Stout Beer Jelly

Post Updated 2/8/15 Oh, this ridiculous recipe.  A few years ago I was drunk on St. Patrick’s Day and decided that it would be a good idea to make jelly out of the beer we were all drinking.  So, I did. I wrote about it, and then it turned into one of the most popular posts on this site.

Of course, it was accompanied by horrible photographs, too.  I finally have gotten around to updating it and adjusting the recipe.  Without further delay, I give you:

STOUT BEER JELLYThis is a strange jelly.  It makes an excellent present for someone who really likes beer.  While it’s not the best on toast,  it would be quite at home on a cheese plate with sharp cheeses, pumpernickel bread, pickles, and mustard.  

One of my friends at the farmer’s market recommends using it as a glaze for pork chops.

Makes: 6 half-pint jars

Cook time: 1 hr. Ingredients:

• 3 12 ounce bottles of stout beer (I used Anderson Valley Brewing Company Oatmeal Stout)
• 1 package Sure-Jell low-sugar pectin
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

Bring boiling-water canner up to a boil and prepare jars and lids. Put the beer and vinegar into a very large pot.  

It will froth up much more than you can imagine.  In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 c. sugar and the package of powdered pectin.  

Stir it into the beer and bring the mixture up to a boil.  Once it’s boiling, add 2 c. sugar and return to a boil.  

Cook it at a rolling boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace.  

Wipe rims, attach lids, and then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Adjust for altitude as necessary.

45 thoughts on “Stout Beer Jelly”

1. LindaMARCH 31, 2011 AT 3:22 AMgood gracious but I find this sounding soooo good … maybe I will have to go back into the kitchen ;DReply
2. SneauxMARCH 31, 2011 AT 3:50 AMOh. My. God. I’m SO making this! I can’t even believe this exists! I don’t know where you came up with the idea. But you are officially my hero!!!!Reply
3. SamMAY 9, 2011 AT 9:01 PMI’ve tried beer jelly over christmas holidays, it was a stout beer. I have been looking for a recipe these past few months. Beer jelly is great and it also goes well with grilled chicken.Reply
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5. knitplaywithfireSEPTEMBER 8, 2011 AT 8:18 PMJust curious but no acid? Is the beer acid enough to negate the need to add lemon juice? But I am so making this for an English ex-pat I know. He will love it.Reply
   1. CarolineSEPTEMBER 8, 2011 AT 10:22 PMknit- you know, it’s always come out as a fairly soft set jelly. I was planning on editing the recipe this week and adding a little apple juice to up the pectin… I might wait for the new version before you make it. It’s so delicious though- you’ve gotta do the pumpernickel/cheddar/beer jelly grilled cheese!Reply
   2. DianaJANUARY 19, 2016 AT 3:53 AMVinegar is an acid. It is also used as the acid when making pepper jamsReply
6. knitplaywithfireSEPTEMBER 8, 2011 AT 10:51 PMI am going to give it a go. I am going to a wine festival next wekend and am bringing picnic food. I can see it on a roast chicken sandwich. And I will add a bit of additional pectin in the form of either Ball Flex or Pomona’s to make it set up a bit more than.Reply
   1. AmandaAPRIL 28, 2012 AT 1:39 PMHow did that turn out? I was thinking of trying this recipe but using Pomona’s instead.Reply
      1. CarolineMAY 5, 2012 AT 10:38 PMamanda- sorry it took so long to reply! my internet connection is horrible here. This is a really weird jelly- if you’re a big beer fan, you’ll probably love it, but if you’re not, you’ll probably taste it and wonder why anyone would make that. (My boyfriend tried it and said it was disgusting, but my dad is crazy about it and so are a few of our farmers market customers.) I’m not sure what the pomona’s recipe would be…. I would add a few teaspoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, because the set comes out a little loose with this recipe.
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8. ErielleMAY 27, 2012 AT 12:28 PMI’m thinking of making this. It looks great! When you say that the set comes out loose, do you mean like a syrup, or like a loose jelly? I was all set to make Paul Virant’s beer jam, but he says it’s more like a syrup, which isn’t what I want. I’d be fine with a loose jelly, though.Reply
   1. CarolineMAY 27, 2012 AT 7:52 PMthis isn’t really like a syrup. I think I mentioned in another comment- add a couple teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in with the beer and it should be a pretty nicely set jelly- maybe a hair on the loose side, but not bad. Let me know how it comes out 🙂Reply
9. ScottJUNE 5, 2012 AT 5:27 PMI played with this recipe today and I ended up with a very well set jelly that looks and tastes far more amazing than I was hoping for. Even the non-beer drinkers in the house are amazed with the results. =)I followed this recipe exactly as written except for changing the pectin to the low-sugar variety (pink box if using Sure-Jell), as well as adding the juice of 1/2 a lemon. The added acid and the extra oomph of the low-sugar pectin had this setting up extremely fast.A few notes worth mentioning:
   *I ended up with 12 of the 4oz Ball jars.
   *Guinness hangs on to its nitrogen carbonation remarkably well. I opened my bottles 24 hours ago and still had an incredible amount of foam.
   *Use a large pot. 24oz of beer doesn’t seem like much but mine expanded to fill my 4qt pot; I was sweating bullets at the end of the two minute boil.Enjoy! =)Reply
10. LoriJUNE 19, 2012 AT 8:52 PMThis looks AWESOME! I think I need to make it stat! I have a vanilla stout that I think would be delicious. 🙂Reply
11. EmilyOCTOBER 10, 2012 AT 11:01 PMI wanted you to know that I’ve made this several times, uses different types of beer. Everyone loves it!Reply
12. Priscilla R.NOVEMBER 17, 2012 AT 11:37 PMI found your beer jelly recipe a few months back and am now ready to make some for gifts for the holidays. I’m going to make the 1st batch with a seasonal beer by Blue Moon called Harvest Pumpkin Ale, then another with a Sam Adams seasonal as it’s a friends favorite, and lastly the Guinness and I’ve taken note of the changes other canners have suggested. Thanks Caroline :o) I’ll let you know how they come out :o)Reply
13. Lindsay CDECEMBER 13, 2012 AT 11:54 PMI made a stout jelly a few weeks ago using a very similar recipe. It was too sweet for me, and I didn’t like the finished texture- it was really firm, instead of spreadable. Can I reduce the sugar without messing up the final product? How can I make a more spreadable jelly? Thanks for posting this!Reply
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16. JudyJUNE 24, 2013 AT 8:11 PMWhat a happy ooccasion, to find your link! I’ve been wanting to find a beer jelly recipe since last October, when my husband & I purchased some at a farm market stand during the Reedsburg, Wisc Fermentation Fest.Reply
    1. ClaireOCTOBER 24, 2014 AT 6:54 PMWe just purchased some there this year! What a great event. I’m making a Flat Earth (St Paul MN) Pumpkin Ale beer jelly right now.Reply
17. AmyJUNE 28, 2013 AT 8:40 PMI just made this and ended up with 5 half pints instead of 7. Is it likely that I boiled it too long? That would be unusual for me! I used the low sugar pectin also, and it seems to be setting just fine. It is really interesting, I’m excited to use it for a marinade soon.Reply
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19. Heather M.DECEMBER 17, 2013 AT 4:35 AMMy husband has just made a pumpkin spiced porter beer. SOOO will be trying this with the new beer when it’s done fermenting!Reply
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23. Jo-AnnSEPTEMBER 26, 2014 AT 12:34 PMI know this post is a couple of years old, but I just came across it & gave it a try. Instead of a stout, we used an local amber beer and it’s delicious!Reply
24. sue phelanNOVEMBER 9, 2014 AT 2:41 PMMade it and it only made 6 pints. I believe it is because the bottle of beers were 11.2 ounces not 12. and because jellys are always too sweet I decreased the sugar by a 1/4 cup.It turned out Wonderful .Will definetly make it again adding the correct amount of beer.Reply
25. haleshomesteadingDECEMBER 9, 2014 AT 2:45 PMI have a question on selling a farmer’s market, do you have worry about drinking ages? I wonder if you add enough other stuff (ie sugar, pectin, lemon, fruit) that the alcohol content would not be an issue. Or that the processing would cook out the alcohol.Reply
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27. nathanDECEMBER 19, 2014 AT 11:32 PMThanks for the recipe. I added 3 tsp of lemon juice and it worked great. I was at that fermentation fest in reedsburg also where a jelly vendor was selling smoked porter jelly. It was awesome. I ended up making some smoked porter from an all grain recipe. Making the jelly was insanely easy.Reply
28. christineFEBRUARY 21, 2015 AT 8:53 PMI just made this and i accidently added the total sugar and pectin at once and then boiled for a minute at roaring boil. Been a couple of hours and has a watery syrup consistency. Suggestions to thicken up? It tastes great ! And the brew lovers in my life love it!Reply
29. thecakeboyblogAUGUST 18, 2015 AT 11:17 AMAs a UK browser of your website, what is the weight of 1 package of Sure-Jell Pectin? I’ve tried to google, but the boxes come in different sizes…? I know that we can get low-sugar pectin but our package sizes differ (no rude jokes please…). Can anyone offer any advice on this?Reply
    1. BrianJANUARY 11, 2016 AT 1:22 AM1.75 ozReply
    2. Marie RickardsMARCH 18, 2016 AT 11:35 PMI use 4 tablespoons. box is about 3 tablespoons and one to spare just in case and have never gone wrong!Reply
30. abbyAUGUST 28, 2015 AT 8:34 PMI know this is a super old post, but thought I’d give it a shot. I’ve tried this recipe 3 times. Twice from scratch, and once re-batched. It just will not set up. Not even close. Can anyone help me figure this out? Thanks!Reply
    1. CarolineNOVEMBER 13, 2015 AT 3:58 AMAre you using sure-gel low sugar pectin and not the regular full sugar sure-gel pectin? It should set up as written.Reply
    2. Marie RickardsMARCH 18, 2017 AT 4:42 PMFirst check your dates on the pectin, it will go old and not work. Second you need a good balance of acid to beer. I use the Ball Low Sugar Pectin (Sure Gel just never set for me consistantly). I just made a few batches last night for a Bacon and Beer Fest (I did a Guiness Stout, Corona and LIme, Chocolate Porter just to name a few) I mixed the vinegar and 3 tablespoons lemon Juice (or lime) in one measuring cup and the 1/2 c sugar with 4 tbls pectin in the other then followed the directions as written and they all set. The Guiness Stout was a bit loose us I only added 3 heaping tbls by mistake. Tip: is it is syrupy just package it in a syrup bottle and call it syrup or glaze for meats!Reply
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32. Terry MachMAY 3, 2016 AT 11:26 AMJust made this Sunday with our home brewed java stout. It set perfectly; I did make sure it came to a hard boil before adding the 2 cups sugar, and let it come to another full boil before starting my one minute timing. The resulting jelly is rich and not overly sweet. I think it’s fine for toast but would make a tremendous glaze for pork tenderloin or chops. It would also be great mixed with some heat (horseradish or pepper flakes) over goat cheese with some crackers. This is definitely going to be a new item in our Christmas gift baskets! Would like to try a variety of craft beers to see how the flavor changes.Reply
33. Marie RickardsMARCH 18, 2017 AT 4:43 PMA Hard Apple Cider and Horshradish Jam is the bomb!Reply
34. WendyOCTOBER 31, 2017 AT 7:10 AMI’m going to try and make an apricot beer jam, using your recipe as a base. Apricots have their own pectin as well, but do you perhaps know how many apricots I should use? I normally use 3 parts sugar to 4 parts apricots.Reply
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