Using other liquid than water when making stock

Question

I got to thinking... I usually hear chefs (particularly Alton Brown as of late, since I am watching Good Eats) say that water is neutral and should only be used as a last resort, serving only to dilute without adding anything to the mix (when it comes to sauces and the like).

I made a stock once, that came out a little boring, so I was thinking. What if I use a lager, or even a light ale instead? (light as in not dark, not calorie-free). I'd possibly need to degas it first to get rid of the CO2, but I think it sounds kind of delicious...

Has anyone tried this before, or can anyone think of any reason not to? Would the flavor be weird, what about other liquids? Is it commonly done?

Answer

There's no particular reason you couldn't prepare a stock with something other than water, but it's the equivalent of buying a ream of heavy pink paper, rather than plain white photocopy paper. If that's the effect you really want, great. The thing is, stock is meant to be as boring as plain white photocopy paper -- it is a foundation for other things, versatile and effective, subtly enhancing without overwhelming the dish. For your beer idea, for example, I would cook down a couple bottles and add some stock to it. That way, the rest of my batch of stock would be useful for other recipes that don't use beer.

Note that stock may be boring but shouldn't be flavorless; stock still should taste good. If your stock was flavorless, try upping the amount of meat, veggies, and herbs compared to bones. Also, bear in mind that stock should not contain salt (you will likely reduce the stock at some point). The lack of salt, however, will deaden the flavor. When you are ready to use the stock, be sure to add a pinch of salt.

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