This beer sauce is made with just a few of ingredients, yet it has a big impact on any dish you serve it with. Slowly caramelized onions, cooked in a combination of beef broth and German beer make this a deliciously lush and rich gravy. Hands down the beer sauce to have with Bratwurst if you ask me.
Beer Onion Gravy
Having lived in the UK for 20 years I am a big fan of Bangers and Mash. I was looking for a traditional German sauce for my Bratwurst. I tried many onion gravy recipes but nothing convinced me as much as this beer reduction sauce made with dark beer and caramelized red onions.
I like the combination of beer and sauce because for me it is more convenient to open a small can of beer than and a whole bottle of red wine just to cook with it.
This beer pan sauce has a rich, malty flavor, and smells delicious! It depends on which beer you use. Stout, Guinness, German Schwarzbier, or Kellerbier have varying degrees of bitterness. But any bitterness is offset by the sweetness of the sugar, tomato paste and caramelized onions making this a rich malty sauce to remember.
Which beer to use for this beer sauce?
Of course, I am biased and recommend you use German beer. The best cooking beer for this sauce is Schwarzbier. It is very dark, almost black. The malt used in the production gives it a dark color. It has a sweet, bitter almost smoky flavour.
But not only Germans can make good Schwarzbier. In the UK the beers closest are "Stout" or "Porter Beers" and the Irish Sout, Guinness, is a well-known one. The taste can be sweet, malty, and a little nutty - it might have nuances of cocoa or even coffee. Here are some popular brands
- German Schwarzbier or Dunkelbier: Warsteiner Dunkel, Edinger Dunkel, Köstritzer bier, Aecht Schenkerla
- British Stout: Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout, Fuller's Black Cab Stout, Organic Chocolate Stout
Beer Sauce Ingredients:
Please refer to the printable recipe card below for exact quantities
- Oil or butter - to fry the onions
- Onions - I used red onions but you can also use white
- Beer - a dark malty beer is preferable such as Schwarzbier, Dunkel Bier, Stout, Porter Beer, Guinness
- Beef broth - this can be substituted with vegetable broth
- brown sugar - to caramelize the onions and offset the bitterness of the beer
- tomato paste - will add a lovely roasting flavor to the sauce
- corn starch /corn flour - to thicken the sauce
How to make Beer Sauce
- Prepare: Begin by peeling the onions, and chop them into thin rings.
- Cook the onions: In a large saucepan, heat the oil and fry the onions on low to medium heat until they begin to brown. This should take 5-10 minutes. Then sprinkle over the sugar and cook for an extra minute. Add the tomato paste and fry it with the onions for 2 minutes. The tomato and sugar will add sweet and sour note, and make the sauce nice and brown.
- Assemble the sauce: Pour in the beer and beef broth and cook for about 10 minutes for the beer to reduce. Mix the corn starch/ corn flour with 2 tablespoon of water to a thick paste and add it to the gravy. The sauce should start to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
What to serve with Beer Gravy
This stout sauce goes with anything that will soak up the gravy, such as mashed potatoes, potato dumplings or bread dumplings. It does not only pair well with sausages, such as Bratwurst, but also other meat dishes like German meatballs, meatloaf or roast pork. It is also a great beer sauce for steak.
Storage:
This German beer gravy keeps in the fridge for up to two days. You can also freeze it in portions.
Recipe
Easy Beer Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 onions about 400 gr/14 oz
- 2 tablespoon oil can be substituted with butter
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar you might need more depending on how bitter your beer is
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 350 ml stout German Schwarzbier, Stout or Guiness - see notes for suggestions.
- 350 ml beef broth can be subsituted with vegetable stock (affiliate link)
- 2 tablespoon corn starch corn flour (UK English)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel the onions and finely slice them into thin rings.4 onions
- In a large saucepan heat the oil or butter. On a low to medium heat fry the onions until they begin to brown. This should take between 5-10 minutes.2 tablespoon oil
- Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and fry for a further minutes for the onions to start caramelizing.2 teaspoon brown sugar
- Add in the tomato paste, stir until the onions are coated, and fry for a further 2 minutes whilst stirring throughout2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Deglaze the onions with the beer and broth and cook for about 10 minutes to further reduce the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. You can add more sugar if your beer is too bitter.350 ml stout, 350 ml beef broth, salt and pepper
- In a small bowl mix the corn starch/ corn flour with 2 tablespoons of water to a thick paste and add it to the gravy. The sauce should start to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.2 tablespoon corn starch
SwashB
When making I add the beer by itself and let that reduce until it is like a syrup (this concentrates the flavors) then I add the broth and cook for a bit before adding the corn starch slurry.
Marita Sinden
Oh... that is a great tip, I am going to try this next time I make it. THank you