hours, it will get quite hard, but a little time in the fridge (half an hour to an hour) and it will soften nicely.
The beer makes it REALLY melty at room temperature, so my pictures were done in haste. If you look closely, you can see me and my camera in the reflection of the spoon. Whoops! I simply didn’t have time to pay attention to those little details, but duly noted that a shiny spoon in a bright window equals seeing a funny, distorted reflection of myself.
Chocolate Stout Sorbet
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup granulated erythritol
¾ cup cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 oz high % cacao chocolate (I used 90%), finely chopped
¾ cup stout
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon stevia extract
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water, erythritol, cocoa powder and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly and boil for 45 seconds.
Remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate. Add vanilla, stevia and beer and stir to combine. Transfer to a blender and blend for 15 seconds. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Give mixture one final quick blend to incorporate (I refrigerated it in my blender container so I could just pop it back on the blender base). Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s direction. Then transfer to an air tight container, press plastic wrap flush to the surface, and chill for several more hours, or until firm but not hard.
Makes 8 servings. Each serving has a total of 16g of carbs and 3.75g of fiber, but only 10g of carbs if you subtract erythritol. Total net carbs is 6.25g.
claire says
um… yes please! i would LOVE a scoop of this!
Lynn says
Love this! I've been planning on making guiness chocolate cake for my brothers birthday in July. Who cares if it's not St-Patricks? There's always time for Guiness!
Foodness Gracious says
Awesome, would it be ok for the kids or would I be throwing them in bed early?
Veronica Gantley says
Great pictures Carolyn. I know how hard it is to get good pictures of ice cream. It tends to melt very quickly. It is even worse when you are out in the sun. I will bet it tasted pretty good too. There is nothing better than homemade ice cream.
The Mom Chef says
You don't use a tripod, huh. 🙂
So, I don't like chocolate and I don't like dark beer, but you know, this really would be an awesome combination for those who do like both (like Hubby). The color is downright gorgeous.
Karen says
My hand was up for the chocolate/beer combo! I was skeptical until I had a beer ice cream float at a pub, and oh man was it good!
This sorbet looks equally delicious and I can imagine the flavor is too!
Fresh and Foodie says
This looks great. I've been thinking about getting an ice cream maker for a while and this may have sealed the deal!
Katrina {In Katrina's Kitchen} says
You know what made me laugh about this post was your comment about your spoon reflection! lol I always have that issue! So funny!
Emily @ A Cambridge Story says
This is a perfect combo! Love how creamy your sorbet came out!
Parsley Sage says
Very timely post for me! I just had my first encounter with chocolate and beer at that tasting. Winning combo 🙂 Well done!
Angela@RecipesFromMyMom says
I remember hanging out with friends in our favorite hometown bar eating peanut M&Ms and drinking beer when I was home from college so chocolate & beer seem like a perfect combination to me. Your sorbet sounds especially good in our hot weather but I think it's got all-year-round appeal too.
SuzyEats says
this looks great!! great idea.
chinmayie@lovefoodeat says
Yummmmm…. both hands raised here! looks delish!!
purabi naha says
Very very delishh! What more do I want on a hot summer day?
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
Your sorbet looks creamy and delicious! I am much more partial to chocolate sorbet than fruit flavors…. and the addition of beer is just so smart!
Food Lover says
mmmm yummy, I'm a big fan for this dessert, thanks for sharing 🙂
kitchenarian says
I am not a beer drinker, but I am definitely an ice cream eater! This is something I have to try. I guess it's time to pull out my ice cream maker!
Maris (In Good Taste) says
Oh yes and yes!!!
Lizzy says
Mmmmmm, that melty chocolate goodness looks sooooo tasty, Carolyn! Gorgeous photos…and the perfect treat for a hot afternoon (or morning :)).
Gabby@foodchowdown says
my hand may have gone down.. but hey that doesn't mean I wouldn't try it. It looks delicious.