Beer Mixology: A New Frontier

When someone says “beer cocktail” you might typically think of classics like the Shandy (beer and ginger ale or lemonade), the Snakebite (a shandy made with beer and cider), or the Michelada (usually Mexican beer with lime juice, salt and hot sauce).But breweries like Bison Brewing in Berkeley and Brewpublic in Portland are giving new meaning to the term beer mixology–and in the process, creating a whole new movement.

Beyond simply adding mixers to their beer, they’re actually using beer as an essential ingredient in liquor-based cocktails. 

Pretty cool if you ask me.

Some people don’t even like to mix beer and booze in the same sitting for fear of what might happen the next morning (bah!). Others might crinkle their nose at the idea of IPA and tequila being mixed together in the same glass. But that, my friend, is the beauty of mixology–it’s all about balance.

These new beer mixologists–I picture them tinkering and tasting from beakers in their steam-filled beer laboratories–have found ways of crafting beautifully balanced drinks where beer and spirits peacefully and tastefully co-habitate. Best of all, they’ve come up with creative names for them like the “Mad Botanist” and the “Mail Order Bride.”

Here is the recipe for one of Bison Brewing’s featured cocktails, the Cevecerita. Enjoy!

CERVECERITA

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz. Reposado Tequila
• .5 oz. Gran Marnier
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• .25 oz. agave nectar
• 3 oz. American IPA
• lime wedge

Instructions

Fill rocks glass to the top with ice. Pour tequila, Gran Marnier, lime juice, agave nectar over ice. Add to shaker, shake lightly and pour all ingredients back into rocks glass. Top with IPA, give a quick stir, and garnish with lime wedge.

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