I love beer, and every so often I find myself caught between wanting a fruity cocktail and a hoppy beer. The solution, it seems, is to initiate a return to beer-based cocktails, right? It’s strange to me that America is such a beer-drinking country, yet I never see beer cocktails on menus, other than the occasional Michelada or Coronarita. Here, I’m listing some severely underrated beer drinks that deserve way more hype.
Black and Tan
There’s nothing wrong with a beer-on-beer cocktail! This contrasting cocktail is made from a duo of light and dark beer — the same idea as the aforementioned Black Velvet. Use lager beer and Irish stout (usually Guinness) for best results.
Get the full recipe here.
Black Velvet
This two-ingredient cocktail is made with equal parts stout (Guinness again!) and sparkling wine. It was created in London in 1861 to mourn the death of Prince Albert. The contrast of the dark beer and light Champagne makes for an elegant-looking drink — get the maximum layered effect by pouring the wine over a spoon.
Get the full recipe here.
Bull’s Eye
Perfect for cocktail lovers, this fizzy drink combines light beer with fresh lemon juice and ginger ale for a tangy, refreshing beverage. Add sweetener, if you’d like, but it’s pretty tasty as is.
Get the full recipe here.
French Monaco
Don’t be fooled by the fancy name – this drink couldn’t be simpler. Add pomegranate syrup and a splash of lemonade to a pale lager, like Stella Artois, for a beautifully pale pink cocktail. If you’re pinched for time, use store-bought grenadine instead of homemade pomegranate syrup.
Get the full recipe here.
Lemon Shandy
Perhaps the most classic beer cocktail is shandy, a drink that, at it’s simplest, is merely a mix of lemonade and beer. Upgrade it a little bit by using fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and fresh mint for a grownup take on spiked lemonade.
Get the full recipe here.
Porchcrawler
Perfect for warm-weather sipping, this mixed drink is made with beer, vodka, gin, club soda and a fruity element, like lemonade. I recall drinking something similar to this in college, dispensed from an orange cooler, and I can safely say that a little bit of this stuff goes a long way.
Get the full recipe here.
Sidewalker
This is a drinkable delight for any season — made with maple syrup, lemon juice, apple brandy, club soda and beer — but is especially delicious in the fall and winter months. You can use any light beer you like, but several expert sources recommend Hefeweizen, a German wheat beer.
Get the full recipe here.
