Have a Heart -- In Your Beer

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Nov 5th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo Courtesy Samuel Adams

Where's the beef? It's in your beer.

Recently, chef David Burke (above, left) partnered with Boston Beer Company to create the eponymous Burke in the Bottle. While spices including ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and black pepper may strike some beer drinkers as odd, it's the final ingredient that's strangest of all -- sliced beef hearts.

"When we think of David Burke, we think of beef," says Boston Beer brewing manager Bert Boyce (say that three times fast), who helped Burke craft the beer. To stand up to the meaty character, Boyce and Burke settled on an Oktoberfest-style beer liberally sprinkled with fall spices. Then came the beef: During the brew day, Burke brought over grilled, sliced beef hearts, which were added at the end of the boil.

As for the final product, "you get this big spice hit up front, with a nice malt character," Boyce says. "The beef heart expresses itself in the finish. It's savory and salty, and hangs at the end." (Oh, yes it does: I had a taste, and the beef heart hits you in the back of the tongue with a mineral tang.)

While this beer's a tad too challenging to sip solo, it works great when paired with grub. What would Boyce suggest? "It would go really well with something simple, like steak with peppercorns," Boyce says. "In the spirit of the beer, you should have it with beef."

Burke in the Bottle is currently available at David Burke restaurants.

Filed Under: Chefs, Drinks, News
Tags: beer, Boston Beer Company, David Burke