Mmm...McMenamins Sleepy Hollow & Beer-Cheese Bites

Faithful readers know that I like food as much as I like beer and I can't help but playing with the two. Recently I'd culled my pile of recipes I had been collecting (hoping to make them at some point) during which time I re-found one for beer muffins. The timing was perfect, having just picked up a grumbler of McMenamins Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown, as I wasn't interested in using a stout or IPA (two of the most common styles found in my fridge) to try it out.

The beer is one of the nuttiest representations of the style even though no nuts were harmed in the making of the beer. As with many nut browns, it starts with a mild aroma, followed by an even milder upfront flavor but what sets this beer apart is the nuttiness that kicks in just as one is starting to think it's going to leave you hanging and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. After enjoying an introduction to the beer on its own I dove into making the recipe, altering it from standard muffin size to mini size, perfect for sharing and snacking on alongside a beer.

As luck would have it I didn't need all of the beer for the recipe and not long after I pulled the little buggers out of the oven I had to have one (ok, maybe more than one) with the beer. And you know what? Even though the mini muffins have plenty of flavor on their own they didn't overshadow the beer, allowing the nuttiness to still come through. I'd call that a win.

If you want to try your hand at some of these delicious bites, here's the recipe. And if you want to get some Sleepy Hollow, you've got about 10 days left to do so. After that the next McMenamins seasonal will be coming into rotation.