Hops For Your Pops

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 20, and for dads who dig cooking, we’re offering some delicious beer-infused recipes from Keegan Ales and the Beech Tree Grill. But for those who would rather avoid the kitchen, the two restaurants are hosting events and special menus for the big day. So raise a pint — and a fork — to Valley dads. Cheers!

» Get your beer here

Although many people tend to spend the day grilling in the backyard on Father’s Day, the Beech Tree Grill features a special homestyle brunch (something “real meat-and-potatoes-y,” Chef Aaron Foglietta promises) and a selection of grilled items for dinner — in case those burgers and steaks at home come out a la flambé.

When did you first start cooking with beer?
The first time I tried cooking with a microbrew was four years ago. I tried to make a potato cheese soup with a bitter India pale ale. I cooked it the wrong way, and the soup came out extremely bitter. Beer lovers enjoyed it because it tasted like the beer, but no one else was into it. I’ve learned since then.

What’s the best type of brew to cook with?
Anything that’s pretty flavorful, from a mid-bodied brew — like a pale ale — to a thick stout, depending on what flavor you’re looking for.

Tell me about a Father’s Day tradition.
It’s not just a Father’s Day memory in particular, but my family always loved cooking and eating together, and the smell of a charcoal grill lighting up in the summer reminds me of grilling with my father. I love that smell.

What’s a better Father’s Day gift: a necktie or beer?
Definitely beer! Beer and a hammock.

Favorite special-occasion beer?
Anything Belgian, depending on the season. In the summer, I usually like a good saison or farmhouse ale; they’re light so you can have a couple.

Beech Tree Grill
1 Collegeview Ave., Poughkeepsie
845-471-7279 or www.beechtreegrill.com

Stout Braised Short Rib Hash with Fried Egg
Created by Chef Aaron Foglietta, owner and chef at Beech Tree Grill
Serves 4

For the Short Rib:
• 1 beef short rib • 1 bottle De Dolle
Belgian Stout • 3 tomatoes, halved
• 1 large onion, diced •1 large carrot, diced • 2 cups brown veal stock
• 2 sprigs thyme • 1 bay leaf • salt and pepper to taste • 2 Tbsp olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a saucepot. Season the short rib with salt and pepper.
2. When oil is hot, brown short rib on all sides and transfer to plate. Reserve on the side.
3. Sauté onions until soft and add carrots. Sauté, making sure to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. (This is where the good stuff is.)
4. When carrots and onions are soft, add halved tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, beer, and stock. Return short rib to pot.
5. Reduce heat and cook until tender, about 1-1 ½ hours.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Reserve cooking liquid.

For Hash:
• 2 Tbsp olive oil • Cooled short rib, medium diced • 1 Spanish onion, medium diced • 2 baked potatoes, cooled, medium diced • 2 poblano peppers, medium diced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme • reserved short rib liquid • 4 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté onions in half the olive oil until translucent.
2. Add poblano pepper and cook until soft. Turn heat to high, and add remaining olive oil.
3. Add potatoes and brown in olive oil, being careful not to burn other ingredients.
4. Turn heat down to medium, season with salt and pepper, and add short rib to warm up.
5. Add one cup of reserved liquid and thyme.
6. Remove from heat. Fry eggs in butter and serve over hash, using more reserved liquid to moisten if necessary.

This Father’s Day, Tommy Keegan wants to buy your dad a beer. Bring your father to Keegan Ales on that special Sunday and he’ll get a free brew of his own. Stop in early to enjoy brunch, and don’t forget to tour the inner workings of the brewery.

When did you first start cooking with beer?
Before I even started brewing I was in the Coast Guard. The chef onboard our ship was my buddy and fishing partner, and we used to make beer-battered fish or beer-can chicken together. We weren’t supposed to have beer onboard, but the captain would let him grab one here and there to cook with.

What’s the best type of brew to cook with?
Dark beers add a bolder, roast flavor, good for barbecue sauces if done right. Simmer the beer to make a reduction — it intensifies the flavor; overcooking makes it watery. Use lighter beers, like Keegan Old Capital to make dishes like steamed littleneck clams. Lighter beer helps to pull all the flavors together.

Tell me about a favorite Father’s Day tradition or memory.
In a way, beer is a kind of tradition. One Father’s Day, I bought my dad a home-brewing kit. I liked it so much I bought one for myself. Now I’m a master brewer and my father’s a partner, and he owns a brewery in Long Island.

What’s a better Father’s Day gift: a necktie or beer?
I have a lot of uses for beer, but I have a ton of it. I don’t have a lot of neckties, but I don’t have many uses for them, other than weddings and funerals. So that’s actually a tough question to answer.

Favorite special-occasion beer?
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale or the hoppy Harvest Ale. Of my own creations, Hurricane Kitty, named after my grandmother.

Keegan Ales
20 St. James St., Kingston
845-331-BREW

Mother’s Milk Stout Brownies
By Tommy Keegan, owner and master brewer of Keegan Ales

• 1 cup all-purpose flour • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes • 8 oz dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips • 4 large eggs, at room temperature • 1 cup superfine or granulated sugar
• 11/4 cups (10 oz) Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk (or Joe Mama’s Milk) • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/8 cup (approximately) confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
3. Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.
5. Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Mother’s Milk. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in).
6. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes on the oven’s center rack, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
7. Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Note: The stout should be at room temperature. This recipe uses a little less than a standard 12-ounce bottle. Do not include foam in the measurement. Either spoon off the foam or let it rest until the foam subsides. Substitute Joe Mama’s Milk stout for the Mother’s Milk for a subtle coffee flavor.