Why You Should Add Beer To Salad Dressing, According To Curtis Stone

There are plenty of different types of salad dressings out there. You've got classic vinaigrettes, which are an emulsion of oil and vinegar. Then there's rich, creamy dressings like ranch or Thousand Island. Using these two foundations, chefs can start to get experimental with additional ingredients — such as anchovies in a Caesar dressing or a medley of herbs for a green goddess. One more unconventional addition is beer, an ingredient that Australia's beloved celebrity chef, Curtis Stone, swears by.

While beer isn't a typical salad dressing ingredient, there is a logical reason Stone's choice works so well. Unlike lager, ale undergoes a warm fermentation process using top-fermenting yeast; this produces a fruit-forward, complex flavor profile that complements many salad ingredients. Stone specifically favors sour ales for their tartness, which functions much like vinegar to brighten the overall profile of a dressing.

Rye ale also stands out thanks to its unique mash bill, which imparts an earthy, peppery flavor that adds further complexity. When a rye ale is brewed with a tart character, it becomes an excellent match for salads featuring bitter greens — such as frisée in a classic Lyonnaise salad. Conversely, it can also be used to balance sweeter salads that incorporate ingredients such as honey or fruit.

To add beer to your salad dressing, there are two ways you can incorporate it. You could follow Curtis Stone's method and whisk the raw beer with the other ingredients, or you could  reduce everything in a saucepan. This will concentrate and intensify the natural flavors of the beer, making it better suited for richer salads. Regardless of which method you use, you don't want to unbalance the flavor profile of your dressing by adding too much. We recommend adding the same amount of beer as white wine vinegar — around three tablespoons — and adjusting to taste.

While sour rye ale is a great choice for certain salads, it's not a perfect fit for everything. Luckily, there are many different kinds of ales to choose from. Lighter, hop-forward styles — such as pale ales or the trendier India pale ales (IPAs) — are characterized by their citrusy, fruity notes, making them ideal for lighter, leafy salads where they enhance the dish's naturally refreshing character. On the other end of the spectrum are darker ales, such as stout or porter, which are richer and more robust. While these styles can quickly overwhelm a delicate salad, their chocolate and caramel notes are better matched with caramelized salad ingredients like roasted vegetables or grilled meats.

For those still unconvinced, you can always save the beer and simply drink it alongside your salad. The carbonation acts as the perfect palate cleanser — just remember to match the beer's intensity to the dish.