Deep-Fried Beer is a small, sealed square of pastry with beer as its filling, that is deep-fried and served hot.
The technique was invented and patented by Mark Zable of Texas, who entered it in the fried food competition at the 2010 Texas State Fair, for which he won the Most Creative category that year.
The dough is a pretzel-type rolled out and made into the size and shape of ravioli. The beer he used the first year was Guinness; he noted he would consider in the future using a different beer such as Shiner Bock, made in Texas, or a pale ale like Sierra Nevada. Zable won’t reveal if there’s anything added to the beer.
The beer-filled piece of dough is fried for 15 to 20 seconds at 375 F (190 c).
When you bite into it, the beer spurts out
Zable charged $5.00 US (£3) a plate for 5 of them the first year in 2010. In Texas, you needed to be over 21 to buy them, owing to the alcohol.
It took Zable three years to perfect the product.
The fair runs for only three weeks a year. The rest of the year, Zable runs a photography business, “Mark Zable Photography.”
History Notes
In 1995, Zable started at the Texas State Fair by taking over the Belgian Waffle concession stand from his dad, Norman, who was the first to bring Belgian Waffles to the State Fair in 1964. His previous food inventions have included chocolate-covered strawberry waffle balls and jalapeño corndog shrimps.
Sources
Allen, Nick. A chef in Texas has created what he claims is the world’s first recipe for deep-fried beer. London: Daily Telegraph. 31 August 2010.
Ciarula, Lesley. How do you top fried butter? Try deep-fried beer. Toronto, Canada: Toronto Star. 30 August 2010.
Goldwert, Lindsay. Someone finally fried beer: Texas treat is booze plus grease. New York Daily News. 30 August 2010.
Kearns, Colin. Texas Chef Successfully Deep-Fries…Beer! Field and Stream Magazine. September 2010.
Laussade, Alice. The 2010 Big Tex Choice Awards Fries Up A New Batch of Artery-Clogging Eats, Beckoning State Fair-goers To Come And Get Their Grease On. Dallas Observer News. 16 September 2010.