Rich Chocolate Porter & Stout Ice Cream: A Craft Beer Dessert Revelation with Porter Caramel Sauce

My palate’s journey with beer has been an interesting one, evolving significantly over the past few years. It wasn’t long ago, during my time managing a bustling country pub, that I truly began to appreciate the complex flavors of beer. Prior to that, I found its characteristic bitterness rather off-putting. However, the daily ritual of serving countless pints and meticulously caring for the casks in the cellar seemed to slowly reshape my perception. I developed a genuine appreciation for that very bitterness, understanding its role in the overall taste profile of a well-crafted brew. Yet, despite this newfound appreciation, drinking stout or porter neat has always been a challenge for me; their intensity often feels a bit too robust for my taste buds.

But here’s where the magic happens: when stout or porter is paired with chocolate and transformed into a decadent dessert like ice cream – or even a rich chocolate cake – it becomes an entirely different story. In this context, the deep, rich, and often roasty notes of these dark beers complement and accentuate the chocolate in an extraordinary way. They introduce a beautiful malty character without ever overpowering the sweetness or creaminess. The bitterness, once a deterrent, now acts as a sophisticated counterpoint, adding depth and complexity. The result is, in short, utterly delicious and surprisingly harmonious, offering a gourmet experience that even those wary of dark beers will adore.

Exploring the World of Craft Beers: My Honest Brew Experience

My venture into crafting this exquisite chocolate porter ice cream was inspired by a delightful sampler box of craft beers generously sent to me by Honest Brew. For those unfamiliar, Honest Brew is a fantastic online retailer specializing in a wide, diverse selection of craft beers sourced from brewers all over the globe. Many of their offerings are unique and often hard to find elsewhere, making them a true treasure trove for beer enthusiasts. Beyond their extensive a la carte selection, they also offer a highly customizable subscription service, aptly named ‘Honesty Box.’ This service allows you to tailor your beer deliveries precisely to your taste preferences, desired frequency, and the number of beers you wish to receive in each box.

The sampler box itself was a thoughtfully curated introduction to their world, containing six distinct beer styles alongside a stylish craft beer glass, a comprehensive tasting guide, and a valuable £10 voucher towards an Honesty Box subscription. Each beer offered a unique tasting experience, but for me, the undeniable standout was the Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA. This particular IPA boasted an incredibly light, refreshing, and vibrant fruity/citrus flavor profile that made it exceptionally drinkable. It proved to be the absolute perfect accompaniment for a scorching hot, sunny day at a festival (I wisely packed the cans for Bloodstock festival, where glass is strictly forbidden). Its crispness and bright notes were exactly what was needed to beat the heat, and it’s certainly a beer I plan to purchase again and again. Such carefully selected craft beers not only offer a delightful drinking experience but also open up exciting possibilities for culinary experimentation, as this very ice cream recipe demonstrates.

Crafting the Perfect Chocolate Porter Ice Cream: The Balance of Flavors

For this specific chocolate ice cream recipe, I opted to use the rich Railway Porter from my Honest Brew sampler box. However, it’s absolutely crucial to note that a good quality stout would work equally well as a substitute. The question of what differentiates a porter from a stout is a common one, and I’m happy to shed some light on it. Historically, porters were a dark, heavily hopped beer developed in London in the 18th century, named for the street porters who favored it. Stouts, originally, were simply “stout porters,” meaning stronger versions of the porter. Over time, they evolved into distinct styles, though the lines can often blur. Generally, porters tend to be a bit lighter in body and often have more chocolate or coffee notes, while stouts can be heavier, creamier, and possess stronger roasted barley characteristics, sometimes with a more pronounced bitterness. However, modern craft brewing has created a vast spectrum within both categories, so choosing a porter or stout for this recipe largely comes down to personal preference for nuanced flavor profiles – both will deliver that desired malty, roasty depth.

My inspiration for this creamy, rich ice cream came from David Lebovitz’s acclaimed Guinness milk chocolate ice cream recipe found in his indispensable book, The Perfect Scoop. If you’re serious about mastering homemade ice cream, sorbets, and granitas, this book is an absolute must-have guide. A key departure I made was utilizing milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate in the ice cream base. This choice was deliberate and proved to be perfect. Porter, and indeed most stouts, naturally possesses a robust and often bitter flavor profile due to the roasted malts. Had I used dark chocolate, I believe the resulting ice cream would have been overly intense, with an unbalanced bitterness. Milk chocolate, however, brings a crucial element of sweetness and creaminess, effectively harmonizing with and balancing the inherent bitterness and deep malty notes of the beer. The outcome is an incredibly creamy, intensely chocolaty ice cream, boasting a distinctive malty character and just the right hint of bitterness – making it utterly irresistible and incredibly more-ish.

To elevate this dessert even further, I also prepared a decadent porter caramel sauce. While the ice cream is phenomenal on its own and certainly doesn’t strictly require it, the sauce served as a delightful excuse to make use of the remaining porter. If you find yourself with leftover porter or stout and aren’t keen on drinking it, transforming it into this rich, boozy caramel sauce is an excellent way to prevent waste and add another layer of flavor and texture to your dessert. The sauce beautifully complements the ice cream, adding a sticky, sweet, and subtly bitter counterpoint that truly completes the experience.

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Chocolate Porter (Or Stout) Ice Cream

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Chocolate Porter Ice Cream:

• 200 g (7oz) milk chocolate chopped
• 300 ml (1 + ¼ cups) full fat milk
• 130 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 300 ml (1 + ¼ cups) double (heavy) cream
• 215 ml (¾ + ⅛ cup) porter (or stout)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Porter Caramel Sauce:

• 130 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 75 ml (¼ cup + 1tbsp) double (heavy) cream
• 115 ml (scant ½ cup) porter (or stout)
• 15 g (1 tbsp) butter
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Place the chopped chocolate in a large, heatproof bowl and place a fine mesh sieve over the top; set aside.
• Whisk together the milk, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a sauce pan and heat until just boiling. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly; pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, do not let it boil.
• Pour the custard through the sieve onto the chocolate, stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth then whisk in the cream followed by the porter and vanilla extract.
• Cover and refrigerate until completely cold then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions; transfer to a container and freeze for a couple of hours before serving.
• To make the porter caramel sauce, place the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium-high heat. Cook, swirling the pan (don’t stir) until the sugar has dissolved and turned amber coloured. Immediately remove from the heat and pour in the cream and porter.
• Return the pan to a low heat and stir until smooth then bring up to a simmer and cook for five minutes or so until it has reduced and thickened a little. stir in the butter and salt, remove from the heat, allow to cool then refrigerate until cold; the caramel will thicken further as it cools.

There’s nothing quite like homemade ice cream, and this Chocolate Porter (or Stout) Ice Cream takes it to an entirely new level. The custard base ensures a wonderfully smooth and creamy texture, while the rich milk chocolate blends seamlessly with the malty, slightly bitter notes of the porter. The entire process, from tempering the egg yolks to churning in the ice cream maker, is a rewarding culinary adventure. And the optional porter caramel sauce? That’s just pure indulgence, adding a luscious, boozy sweetness that cuts through the richness of the ice cream beautifully. Whether you’re a craft beer enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates a unique and delicious dessert, this recipe is sure to impress and become a new favorite.

This culinary exploration into craft beer desserts highlights the versatility of dark beers beyond the glass. It showcases how a well-chosen porter or stout can lend its unique character to sweet treats, creating a truly memorable flavor experience. I encourage you to try this recipe, perhaps experimenting with different porters or stouts from your local craft brewery. You might just discover a new favorite way to enjoy beer. Remember, the world of craft beer is vast and full of delightful surprises, both for drinking and for cooking!

Disclosure: I was provided with some products by Honest Brew to facilitate this post. However, I was not compensated for writing this article, and all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own and reflect my genuine experience.