I love beer. I also love food. There is nothing better than finding a way to combine your two loves into one. Today, I decided I needed brownies. Yes, needed not wanted. Earlier in the day, I picked up a mixed pack of beer that just so happened to have a Terrapin Wake N Bake in it. Terrapin is my favorite brewery ever and their Wake N Bake is great!

Wake N Bake is an oatmeal coffee imperial stout from Terrapin’s Monster Beer Tour that comes out in the winter. It is 8.6 ABV, very dark in color and has a strong coffee flavor that would go heavenly in a batch of brownies.

I took my favorite brownie mix and followed the instructions on the box, but substituted the water with beer. This is by far the best idea I have ever had and cannot believe I have not tried this before. The best part is the brownies only use a few tablespoons of the beer, so I get to enjoy the rest! The hard part was waiting for the brownies to cook—20 minutes seems like an eternity when you are hungry. The smell coming from the oven was amazing; you could smell the Wake N Bake.

Finally, once the brownies cooled and I could try this genius collaboration, it really was heavenly. The beer and the brownies paired so well together. You have the rich coffee flavor of the Wake N Bake and the delicious taste of chocolate all in one bite. This really was something my whole family enjoyed, the kids as well—cooking takes the alcohol out, but leaves the flavor in. I chose a stout for my brownies; you could use a lambic or something barrel-aged. Don’t be afraid to experiment, cooking is supposed to be fun…especially if beer is involved!

Heather Rogers, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Beer Consultant – Kennedy Blvd, Tampa

Follow her on Twitter @abcbeerheatherr