Irish Channel Stout Ice Cream

In the past year or two there has been a big push to support local.  Eat local, drink local, shop local.  I am all for it.  New Orleans needs all the support it can get.  Plus eating and drinking local reduces my impact on the environment.  Among the local businesses I support is New Orleans Lager & Ale (NOLA) Brewing.  The brewery has been in operation since 2009 and is located just a few blocks away from my home. 

Since its opening, NOLA has released a total of 6 beers.  My favorites?  The NOLA Brown - an easy-to-drink, full flavored English ale with notes of chocolate, coffee, caramel, and nuts; The 7th Street Wheat - a filtered wheat beer steeped with lemon basil and named after the 7th Street wharf across the street from the brewery; and the brewery's newest release - Irish Channel Stout.  The brewery is located in the Irish Channel, a small part of the city originally settled by the Irish (that was obvious).  What could be a better beer than a stout to show off the area's Irish heritage?  The Irish Channel Stout is brewed with 8 different grains resulting in sweet malt flavors of caramel and chocolate, hints of espresso, and a crisp bitterness produced by roasted barely and American Hops. 

With all of its complexity I thought the Irish Channel Stout would be the perfect ingredient for ice cream.  The night the beer was premiered in the city, I took a pint to go (something you can actually do in New Orleans) rushed home and made the ice cream base.  The result was a boozy and full bodied ice cream.  Enjoy!

Irish Channel Stout Ice Cream

The Irish Channel Stout contains 7% alcohol, so this recipe resulted in a soft and scoopable ice cream.  Feel free to use a stout of your choice, but I would recommend finding a beer with 5% alcohol or higher.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup (165 grams) dark brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup stout beer
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup

Combine cream, milk, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat.  Stir occasionally and heat mixture until it comes to a low boil.  Boil for 4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent mixture from boiling over.  Remove from heat and pour milk mixture through a sieve into a medium bowl.  Cool to room temperature.

Once milk mixture is at room temperature, add stout, vanilla, and maple syrup.  Whisk to combine.  Chill the mixture thoroughly (at least 4 hours or overnight). Once chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Place plastic or parchment over ice cream (to prevent ice crystals) and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.