Guinness Ice Cream Review

So, I had a chance to taste my ice cream, and I have to say the recipe needs some work. Flavor-wise, there is much too much molasses. Half of the called-for amount would probably still be more than enough. As it is, you wouldn't know the ice cream was supposed to be Guinness Flavored unless you were told.

I knew from the outset that I probably hadn't reduced the Guinness enough, and I was very right. The ice cream had a very icy texture, thanks mostly to the extra water in the beer. Next time around I think I'll use two bottles, and reduce them much further (just like the original recipe suggests). I'm hoping this will also help to intensify the beer flavor. Most of the alcohol will be cooked out during the reduction process, but it's the roasted barley flavor that I really want to preserve. That's what I get for cutting corners.

Also, while this particular recipe didn't call for heating the entire mixture, I think I may do that as well next time. Many ice cream recipes include this step, and I think it helps with the consistency. The ingredients separated slightly in the freezer, resulting in a bottom layer that was much more icy and beer-y than the top layer.

So, batch two will be attempted just as soon as I can procure myself a few spare bottles of the Good Stuff. I'll keep you posted.

Guinness Ice Cream

I confess, Guinness is one of my favorite beers. I know, there are plenty of other great stouts out there, but Guinness is my go-to favorite. I prefer the milder flavor of Irish stouts over more bitter imperials. Also I met my husband over a Guinness. And, Guinness brings back hilarious and fun memories of two crazy trips to Ireland. So I love Guinness, and I'm not apologizing for it.

But what do you do when you have one lonely bottle of it left in the fridge? It's not enough to drink (I go through Guinness like water...delicious, life-giving water), but you obviously can't throw it out.

That's the dilemma I faced this afternoon. Some would say, "go buy more Guinness," but I just stocked the fridge with a bunch of new stuff, and I'm just not in the mood for another trip to BevMo today. So, I hit the internet and found myself a recipe for Guinness Ice Cream. OhmyGodIcan'twait.

I adapted the recipe from here.

Ingredients:
1 bottle Guinness Draught
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons molasses

Directions:
Simmer Guinness until slightly reduced*. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar, add milk. Slowly add warm Guinness a few tablespoons at a time, while rapidly whisking the milk, egg and sugar mixture. Once about half of the Guinness is incorporated, you can stir the rest in a little faster. Add molasses and heavy cream.

Chill in fridge, then process according to the instructions on your ice cream maker. Once set, pour into an airtight container and chill in freezer for several hours.


Right now, mine is waiting in the fridge. The full mixture is over four cups, and my ice cream maker is only 1.5 quart capacity, so I might have to split it into 2 batches.

*Note that the original recipe called for one and a half cans of Guinness, reduced to 1 and a half cups. Since I only had one bottle on hand, I just reduced it less. We'll see if this has any implications on the flavor or the freezing process.