Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce is a great twist to a classic recipe with the surprise of some mandarin orange craft beer for a fun and delicious flavor.
It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving around here without cranberry sauce and beer.
I just wanted to share one last Thanksgiving recipe with you in case you have a desire to make something different or need a last minute side to take somewhere. This Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce is totally easy and uses only a few ingredients, yet it’s homemade, pretty, and tasty!
I’m going to keep this short because we all have about a million things to do to get ready for the big day. I know I do. Help me, Rhonda. Thank goodness I had the foresight to brew up 10 gallons of beer a few weeks ago to get me through.
I’ll leave you with good wishes for a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving, and some links below in case you need any last minute help with your menu planning. Cheers, Friends!
Beer-Brined Stuffed Turkey Loin
And a couple of roundups from my friends on the interwebs:
No Spoon Necessary and Friends Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup – something for every course
Easy Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes from Ciao Chow Bambina
25 of the Tastiest Thanksgiving Sides from Everyday Made Fresh
Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 1 cup mandarin or tangerine beer
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pinch or 2 of salt
- zest of one mandarin or small orange
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until thick and syrupy, stirring regularly
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Cool and serve
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Garnish with orange or mandarin zest
NOTES:
- I used fresh cranberries for this recipe, but feel free to use frozen. You’ll want to thaw them first.
- This Mandarin IPA is from Highland Brewing Company in Ashville, NC. It has vibrant orange and citrus flavors that are the perfect complement to the cranberries. It’s not a super hoppy beer and it doesn’t reduce for a significant amount of time, so there is very little bitterness in the final result, which is a nice balance to the tartness of the cranberries.
IPA is my favourite beer! I love the way this cranberry sauce looks and sounds: we don’t have thanksgiving in the Netherlands but I can definitely save this for Christmas or something 😉
perfect for thanksgiving! Have a great time Rachel 🙂
Guuuuuurl, you probably already know I’m freaking out over this amazing cranberry sauce, I mean mandarin beer??? IN the sauce??? Hold the phone and pass me a vat of this deliciousness. PRONTO!! I am straight up drooling!!! Thanks so much for the link love, my deary!! You are THE best. EVER. I hope you guys have a wonderful Thanksgiving.. although I’m sure we will text a million times before then!! 😉 pinned! Cheers, sugar pie! Xoxo
Such a cool idea Rachelle! Have a great holiday!
Cranberry sauce and beer definitely makes a good Thanksgiving! What a creative sauce, Rachelle! Love the ingredients in here!
Wow! Mandarin beer in cranberry sauce? Genius Rachelle!! And homemade cranberry sauce always looks so pretty too! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! XO
This is the most creative way to make cranberry sauce, ever! It’s so pretty too 🙂 Have a great Thanksgiving, Rachelle!
Yes to beer in my glass and beer in my cranberry sauce! Big fan of this recipe and I’ll have to make it for J this year. Love all the other holiday recipes too! Happy Thanksgiving my friend 🙂
Mmmmm! This is a pretty and festive holiday idea, Rachelle. Happy Thanksgiving to you! 🙂
Girl, you’re doing well with the beer recipes!!! Love it! Beer in cranberry sauce? Who would have thought? You!! Pinned. Happy Thanksgiving, my friend. xo
We are actually having our traditional Thanksgiving meal today… We went to my in-laws yesterday and had a Lebanese feast which is always a treat!! This cranberry sauce will fit perfectly with our happenings today! Hope your holiday was wonderful!!
Now you’re talking! That Mandarin IPA sounds delicious. We’re in Philly for the weekend…and of course we’ve been trying out all sorts of fun new beers with our friends. We stumbled across a Rosemary IPA from Boulevard…and I immediately thought of you! I bet you could make some amazing recipes with that one. We just chose to drink it all, though. Haha. This cranberry sauce sounds legit. Hope you guys are having a good one down there! 🙂
I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful! This cranberry sauce looks like a winner….especially with the added mandarins!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Rachelle! This looks like the perfect Cranberry sauce for the big day 🙂
I always make cranberry sauce for Christmas too, so I’m going to have to try this. Such a unique idea!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love the mandarin beer in here – so creative and looks fantastic!