Beer jam, also known as beer jelly,[1] is a jam prepared with beer as a primary ingredient.[2] It may be a sweet or savory jam, and some have a syrupy consistency. It may be used to glaze meats and vegetables or as a condiment. Some companies produce beer jam commercially.
The primary ingredient of beer jam is beer. As a result of evaporation of the alcohol during the cooking process,[1] beer jam may be non-alcoholic.[3] Various types of beer, such as ale, dark beer and stout[2][4] are used.
Some types are syrupy in consistency, rather than jam- or jelly-like,[4] and syrupy versions are used in mixed drinks and cocktails, such as a beer jam Manhattan.[4]
Simple versions may consist of only beer and pectin,[1] but other types, both sweet and savory, are more complex. Sweet varieties can include sugar, allspice, cloves, orange zest, star anise, lemon and vanilla bean,[4] while savory types may use tomato, shallots, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and sugar or brown sugar as ingredients.[2]
Beer jam may be used as a filling inside baked goods such as biscuits,[2] as a glaze atop meat and vegetable dishes,[1] and to accompany foods such as cheese, charcuterie and crackers,[1][3][4][5] among others.
Some commercial varieties of beer jam are produced. Al’s Backwoods Berrie Co. in Plymouth, Massachusetts, produces beer jam prepared with Samuel Adams' spicy Cold Snap winter brew.[6] Cleveland Jam of Cleveland, Ohio manufactures and markets beer jams and wine jams.[7][8] As of July 2015, Cleveland Jam is prepared in James Conti's home, and the company has plans to open a store.[8] The Potlicker Kitchen in Stowe, Vermont, prepares all-beer beer jams using only citrus fruit pectin, which thickens it, and cane sugar to sweeten the product.[1][9] Potlicker Kitchen beer jams include flavors such as porter, oatmeal stout, IPA and Hefeweizen,[1][3] and have an alcohol content of 0.5%.[5] Potlicker Kitchen's products are all produced with locally-made beer, and most of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.[5] Birra Spalmabile is a brand of chocolate beer jam in the United Kingdom that was invented in a collaboration between an Italian brewer and an Italian chocolatier.[3] It has been described as being similar to Nutella, with a beer flavor.[3]