Beer Cocktails for People Who Love Beer (and Even Those Who Don’t)

Beyond the shandy and michelada, bartenders are creating suds-forward beer cocktails as well as ones subtle enough to appeal to even non-beer drinkers.

By Kara Newman

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Trigger Point

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Photo by Annie Ray

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The next time you crack open a cold beer, save a bit to try in a cocktail. In addition to familiar standards like the shandy or the michelada, a growing number of bartenders are adding beer cocktails to their lineup.

For some of these drinks, beer takes the starring role; others encourage a free hand to “top up” drinks with beer to add as much carbonation as desired. Meanwhile, other cocktails use smaller amounts of beer as an accent: a mere half-ounce of stout adds heft and a deep chocolaty note to the rye whiskey-based Trigger Point, while ¾ ounce of Pilsner is just enough to lighten the fruity RSVP.

Here are eight beer cocktails to try, featuring a range of brews from crisp, citrusy lagers to sturdy stouts.

Courtesy Shawn Williams, beverage director, Bar Dough, Denver

Whiskey and beer combine harmoniously, accented by hints of bitter orange and peppermint from the amaro. It’s no wonder that Williams describes this as one of his favorite winter cocktails.

Ingredients

1½ ounces rye whiskey
¾ ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
¾ ounce Amaro Nardini
½ ounce Vanilla Porter
Vanilla bean pod (for garnish)

Directions

In mixing glass filled with ice, add first three ingredients and stir. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice, then top with beer. Garnish with vanilla bean, if desired.

Photo by Annie Ray

Courtesy Russell Davis, owner/director of operations, Academia, Austin

Clean, crisp lager pairs with mellow white rum to create a light, fruit-tinged sipper, dotted with pomegranate seeds on top.

Get even more beer cocktails.

Ingredients

1½ ounces lightly-aged Rum
¾ ounces Passion Fruit Syrup
¾ ounces lemon juice
1 teaspoon Becherovka
1 ounce Lager
1 dash Grenadine(for garnish)
Pomegranate seeds (for garnish)

Directions

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine rum, passion fruit syrup, lemon juice and Becherovka. Shake well, then strain into Collins or Pilsner glass, and add ice. Top with lager and small scoop of crushed ice. Top with dash of grenadine and pomegranate seeds.

Photo by Lydon French

Courtesy Shelby Allison & Paul McGee, co-owners, Lost Lake, Chicago

Beer in a tiki drink? When it’s a pineapple American Pale Ale, it fits right in.

Ingredients

¼ ounce Gin
¼ ounce Velvet Falernum
1 ounce Swedish Punsch
¾ ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce passion fruit juice
⅓ dropper Bitterman’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters
3 ounces Pineapple APA

Directions

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients except beer. Shake well. Strain into tiki mug filled with ice. Add pineapple APA, then top with crushed ice. Garnish tropically, if desired.

Photo by Allison Ferre

Courtesy Bryan Galligos, head bartender, Bacchus Bar, Portland, OR

The name of this straightforward drink is a play on the trademark phrase of Warner Bros. cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn, as well as a reference to saison, a carbonated, fruity, spicy pale ale.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces Scotch whisky
½ ounce honey syrup (2 parts honey to 1 part hot water)
½ ounce lemon juice
Saison or farmhouse-style ale, to top
Lemon peel (for garnish)

Directions

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine first three ingredients. Shake well, and strain into rocks glass. Top with beer. Twist lemon peel over drink to express essential oils, then use to garnish.

Photo by Maddie Teren

Courtesy Matt Tocco, strategic hospitality beverage director, Pinewood Social, Nashville

It looks like an innocent glass of beer, but this cocktail is a citrus bomb that features orange liqueur balanced against a particularly fruit-forward style of wheat beer.

Ingredients

1½ ounces Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
½ ounce Amaro CioCiaro
2 ounces orange juice
½ ounce lemon juice
1 cup Hefeweizen, or wheat beer

Directions

In beer goblet filled with ice, stir together all ingredients.

Courtesy Jennie Wilson, proprietor/bar manager, 11th mile, Fredericton, New Brunswick

“This cocktail, perfect for winter months, uses New Brunswick’s Grimross Braunschweig Pilsner, a clean and refreshing German-style beer,” says Wilson. “When brewer Stephen Dixon introduced it to me, the citrus notes jumped out as a perfect finish for this cocktail. It’s a match made in heaven.”

Ingredients

¾ ounce Dark Rum
¾ ounce pineapple juice
¾ ounce cinnamon syrup (see below)
½ ounce Cynar
½ ounce lemon juice
¾ ounce Pilsner
⅜ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine first five ingredients. Shake well, then strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with beer and salt.

Cinnamon Syrup

Boil 4-5 cinnamon sticks and 2 cups sugar in 2 cups water. Let sit overnight. Strain solids and transfer syrup to clean container. Will keep up to 2 weeks, refrigerated.

Courtesy Krissy Harris, former cocktail director, The Wren, New York City

If you like Irish coffee, you’ll want to give this deep, dark variation a try. Make your own burnt-sugar syrup, or purchase Tippleman’s version. Both can be used to sweeten your regular morning brew, too.

Ingredients

1½ ounces cold brew coffee
1 ounce Irish whiskey
½ ounce burnt sugar simple syrup (recipe below)
Guinness, to top

Directions

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine whiskey, coffee and simple syrup. Shake until chilled. Strain into highball glass filled with ice. Top with Guinness.

Burnt Sugar Simple Syrup Ingredients

1 pound brown sugar
1 quart water

Burnt Sugar Simple Syrup Directions

“When making the syrup, don’t let the sugar totally burn,” says Harris. “When the pot starts to steam and smoke just a little, and the sugar caramelizes, that’s when it’s ready.”

In medium saucepan, add sugar. Cook over high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and begins to smoke. Once sugar is completely dissolved, add water and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Strain out any large chunks of burnt sugar. Transfer to clean glass jar. Refrigerated, it will keep up to 2 weeks.

Courtesy Adam Flocke, general manager, Dinky Bar & Kitchen, Princeton, NJ

This is a decadent, almost eggnog-like sipper enriched with condensed milk and whole egg, plus a robust Scottish ale and mellow blended Scotch. A rinse of the glass with Velvet Falernum adds a subtly-spiced accent.

Ingredients

¼ ounce Velvet Falernum
1½ ounces blended Scotch whisky
1½ ounces condensed milk
1 whole egg
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces Scottish Ale
Grated nutmeg (for garnish)

Directions

Pour Velvet Falernum into coupe glass. Rotate or swirl to coat inside of glass. Pour out liqueur, and set aside.

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine next four ingredients. Shake well, then strain into prepared glass. Top with ale. Garnish with grated nutmeg.