I always use Newcastle Brown Ale to make the batter for fish’n’chips. I do have some Newcastle, but I also have Guinness Stout. Should I use the Guinness to make the batter for Super Bowl Dinner tonight? Or should I stick to the known quantity?
From your unique perspective, how much difference could it make in the resulting product? Surely you’ve had fish&chips with other types of batter before, did you find other batters made a big difference in your enjoyment of the fish?
I’d stick with the known quantity.
I’ve used more robust brews in my fish batter and was surprised at how much bitterness came through in the finished product. It may be a flavor you personally would enjoy, but some of your guests may not feel the same.
Well, the batter needs to be cold and I forgot to chill the Guinness. So tried-and-true it is.
The real question is which do you prefer to drink with your fish and chips? 
Use the Newcastle, drink the Guinness!
That’s how it’s turning out. 
I never did make Guinness-batter fish & chips. Almost did a week or two ago, but was out-voted.
I was just wondering… What about chile relleno batter? (Egg whites whipped to stiff peaks, then yolks folded in.) How do you think that would taste?
It would taste like fish with a Chile relleno batter on it. Using poblano peppers and a flavorful fish it should taste great. Just avoid too much pepper drowning out the flavor of the fish.
I’m not talking about making chiles relleno with fish inside. I mean fish & chips, only instead of beer batter, bake the batter by whipping egg whites and folding in the yolks – as you do for chiles relleno.
I’m in the faction that wants suuuuper light batters on my rellenos (which was the way it was always done where I grew up in Las Cruces, no offense to those who like a heartier option). I think it would be interesting on fish and chips, which IMHO always have too heavy a batter.
I’ve been cheating when I make both recently though (hangs head in shame), in that I buy premade Tempura mix and then use ice cold beer and spices to make said relleno or fish and chips. It isn’t perfect, it isn’t authentic, but it’s faster than doing it all from scratch.
I still think that the lighter bubbles of Guinness wouldn’t work quite as well, but if it’s the flavor profile you’re looking for, I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Came here to mention this. The canonical light and airy batter is tempura, whether premixed or scratch.
Yeah, one of the main reasons for using beer in batter is because of the carbonation. I’d actually think a more carbonated beer would work better, unless you’re specifically looking for a certain flavor profile.
Here’s a great recipe:
Fried Fish With Vodka-and-Beer Batter Recipe - NYT Cooking (nytimes.com)
I think the Newcastle was the right choice for the batter. IIRC, for a fish and chips batter you want a lighter, not so flavorful beer. You’re not using the beer for flavor, you’re using the carbonation to create a light, airy batter.
Ok, not sure what you mean? Are you frying the fish? My concern would be the time to get the fish done without overdoing the batter. It’s simple to fix if a test piece is overcooked, just use thinner pieces of fish. I used to make fish fingers with small cutoffs, no more than 2-3 oz. apiece. They cook fast.
You may want to be prepared with a common batter mix in case it’s not working out. Someone mentioned that carbonation gives you a fluffy crust. A beer batter will work, or any breading mix with baking powder in it.