Anything wine can do, beer can do better.

Yep, I went there. Picking favorites? Probably.

As someone who loves cooking with (and drinking) beer, adding it to risotto was one of those “no duh, why haven’t I been doing this all along?” cooking moments. I chose a double IPA (local favorite Half Acre Beer’s Double Daisy Cutter, to be exact) for this recipe — not only because it’s my favorite style of beer, but because I wanted to instill as much hop flavor in the final dish as possible. The hops work really well here and stand up perfectly to the spicy sausage and mushrooms.

Sorry wine, you’ve been replaced.

Double Daisy Cutter (Double IPA) Risotto (serves 4)

What you need:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 Portobello mushroom cap, gills removed and diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup double IPA, divided
• 2.5 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

How you do it:

1. In a small saucepan, heat chicken stock over low heat.
2. In a separate large saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart with a spatula as you go. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until onion is translucent; about five minutes. Add the rice and stir to combine.
3. Add a half cup of double IPA, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has absorbed. Repeat with the other half cup.
4. Add warm chicken stock in half cup increments, stirring constantly until absorbed, until all stock has been added; approximately 15 minutes. By the time all the stock has been added, the risotto should look creamy and the rice should be fully cooked. If the rice still has a bit of bite, add a bit more chicken stock and cook until it’s completely done.
5. Remove risotto from heat. Add remaining tablespoon of butter, parmesan cheese and parsley; stir to combine. Top each portion with additional cheese.