And I'm not talking about grilling with a beer in your hand. I'm talking using some of that amber-hued liquid heaven as a flavor-packed ingredient in some serious barbecue recipes.

I went to the experts to get some beer-infused options for your next tailgating extravaganza. Here are some of their favorite recipes.

Sticky Sweet Newkie Ribs
(From the guys at Newcastle Brown Ale)
Makes: 4-6 servings

2 racks pork back ribs, 5-6 pounds
4 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup plain barbecue sauce
1/4 cup Newcastle Brown Ale
1 cup brown sugar

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place ribs and vinegar in a large baking or casserole dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake about 60 minutes or until very tender.
- While they cook, combine bbq sauce, Newcastle and brown sugar in a small bowl – mix well and set aside.
- When ribs are done, remove from oven and carefully lift off the foil – there will be a ton of steam.
- The ribs are now fully cooked and just need to be finished on the grill.
- Heat your grill to medium/high and place ribs meat side down without sauce, but you can baste the top with the sauce.
- Cook until they start to develop nice grill marks, and turn over - now baste the top side.
- Now it’s a matter of basting and letting the ribs get some great color on each side. And give them one extra baste when they've been removed from the grill before serving.


Henry’s Lick Your Lips Barbeque Sauce
(Developed for Henry Weinhard’s by Bruce Bjorkman)
Makes approximately 3/4 cup of sauce. Use on chicken, pork or shrimp.

1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
1/2 - 3/4 cup Henry Weinhard’s India Pale Ale
1 tbsp. Clover honey
1/4 tsp ginger, grated
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- In a sauce pan, combine the marmalade, Henry Weinhard’s IPA and honey.
- Over medium heat, begin to melt the marmalade and mix the other ingredients together, stirring in the spices to evenly blend.
- Reduce by approximately one half, remove from heat and allow to cool.


Gordon Biersch Märzen BBQ Sauce Ribs
(pictured)
Ribs
5 lbs baby back pork ribs, each slab cut into thirds
3 (12 oz.) bottles of Gordon Biersch Märzen beer
4 1/2 cups water

Sauce
1/4 cup oil
1 large onion
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 qt. of you favorite BBQ sauce (Cattleman's is preferred)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup pureed canned chipotle chilis
1 bottle of Gordon Biersch Märzen
Makes about 6 cups

- Place ribs in a large pot.
- Cover with 50/50 mixture of Gordon Biersch Märzen and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and let ribs cool to warm temperature.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce.
- In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent.
- Deglaze the pan with the bottle of Gordon Biersch Märzen.
- Stir in your favorite BBQ sauce, molasses and the chipotle chilis (to taste – they're hot).
- Heat to simmering. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 30 – 60 minutes.

- When ribs are cool, drain off and discard liquid.
- In a large container, pour all BBQ Sauce over ribs and marinate in fridge a couple of hours or overnight.

- To finish, grill ribs over high flame until the sauce has caramelized on the outside of the ribs. Dip in the BBQ sauce remaining in the container a couple of times while grilling. Total grilling time approx 5 minutes per side. Serve with additional sauce if desired.


Orange-Lager Grilled Tuna with Orange-Avocado Relish
(Recipe Courtesy of National Beer Wholesalers Association)

4 tuna steaks, about 6 ounces each

Marinade
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup Lager Beer

Orange-Avocado Relish
3 oranges, zest removed from one; all three peeled and sectioned
1 avocado, diced
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup Lager Beer
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

- To make marinade, whisk together in medium bowl olive oil, orange zest, garlic, red onion, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Stir in Lager Beer.
- Transfer marinade to shallow glass dish; place tuna in marinade, turning to coat thoroughly.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat grill or broiler.

To make Orange-Avocado Relish, stir together in medium bowl the orange zest, orange section, avocado, tomato, Lager Beer, lime juice, garlic, red onion and nutmeg. Add sugar, salt and pepper, stirring well. Set aside until ready to serve.

Grill or broil tuna, turning, until cooked through, about 5 - 8 minutes per side for one-inch thick steaks. Serve with Orange-Avocado Relish on top of tuna steaks.