At Stockholm’s, we love pairing beer with food. But we also love to cook with it! As a little nod to American Craft Beer Week, we thought we’d start a series called “Cooking with Beer”. Every other week, we’ll share a recipe using one of our craft brews.

We’re starting out with one of my favorites, and it’s a perfect dish for summertime al fresco dining. This recipe comes from Leonel, our master chef who’s been with us since day one. We’ve featured it on our specials menu before, and it may make another appearance this summer.

Beer Mussels
1 Tablespoon butter
1 lb mussels
3/4 c State Street Pilsner
2 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ shallot
2 sprigs thyme
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ c. chicken stock
salt & pepper

Immediately before you cook the mussels, you need to clean them. Working with one mussel at a time, rinse the shell under cool running water and scrub it gently to remove any debris. Make sure to keep the bowl of mussels on the counter as you don’t want it to fill with water.

Next, cook the bacon in a large heavy bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid. Remove bacon once cooked and set aside. In that same pot with bacon fat, melt the butter. Sauté garlic and shallots until softened and fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper (bacon and chicken stock will impart salt as well, so feel free to skip the salt here.)

Return bacon to pot and add the State Street Pilsner and bring to boil. Add the mussels and cover with the lid. After 3-4 minutes, remove the lid to stir. Add Dijon, thyme, parsley, and chicken stock. Let the mixture reduce by half. Discard any mussels that have not opened and serve with toasted crostini. Enjoy!

The State Street Pilsner used in this recipe, as well as all of our craft brews including seasonals and barrel-aged brews, are available in liter growlers to take home. Enjoy them on your patio, use them in recipes, or give as a fun and unique gift!