Quality manager and master brewer Brit Bertram has spent 13 years at Carlsberg, working in production, innovation, license management and quality assurance. She’s now responsible for the quality assurance of raw materials at HQ.
In 1997, Brit was part of the innovations team that developed Master Brew for the Carlsberg Beer Election in Denmark. Her affections remain with this strong beer (10.5% ABV) and a special dish created with it by famous Danish chef Claus Meyer.
"It’s a great winter dish of pork jaws braised with celery, carrots, onions and other root vegetables in Master Brew," she says. "It’s an unusual but delicious, dense, mature meat that needs a very full beer to match it. You put the beer in it and you drink the beer with it!"
"I’ve cooked the dish many times at home for guests and it always goes down really well."
Pork Jaws in Master Brew – freely adapted from Claus Meyer
(serves 4)
12 pork cheeks
1 btl. of Master Brew (33 cl) or other very strong beer
4 onions, coarsely chopped
1 fennel, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
¼ celery root, coarsely chopped
½l light stock or water
4 bay leafs
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
Olive oil
Salt
- Fry the pork jaws in olive oil until brown. Place into an oven-proof casserole dish.
- Fry the onion, fennel, celery and carrot in olive oil until browned. Add the Master Brew, stock (or water) and spices and stir.
- Pour the vegetables and stock over the pork jaws and braise in the oven for approx. 1 h 15 min at 160°C. You can thicken the sauce after braising if required.
- Served with potatoes and a sweet chutney – for example quince with caramelised sugar, ginger and other spices.