You know the feeling. It’s that moment when you walk into your local grocery store and immediately recognize that your new year’s resolution to cut out snacking and sweets has been completely and utterly derailed by an innocent, well-intentioned 11-year-old girl in a familiar green and brown uniform.
“Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” she asks. You want to decline and stick to your guns. But no man or woman can fight the overwhelming urge to purchase at least a few boxes of these sweet sugary treats. Before you know it, you are greedily chomping on your third Samoa (Caramel deLites to some of you) as you drive home with four boxes of your favorite flavors riding shotgun. Later that day you get the call. Your niece is also selling boxes of theses delightful confections. What kind of aunt or uncle would you be to turn her down!? Hanging up the phone after committing to another few boxes, you hear a knock at the door. Little Susie from three doors down is supporting her local Girl Scout troop. How can you say no to her? After all, she walks your dog every time you go on vacation.
Suddenly you find that you have not only shattered your new year’s resolution in dramatic fashion, but you are wondering if there is enough milk in all the world to wash down the piles of cookies you have purchased. I am here to tell you that there is another way. Save an udder or two, prevent your local farmer from getting carpal tunnel syndrome, and enjoy these delectable desserts with a different companion—beer! Does it sound crazy? Cookies and beer? It may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. With the many flavor possibilities in beer ranging from chocolate to citrus there is sure to be a creative option to pair with your favorite Girl Scout cookie. After consuming about 14,000 calories I have developed a list of brews to enjoy alongside your favorite cookies. So forget about that resolution altogether and give these a try!
In My ExBEERience’s Ultimate Pairing Guide for Girl Scout Cookies & Craft Beer:
Samoas/Caramel deLites with Kona Brewing’s Koko Brown
I have to admit that these babies are my favorite. How can you go wrong with caramel, toasted coconut and chocolate all weaved together atop a crispy cookie? There is a marriage of cookie and beer just waiting to happen here. Reach for Kona Brewing’s Koko Brown. This perfect pairing is a brown ale brewed with real toasted coconut that comes through wonderfully in the flavor amidst hints of caramel, toffee, roasty chocolate and a touch of vanilla. (I think I actually just drooled on the keyboard while typing that.)
Thanks-A-Lots with Maine Beer Company’s Mean Old Tom
Thanks-A-Lots, with their mild vanilla and butter flavor, crispy, crunchy texture, and fudge coated bottom are a picture-perfect example that there is beauty in simplicity. When I think of beauty through simplicity in relation to the realm of craft beer, I immediately think of Maine Beer Company. They don’t use too many bells and whistles in their brews but when they set out to create a beer, they nail it every time! If you find yourself noshing on a Thanks-A-Lot or two, wash it down with Maine Beer Company’s Mean Old Tom. This “stout brewed with vanilla” has just enough vanilla to mingle nicely with that of the cookie. It also provides nice roasty notes of rich dark chocolate and light coffee that enhance the fudge coating of the cookie perfectly. Try this combo out! You’ll thank-me-a-lot later.
Peanut Butter Sandwiches/Do-si-dos with Wells Banana Bread Beer
With their “crispy, crunchy oatmeal cookie outside and creamy peanut butter inside,” these cookies just beg to be enjoyed with a nice malty brew. I like to Do-si-do my Peanut Butter Sandwiches with a Wells Banana Bread Beer. You read that right…banana bread beer. This English ale tastes just like its name implies and has nice bready malts with a touch of nuttiness that will go well not only with that crunchy oatmeal outside but also with the peanut butter filling inside. The banana notes in the beer add a nice layer as well, playing nicely alongside the peanut butter (think peanut butter banana sandwich). But I wouldn’t pack this peanut butter and banana sandwich in my lunchbox before work though! Enjoy this one at home.
Thin Mints with Terrapin’s Wake-N-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Stout
There is probably not a soul alive that hasn’t tasted the glory that is a Thin Mint. I wouldn’t hassle you for enjoying this one all by itself, but there are certainly brews that will pair nicely with these delicious and refreshing treats. Though there are a handful of beers that are flavored with mint (Pennsylvania’s own Spring House Brewing Company makes a mint chocolate chip stout called Satan’s Bake Sale), they are few and far between and difficult to come by. So I like to choose a beer that focuses on matching the cookie’s dark chocolate coating while still showcasing the mint inside. What better than the roasty fresh coffee and luscious dark chocolate notes found in Terrapin’s Wake-N-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Stout? Wake-N-Bake enhances and rounds out the dark chocolate of the cookie with fresh coffee while the mint still shines through to remind you who is boss.
Cranberry Citrus Crisps with Hoegaarden
New on the cookie scene this year, Cranberry Citrus Crisps are another tasty offering for folks who prefer the fruity side of cookies to the more common chocolatey morsels. One bite of these tangy treats provides a nice tart zip of cranberry and plenty of refreshing citrus. Upon tasting these NCOTB (new cookies on the block), I immediately thought of the light refreshing citrus present in a Witbier (AKA Belgian White). You’ve seen them before…pale, hazy yellow with a lame orange wedge perched upon the rim of the glass. You claimed you would never try fruit in your beer (but vowed that one day you would do just that in secrecy). Well this is your chance! Grab a box of these bad boys and a six pack of Hoegaarden and commence enjoyment. Don’t forget the orange wedge.
Lemonades with Ithaca Flower Power
Now this is one citrusy cookie! Tangy lemon icing coupled with a slight sweetness that sticks to the palate for some time after snacking makes this a cookie practically designed to be matched with the citrus of a top-notch IPA. Now I`m not saying the good bakers at ABC Bakers were imbibing while baking up the first batch of Lemonades but if they were, I’m confident they would be sipping Ithaca Flower Power. The very floral and citrusy aroma and flavor of Flower Power boasts pineapple, grapefruit and grassiness that belly up to the fresh lemony cookie beautifully while the mild bitterness in the finish of Flower Power cuts through the sweetness of the cookies perfectly. Hopheads in support of your local Girl Scouts, unite!
Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs with Sweet Baby Jesus!
Last in my list of beer and cookie pairings but certainly not least, we have Peanut Butter Patties. A crunchy cookie topped with creamy peanut butter and a milk chocolate coating? Can you hear the angels singing? Though I love a tasty craft beer, peanut butter is my daily drug of choice and I crave these cookies all year long. Being a peanut butter and beer aficionado, I naturally keep my eyes open for peanut butter beers. And luckily for all of us, Maryland-based DuClaw Brewing Company has made their Sweet Baby Jesus! a year-round offering. Hello beautiful! This chocolate peanut butter porter is an amazing choice to tagalong with your Peanut Butter Patties. If I have to explain why, maybe you should just stick to milk.
Explore more beer pairings and recommendations on In My ExBEERience.
- Photography: Nina Lea Photography
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