Brewer Knows Best: Summit's Mark Stutrud

Beer still lags behind wine in culinary circles, not only as a drink for pairing with food but also as a cooking ingredient. A growing chorus of local and regional brewers is out to change that. In Brewer Knows Best, The A.V. Club grills Minnesota brewmasters for advice on how to match their wares with something other than CornNuts. This installment features Summit Brewing Co. owner Mark Stutrud, whose 23-year run in the business makes him an O.G. among the region’s burgeoning number of beer craftsmen.

The A.V. Club: A lot of people's primary experience "pairing" beer with meals is simply drinking it with bar food. What is it about the relationship between beer and greasy food that works so well?

Mark Stutrud: Beer’s slight acidity and carbonation makes it good for washing down grease. Those same characteristics are also what makes it better than wine as a compliment to cheese. ... One of the things the wine folks don’t want people to realize is that beer is far and away more universal in terms of matching with food. There is one guideline, though: When it comes to hops, you want to be pretty careful [cooking with it] because that hop character will get concentrated. It can be like being too heavy handed with oregano or basil. It’ll make that sauce a little too bitter.

AVC: With so many American craft beers focusing on domestic hops flavor, that presents a problem for people who want to cook with them.

MS: I’m not saying don’t use bitter beers. The beauty of beer and food is the limits are unknown. Wine has been, for years, bogged down by rigidity. But I think you reconcile that discrepancy by playing around with it. If you want to bring out a strong, bitter flavor, go for it. I’m not trying to be evasive or vague. ... I don’t want people to say, "You can’t do that because he said it’s not OK." Cooking by itself can seem insurmountable, but, hell, all of us started with dumb-ass hot dishes.

AVC: It still seems smart to avoid IPAs and Pilsners that are exceedingly hoppy, though.

MS: I think a good measure is the amount of IBU, international bitterness units. Anything less than 25 IBUs should be perfect for poaching or steaming. Once you get to around 30 to 66 is where you really start using it as part of the framework of your flavor. It comes down to the decision of beer being a [beverage] pairing or part of the dish. Think of something delicate like walleye—too much bitterness could ruin it, but something more resilient could handle something stronger and you end up with some great subtle flavors. Ales work great because ales have a lot of esters, which provide tons of aroma and flavor.

AVC: What would be a good use of Summit's flagship brew, the Extra Pale Ale?

MS: The EPA is really well balanced. The hop comes out, but because of the balance, it works well with most foods. It makes great pizza dough and, of course, a beer batter.

AVC: How about the Great Northern Porter? It’s got that roasted-malt thing going on.

MS: One of my favorite recipes is a Belgian one for beef, beer, and onions. Get some cubed chuck roast and coat it with flour, salt, and pepper. Brown it on all sides in a big dutch oven with butter and take them aside. Then put in some chopped onions to cook in the drippings, and once they start to brown, add some porter to deglaze. Once that’s cooked down a little, put your beef back in, cover it with, say, six bottles of porter, put your lid on, and then put it in a 325-degree oven for about 40 minutes. Everything should be nice and thick. Put that on some rice or noodles like a stroganoff and it’s perfect. Porter is pretty flexible though. Some chefs use it as balsamic vinegar.

AVC: Using beer in meat dishes seems fairly intuitive, but what about vegetarian fare?

MS: If you’ve got a steam cooker or a rice cooker, you can use [beer in] that too. You want to use a wheat beer for rice because it’s lighter. If you use a dark or amber beer that has a high hop character, all of those flavors really magnify. If you’re steaming, you’ll pick up those flavors really easy. So you want a milder wheat beer. That also makes a great braising sauce with carrots and leeks. Cut the carrots on the bias and cook them with some butter, salt, and pepper, cover it, then add your beer and let it cook down.

AVC: For people who are too lazy or intimidated to try any of this, which local restaurants are using beer in interesting ways?

MS: The Muddy Pig. Those guys are very involved with beer. I’ve done 14 beer dinners this year, working with the folks at 20.21 and the Walker Art Center, Happy Gnome. Another place that was fantastic was Firelake Grill in downtown Minneapolis. There’s also a little place out in White Bear Lake called Ingredients. Of course we’ve got The Strip Club over here, and Heartland. All of the chefs are very beer-centric, and they’re really working on incorporating it into their cooking.

AVC: How would you characterize the difference between a beer dinner and a wine dinner?

MS: Wine dinners have that more kind of elitist, very rigid set up. But I think a beer dinner, sort of just brings it down to everyone’s level. With wine you know it’s, "well, if you understand all this nomenclature, then you can be part of the club."