Using up unwanted beer...

Most people don't have the issue of unwanted beer in their fridge...either you are a beer drinker or you are not. I definitely fall under the latter. When I was six years old, my dad gave me a sip of his beer...that was enough to turn me against beer for life. The taste is not for me.

Over the last couple of years, I would hear my husband turn down beer telling his buddies that his wife did not like the smell of beer on his breath. Even though I would insist that he could have a beer with his Army buddies,  he always declined. I did not want to be that wife...the one that would not let her husband be 'one of the guys.' So, I decided to be the cool wife and surprise my husband with a variety pack of beers. It turned out that I was just a convenient excuse...he does not like beer any better than I do.

I watched the 6-pack of beers slowly dwindle over the past two years. However, at some point the dwindling plateaued and that one final beer sat lonely in the refrigerator. If I said that it sat in one spot, then I would be lying...it sat dead center in the front of the fridge; it made its way to the side of the fridge; it gradually was pushed to the back of the fridge; then, at some point it was found and placed on the door of the fridge in hopes that it would finally be consumed.

That last lonely beer finally found its purpose today. I am trying to be good about using up the rest of the food before we move rather than have anything go to waste. So, how can people that do not drink beer productively use it up? Easy-- use it in beer bread. It is seriously the simplest homemade bread recipe that I have ever baked.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine together 3 cups of self rising flour with 1/4 cup sugar. 
• Mix in 1 bottle of beer...whichever beer of your choice.
• Pour into a greased bread pan.
• Bake for about 50 minutes...give or take...I am of the school that all ovens vary; so, you really need to learn your own oven's personality when cooking and baking.
• Let cool completely before removing from the pan.

The bread itself turned out good. The truth is that it still tasted a little bit too much like beer for me. This could be just that the bottle of beer that was left was a strong, dark beer. For the best results, have a beer that you think you will like or if the bread will be eaten by non-beer drinkers then choose a lighter tasting beer. If you do find yourself stuck with a dark beer (like I was), then I suggest adding molasses to give the final product more of a "Boston Brown Bread" taste.

A great meal pairing for this bread is homemade chili and a fresh salad.