Slice your cucumbers into whatever form you prefer – we did spears for pint jars, and slices for little jam jars – they’d make cute little gifts!

Measure your “per jar” ingredients into your sterilized jars, along with one or two hop cones, if using. Arrange your prepared cucumbers into the jars, packing them tightly. If you’d like, cram another hop cone or two down the side – they’ll want to float, so keep that in mind as you position them!

Fill your LARGE pot with at least 6″ of water, put on medium or high heat to bring it to a boil as you prepare your brine.

In another pot (NOT the canning pot!), combine vinegar, beer, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring well to dissolve the salt. Once mixture reaches a boil, add hops and stir well, mashing them around a bit. Allow them to simmer for 5-10 minutes, tasting frequently.

Once mixture has reached your desired level of bitterness, use a slotted spoon to remove all hop cones and stray hop leaves. Bring mixture to a boil.

Use a canning funnel, pour boiling beer brine into prepared jars, leaving about ½″ head space. Wipe off the top edges of the jar with a clean, wet towel, top each with a new, sterilized lid, and carefully screw on a clean lid ring. I like to use a kitchen towel for this, the jars are HOT! Carefully place your jars of pickles into the boiling water pot, allow to process for 15 minutes. CAREFULLY remove them, allow to cool overnight.

The next morning, check to make sure that all of the jars achieved a proper seal – try to push down in the middle of each lid. If it “pops”, it did not seal. Any jars that didn’t seal should be put in the fridge and used in the next few weeks.

Leave the jars alone for at least a few days, to allow the flavors to permeate the cucumbers. Store in a cool, dark area (ideally) for up to 1 year, chill well before eating.