October's Best and Wurst

• In the German language, wurst is a blanket term for sausages and cold cuts. Historically, Germans served wurst during Oktoberfest, along with the first beer batches of the brewing season. As this aspect of German and greater European culture expanded throughout the world, the combination of beer and sausage and the concept of bierwurst became interchangeable. Today, bier sausage indicates bierwurst, or beerwurst, drinking beer with sausage, consuming bierwurst with beer or cooking sausages in beer.

Basic Beer-Bathed Sausage

• Bierwurst, beerwurst and bier sausage belong to a group of boiled wurst, German sausages or cold cuts cooked by immersion in hot liquid, usually water at 170 degrees Fahrenheit. They are also called bruhwurst, or scalded wurst. Bratwurst fall into this category, though some are sold raw. This concept of scalding sausages in liquid translates directly into the idea of cooking sausages in hot beer. Most sausages are viable choices for stove top or slow-cooker beer and sausage dishes. Cooking sausages in beer allows for a large degree of personalization, and no recipe is a final word.

Beer for Braising Brats

• Sausages readily soak up beer's flavor. Don't feel encumbered by rules about which beers are best for braising or slow-cooking this or that sausage. It's true that some beers complement certain sausage ingredients, but few beer and sausage combinations are downright unpleasant. For example, a weissbier, made with wheat and barley malt, complements both pork and veal sausages, brats and kielbasa. The stronger and darker the beer, the deeper the color and flavor your sausages will take on. In addition to simmering sausages in beer, parboiling them in beer for 10 to 15 minutes before grilling them also helps to enhance their depth of flavor.

Beer for Bier Sausage

• Bierwurst, or bier sausage, contains no beer, but alludes to the preferred beverage for washing down the sausage. If you get your hands on authentic bier sausage, grab a Bavarian-style beer or any bock. These are malty, dark, full-bodied and sweet, and they balance the bierwurst's saltiness and garlic flavor. Bierwurst slices without difficulty and tastes best served cold on rustic country bread.