A savoury jelly can liven up everything from sandwiches to a roast dinner and this spiced Guinness jelly is super easy to make and really does taste delicious with roast beef, ham sandwiches, a cheeseboard and so much more.
Guinness and St Patricks Day
Every year I try to come up with something Irish inspired (preferably involving Guinness) to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
So far we have had Guinness Chutney, a chocolate and Guinness spread, Guinness bread and Guinness chocolate truffles. What on earth could I come up with this year.
Guinness jelly of course!
Ingredients for spiced Guinness jelly
- Guinness of course. Though you could strictly speaking use any dark beer here but then it wouldn’t be a Guinness jelly would it!
- Granny Smith apples, they are tart and just perfect for making jelly.
- The citrus element – orange zest and lemon juice
- The spices – cinnamon, ground cardamom (or use the seeds from 1 cardamom pod) and ground ginger.
- Sugar and water
How to make savoury beer jelly
- Like all jellies bothn sweet and savoury this starts with the apples and boiling them up and simmering till tender.
- Then it’s that all-important dripping through a jelly bag overnight to get all the juice and pectin out of them.
- Then you just add the Guinness, spices, citrus fruit and zest and sugar.
- Simmer and boil and get that baby to the setting point and your Guinness Beer Jelly is ready!
The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Jelly Tips
The most important thing to remember when making a jelly preserve is this;
DO NOT squeeze the jelly bag to get more juice out. Tempting as this is it will make your beautiful jelly cloudy so don’t do it.
Check out my jelly making page in the link below for more information on how to make jelly.
New to preserving? Then don’t panic, I can take you from zero to hero in no time at all.
Just check out these handy articles to get you heading in the right direction fast;
How to make great jam and marmalade
How to make chutney and relish
How to sterilise jars and bottles
Notes on Guinness/Beer Jelly
I got 3 x 150ml jars of Guinness jelly from this recipe. That would be one 450ml jar.
Your savoury beer jelly will keep for up to a year in a cool dark cupboard. Once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.
What does Guinness jelly taste like
This is a savoury jelly but at the same time there is a sweetness from the apple in the jelly. It’s quite a complex flavour. The beer taste comes through and you get that rich almost malty flavour coming through.
How to serve this savoury beer jelly
- Serve your Guinness jelly with a strong cheese like well-aged cheddar. For real depth of flavour I like to serve this savoury jelly with vintage cheddar on little crostini (garlic toasts), now there’s a flavour combo!
- Use this jelly as a glaze for roasting pork or game.
- Serve your Guinness jelly alongside roast pork, baked ham or game. The richness of the jelly goes well with good flavourful meats.
- I just love this savoury jelly on a sandwich packed with baked ham and lots of crunchy fresh salad.
- Add some to a simple melted cheese toastie.
This recipe makes a great foodie gift, so why not check out my post on how to make Christmas hampers.
Looking for more super tasty savoury jellies to make at home? Then check these out before you go;
Spiced crab apple with Scotch whisky jelly
Traditional rowan and rosemary jelly
3 ingredient traditional rosehip jelly
Hedgerow jelly with Scotch whisky
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Savoury Spiced Guinness Jelly
Ingredients
- 375 g Granny Smith apples
- 375 ml water
- 375 ml Guinness
- 650 g sugar
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1/2 orange zest
- pinch ground cardamom
- pinch ground ginger
- 1 cinamon stick
Instructions
- Chop the apples rroughly, you don't need to peel them or core them just roughly chop
- Heat the apples and water till boiling then reduce heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the apples are soft and tender
- Pour into a jelly bag suspended over a bowl and leave to drip overnight. DO NOT squeeze the jelly bag to get moorejuice out as this will make your jelly cloudy
- I got 250ml juice and put this in a pan with the Guinness, spices, orange zest, lemon juice and sugar and heated till sugar dissolved
- Bring to the boil and boil till the setting point is reached at 105C
- Ladle into sterilised jars
Please clarify the amount of lemon juice and orange zest. The recipe only notes 1\2 for each.
Hi Jill
Half lemon juice means juice of half a lemon. Same for the orange. The recipe card system does not allow further clarification . hope this helps
K