A few years ago, one of my brewer friends gave me a a taste of his Chocolate Stout with a scoop of ice cream!  Are you kidding me?!  It was so delicious.  The sweetness of the ice cream off-set by the slight bitterness of the stout gave a wonderful explosion of flavor!  So... since National Ice Cream Soda Day is on June 21st, I thought I'd share a Chocolate Stout recipe just in case you feel the need to try it out and make your own Chocolate Stout and serve it over your favorite ice cream!  Cheers!
Chocolate Stout Recipe

• 7.5 lb. Light liquid malt extract
• 0.5 lb. 120 L crystal malt
• 0.5 lb. chocolate malt
• 0.5 lb. rolled oats
• 3.0 oz. roast barley
• 1.5 oz. chocolate extract (in secondary)
• 1 oz. Cascade pellet hops, (60 min)
• 1 oz. Cascade pellet hops, (30 min)
• 1 oz. Cascade pellet hops, (knockout)
• 1 tsp Irish moss (20 min)
• Fermentis US-05 American Ale Yeast

Directions:
Steep Specialty malts in 150°F water for 20 minutes.  Strain, add liquid malt extract and proceed with one-hour boil, adding hops at specified intervals. Cool to 60°F and pitch yeast.
Ferment at for one week. Siphon into secondary. Add chocolate extract and hold until fermentation is complete.  Bottle or keg and condition.
Specifications:
Yield: 5 gallons
Original Gravity: 1.069
Final Gravity: 1.017
ABV: 6.83%
IBU: 30

Beer Cheese Dip.  Made with your choice of beer...a dark stout, a hoppy IPA, a crisp lager. You choose.  Dip anything from pretzels or chips to apples and veggies.  Beer Cheese is an easy appetizer that will please the masses.  
Beer Cheese Dip

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup  flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup beer of your choice
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated smoked gouda cheese or swiss

1. In a medium saucepan, start by making a roux by melting butter and spices together with flour to form a thick and clumpy paste.
   
2. Slowly whisk in the milk and beer until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low, and stir in the cheeses.
3. Remove the dip from heat and pour into a dish. Allow to cool slightly to thicken.
4. Serve with pretzels, chips, naan bread, apples, grapes, carrots, celery...just about anything!

Yes.  They're back. Dandelions.
The weed that takes over our beautiful lawns and are next to impossible to remove...but are also almost completely edible.  
Young, tender greens can be used in salads or in place of chives or herbs for flavor.  Dandelions greens can also be cooked like spinach-sautéed or stir-fried.  One cup of chopped dandelion leaves contains a good source of potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. 
The bright yellow blossoms are also a good source of antioxidants, Vitamin A and B12 and can be used as an addition to pancake or fritter batter, steeped for tea or fermented to make a delicious wine.
Dandelion Wine is what we're going to talk about today.

Dandelion Wine: 1 gallon recipe
Ingredients:
8 cups dandelion petals, rinsed thoroughly 
3/4 pound golden raisins, chopped
Zest and juice from 3 lemons
Zest and juice from 3 oranges
1 gallon water
2 pounds sugar
1/2 t. yeast energizer
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 5gr pack wine yeast-Lalvin D-47 or Red Star Cote des Blanc

1. Gather your ingredients.  Be careful to use only the petals, cutting off all or most of the green.
2. Put petals, raisins and zest from citrus in a straining bag and place in primary fermenter. 
3. Heat water and pour over petals.  Add sugar and other ingredients EXCEPT YEAST.
4. Cover primary fermenter.
5. After 24-48 hours check S.G (specific gravity) It should read 1.090-1.095.  Add yeast and re-cover fermenter.
6. Stir daily.  When S.G. reaches 1.040 or after 3-5 days strain pulp lightly from bag and siphon wine off into secondary fermenter (1 gallon jug.)  Attach airlock with sanitized water.
7. When fermentation is complete after about 3 weeks or so (S.G. 1.000 or below) siphon wine off sediment into a clean secondary and reattach airlock.
8. Siphon again in 2-3 months until clear before bottling.

Tips:

• Letting this wine sit for several months after bottling will improve the flavor and quality of your wine. 
• A one gallon Wine Making Equipment Kit is a good investment.
• If you prefer a sweeter wine: Prior to bottling add 1/2 teaspoon of stabilizer (potassium sorbate) and 1/4-1/2 pound dissolved sugar to wine.