Serving Up Beer for Breakfast

Instead of a cup of Earl Grey tea with your Belgian waffle, consider a 50 Shades of Earl Grey IPA.

Or try a pint of Maple Porter, with a breakfast pizza featuring maplewood smoked ham and sunny side up eggs.

Beer, it can be for breakfast.

John Harvard's Brew House has introduced a half dozen breakfast-themed beers and ales, along with a handful of new brunch items for a limited time.

Head brewer RJ Schultz and his team have created six different beers and ales that incorporate some favorite flavors from the breakfast table, said Restaurant General Manager Bob Scott.

• The Maple Porter ($5.50 a pint) is an American Porter, that had two gallons of real maple syrup added to it. It is nutty beer, with a coffee-like flavor.
• The 50 Shades of Earl Grey IPA ($4.75 a pint) is made with "Extra Bergamot Earl Grey" tea provided by Upton Team Imports of Holliston. The tea "adds a subtle orange flavor that accents the hops," said Bar Manager Mike Hershey.
• The John Harvard's Oatmeal Pale Ale ($4.50) is the flagship Pale Ale, infused this time with oatmeal.
• Blueberry Muffin Beer ($6) is an amber ale, brewed with blueberries and cinnamon. It's not as sweet as it sounds.
• The Espresso Nutbrown ($5) is a malty nutbrown, with espresso from Atomic Cafe in Beverly, with a hint of chocolate.
• The Bamberger Swine Bier ($5) is a traditional German Rauchbier with bacon. The smoky character of the beechwood smoked malt is accented with the bacon. "It was aged on 10 pounds of extra crispy bacon," said Hershey.

These limited edition Breakfast Brews will be available through early March only.

While the Shoppers World restaurant is not open breakfast hours, customers can sample one of the breakfast brew and breakfast menu items during brunch hours or any time of day. (Restaurant opens at 11:30 a.m.) Customers can also purchase a growler to take home their favorite Breakfast Brew to drink at home.

John Harvard's chef created a handful of special dishes to complement the Breakfast Brews, including one dessert which is infused with the Maple Porter.

• Brewer Infused Grain Pizza ($12.49) is a thin-crust pizza, topped with goat cheese, applewood smoked ham, roasted red peppers and sunny side up eggs and sprinkled with a balsamic reduction.
• Brewer Natural Burger ($12.99) is an 8-ounce burger topped with melted cheese, caramelized onions infused with beer and topped with a sunny side up egg and served with sweet potato fries.
• The Breakfast Burrito ($8.99) is more than enough for one featuring scrambled eggs, blackened chicken, red chili rice, beer-infused caramelized onions. It is oven-baked with cheddar cheese.
• Always on the menu is the Belgian waffle served with fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, home fries and a choice of sausage or bacon.
• And for dessert, for a limited time, there is a Maple Porter Butterscotch Pudding ($5.99). The homemade butterscotch pudding is infused with the limited edition Maple Porter and garnished with whiskey-whipped cream. The dessert is large enough to be shared.

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If you go try out the new Breakfast brews or the new menu items, tell them you heard about it from Framingham Patch and post your reviews in the comments below.