Beer-Braised Mushrooms

My ex got me a "cooking with beer" recipe book a while back, and of course it recommends a certain style of beer to go with most whatever kind of snack/meal you're preparing. Well, I decided to start experimenting with my favorite recipes, this one being my favorite snack or side-dish. It doesn't recommend a particular beer to go with the batter, so whatever you think would mix with the ingredients the best is a good place to start...

I initially tried it with a Full Sail LTD 3, which was tasty. A nice, light in-offensive lager. It complimented these morsels well, but I needed more power to the bite. Next, I tried it with a Stone Arrogant Bastard. Ah yes, more along the lines of what I wanted to achieve. Something that certainly might not be for everyone. So I took it a step further and poured a cup of Dogfish Head 120 Minute, and let me tell you... THE BEST!

Anyhow, without further blabbles, here's the recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt + extra for seasoning

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup beer

1 egg, separated

1 pound small mushrooms

1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil

1. Mix flour, baking powder, chili powder, salt and black pepper in medium bowl. Whisk together BEER and egg yolk in small bowl. Wipe mushrooms clean with damp cloth or paper towel.

2. Beat egg white in medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan to 365degrees F.

3. Stir beer mixture into flour mixture just until blended. Fold in egg white.

4. Dip mushrooms into batter in batches and lower carefully into hot oil. Fry, turning with tongs or slotted spoon, until golden brown. Stir batter and allow oil to return to temperature between batches. Drain mushrooms on paper towels. Season with salt. Serve hot.

Here's a pic of a portion of my first batch too: http://home.comcast.net/~embryoyo/beermush.jpg

I'd like to hear what other kinds of beer people try in this recipe, and will certainly be doing it more myself in the near future. REPORT!