Chook Me!

What is the best beer for Beer Can Chicken?

There is a method for cooking chicken in the oven or the BBQ grill where you place an upright container of open beer inside the chicken to add moisture and flavor. From experience, what beer types have people been happy with?

Public Comments

1. It really doesn't matter. They all flavor the chicken the same way.
2. Coors light, or bud light.
3. I don't have experience with traditional beer can chicken, but here's a bit of advice I was given as a young cook: " If you are cooking with wine or liquor, use the same type and quality you would serve to a guest to drink" So, I'm thinking that Bud or Miller would be good. I'm also wondering if you used a flavored beer, such as apricot, or apple, or pear, would enhance the flavor even more. Good luck and Bon Appetit!
4. Beer Can Chicken is very tasty! I have personally used both Miller & Bud Light! I have even used Natural Light! My theory is that light beer is the way to go but....the secret is to smash a few cloves of garlic and put it in the can along with some of your favorite spices! Remember to only use half a can of whatever beer you choose! I make these kind of birds on special occasions only and I never have leftovers! Good Luck & Bon Appetit
5. It doesn't even have to be beer, really - it's the boiling/steaming action of the contents that really matters. Add a few cloves of garlic and some of the chicken spice-rub to the can.
6. You don't need to use beer, I use 7-up, pepsi,chicken broth, you can even use water, it is the moisture that makes it tender, very good chicken.
7. i would use a full flavored beer somthing u would drink is always best i would use full flavored bud
8. I like to use a darker, more flavorful beer than miller or bud light. I have actually poured Heineken Dark or SHiner Bock in a clean soda can. May be overkill, but I like it.
9. Just any cheap beer, no use wasting good beer on something just to give moisture. Drink the good beer and put cheap beer in the chicken.
10. There are some different schools of thought on this. - Using a cheap beer (i.e. Bud, Coors, etc.) because it's primarily the moisture not the beer flavors that make the chicken good. One wouldn't want to waste a good beer on the chicken and this does have it's merits. I have used Bud once for this purpose because I personally don't drink the stuff. I found my chicken to be lacking in the flavor department but it still had the moisture factor. - Some people believe that the type of beer won't matter as long as it's any beer. This really depends on your personal taste but if that was the case then why not use de-alcoholized beer? (I don't drink that stuff either). - I have had great success with using a Honey Lager. It has a fuller sweetness that really brings out the flavors in the chicken rub. - I've rubbed down a chicken with ginger, with a bit of soy and teriyaki and used Ki-Rin which is a Japanese beer and it gave it an oriental flavor. - I've used a can of Pale ale and it provided some subtle spicy notes to the standard rub I used. So if you have a discernible palette then I'd suggest trying a few different varieties. Some other points: - vary the rubs you use. - you don't need to use a full can of beer (I find this a waste). I use anywhere between 1/3 - 3/4 of the can. [I'm going to have to try pouring beer into a pop can though!] Cheers!