Beyond the obligatory red beer or boilermaker, most people would be hard-pressed to list another “beer cocktail”—or to even welcome the idea. Cocktails are cocktails, and beer is beer, right? Not anymore. There is a growing interest in both the craft-beer and cocktail sectors, so it was only a matter of time before the two would get together.
At first thought, one might wonder, “Why mix beer with spirits (or other ingredients) at all?” I’m sure the purist beer drinker would never mix something—anything—with such a divine product. I admit, the first time I heard of the concept, I was shocked but not awed.
Ashley Routson (a.k.a. The Beer Wench) has suggested that the reason you don’t see widespread use of beer with cocktails is that most bartenders “niche out,” or specialize to become proficient in beer or cocktails, but probably not both. “Expecting a mixologist to know everything about beer would be like expecting a beer expert to know everything about wine,” says Routson. “Not all alcohol is created equal, and it’s extremely hard to be an expert at them all.”
Like most uncharted frontiers, I believe a lot of experimentation (i.e., the creation of good drinks) is necessary before the concept really takes hold. Beer also poses challenges as a mixer due to its texture and structure, with all those bubbles. (I only hope not to see any beertinis in the near future.)
That said, a few daring bartenders around town have added beer cocktails to their ever-changing repertoire. The newly opened, members-only Blood & Sand currently features two beer cocktails. The Slow Decay ($9) combines rum, green chartreuse liqueur, Cocchi Americano wine, Xocolatl Mole bitters, and Modus Hoperandi IPA, while the Dusk & Summer ($9) blends gin, lemon juice, Punt e Mes Italian vermouth, lemon bitters, and witbier.
For those hoping to learn more without venturing to the bar, there’s a website, Beer Mixology (beermixology.com), dedicated to the concept. Like it or not, beer cocktails are here and on the move.
