Beer batter can justifiably be called a multi-talent: It goes just as well with fish as with vegetables or fruit. What's more, it doesn't require years of special knowledge - all you have to do is choose the right beer. And: You can prepare beer batter vegan and alcohol-free without any problems, if desired.

It is probably one of the greatest tragedies in history that today we no longer know who invented dough. People have erected monuments to absolute nonsense. But the ingenious mind that came up with the idea of mixing flour with liquid and then baking it is condemned to eternal namelessness. Yet he or she created the basis for an almost infinite variety of delights. So simple - and yet so wonderful. Perhaps not quite as revolutionary, but no less visionary, was the step of adding beer to the mix. Perhaps the best thing about it is that the beer batter works not only with hearty dishes, such as the well-known perch fillets, but also with sweet dishes, such as fruit - apple rings are probably the most prominent example of this.

Here is a typical "basic recipe" for beer batter:

• 150 g wheat flour
• 150 g breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper
• 150 ml beer

Dredge the food of your choice in flour, dip it in the batter, fry it in hot fat, and the treat is ready. Depending on the intended use, you can adapt the beer batter and pimp it with little tricks. Nutmeg, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, grated lemon peel: There are no limits to your imagination. You can experiment with your personal recipe with a clear conscience, and the resulting products will always find grateful buyers.

I'm sure you've noticed that this recipe doesn't contain any animal ingredients. All the beers that you can find here are vegan friendly. So nothing stands in the way of the vegan beer batter.

BEER DOUGH - WITH WHICH BEER ACTUALLY?

This brings us to the last point of our basic recipe, which is basically the one we are most interested in: the beer. By way of introduction, it should be said that there are indeed certain types of beer that are not really well suited. These include anything with a high IBU value, i.e. the particularly bitter beers. You should keep your hands off Pilsner, IPA and the like unless you deliberately want to produce a rather tart batter. Classic lagers, on the other hand, are always top, even dark beers do splendidly and give the batter an extraordinary color. Maybe you even want to try a Guinness? You can create a special note with Hefeweizen, as in our recipe for apple cakes.

DRY JANUARY: BEER BATTER WITHOUT ALCOHOL

Opinions differ a bit on whether there's anything left of the alcohol after frying. If you're cooking for kids, celebrating Dry January, or want to avoid alcohol for other reasons, you have excellent alternatives. Many breweries now offer really good non-alcoholic beers, such as:

• Guinness 0.0
• Brooklyn Special Effects
• Super bock 0.0

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