Beer cocktails are everywhere lately, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen this twist.
At The Fifth Floor in San Francisco, bartender Brian Means takes Anchor Steam beer, combines it with sugar and cooks it down into a beer syrup, which is then used to enhance this savory whiskey drink. So this isn’t really a beer cocktail, but a strong, cocktail lover’s cocktail infused with a little taste of beer.
Independence Day has come and gone, and my mind continues to believe that the weekend flew by and we’re back at the beginning of the week. Quite the troubles… But fear not, the weekend is almost here again, and this time it’s a true weekend. And I have a drink for those of you who enjoy a sweet summertime beverage.
On the fourth, I decided to try out a drink on my list. I’ve had summer shandys made from actual breweries, but I wanted to make my own with homebrew. For the sweet half, all I had available was pink lemonade. My dad cringed as I explained to him what I was drinking. I was also skeptical, but the summer shandy I made was indeed refreshing for a hot day.
The beer Scrooges out there are scowling and saying something like “this guy is ruining beer.” To you I say, stop reading and go sniff your own flatulence. I thought the Dark IPA had a few similar qualities to an iced tea and the bitterness and malty flavor would go well with lemonade. It did. This isn’t something I’d have all the time, but when it’s a billion degrees out and you need a refreshing drink—it hits the spot while giving the boost of alcohol that we all enjoy.
Here at Endless Simmer, we pledge allegiance to two things: this great country we call America, and all the ridic food treasures it holds within. Fine citizens of our sea-to-shining-sea have taken it upon themselves to honor the former with the latter; there are so many entertaining food flags lurking around the internet. Just in time for the daydrinking-fueled, explosion-laden meatstravaganza that is the celebration of our glorious nation’s birth, here are our T10AFMOOF: Top 10 American Flags Made Out Of Food.
Like many of life’s greatest and most inspirational mysteries, we’re not sure exactly where it originated… but this beautiful Taco Bell Hot Sauce Flag has been making the rounds on Twitter lately. We support it. Not a bad idea for a festive “tablescape” if you’re serving tacos at your holiday gathering.
Cake? Fine. Cake pops? Sure, whatever. Cake pops remade into cake?! Invention and the freedom to do what you want is the backbone of this great country! We’ll take it! Thanks, Bakerella.
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas has the right idea: start your day the American way! To turn boring, regular pancakes into spectacularly patriotic pancakes that even George Washington would be proud of, all you need is some food coloring and chocolate chips.
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Ever hear of brunch punch? I didn’t until we visited my college friend in Baltimore. In preparation for a day of beveraging at the Preakness, she made us a brunch punch. This punch consisted of a mix of orange-pineapple juice, Malibu, and champagne. It was refreshing, while also giving you a bit of a buzz to start off your morning.
At the beach this past weekend, I decided to make my own version of brunch punch with one of my favorite beverages—beer. The result: positive reviews and an empty pitcher of my Blue Moon brunch punch.
At first I served the brunch punch with just the orange-pineapple juice, champagne, and vodka. But I realized we had Blue Moon in the fridge, and added that to the mix. Blue Moon particularly complements these flavors because of its citrus undertones and sweet taste. The punch actually tastes better with the beer—and I wasn’t the only one that thought such. Why didn’t I think to put this on the list?!
There are craft beer aficionado, beer purists, beer idiots, and then me…an in-between of all of them. I know the differences between pale ales, IPAs, and stouts, but normally I’m just as happy with a $2 Miller Lite.
Something I didn’t know: there are tour companies that pick you up and take you on a beer bus around various cities. Or at least this exists in San Diego. BS and I got picked up by the Brewery Tours of San Diego at 10:30am (yes, in the morning) to start a drinking adventure. First we arrived at Ballast Point and I was kind of confused, it looked like we were in an industrial park at an office building and not a place where I could get wildly drunk. I went inside anyway. Leave no stone unturned.
They had at least 20 beers on tap; many of which (if I remember correctly) were brewed one-time only. I, for the second time in my life, read the word “sculpin” on a menu; the previous night we had the fish, and today all of the beers were named after various catches. I knew we only had a limited amount of time and only so much I could drink, so BS and I went for the craziest ones:
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Hopefully you realize that black and tan is a reference to a mix of two tasty and contrasting beers. The mix of beers varies depending on where you get it and from whom, but is generally a dark beer with a pale ale or lager. This time, I used Yuengling’s version: a mix of their porter and their premium beer. I was hoping the porter part of this would bring out the nutty flavor of the pine nuts, but because it’s only half porter, wouldn’t turn the pesto dark.
The black and tan did bring out the pine nuts, while also giving the pesto a bit of the bite when mixed with the garlic. I put one slice of sun-dried tomato in the mix and it lent a very subtle taste that again, I believe was brought out by the beer. I served this as a snack on toast, topped with a slice of sun-dried tomato. Then, for dinner we put it on our burgers, along with the beer-infused ketchup! OR you can make an open-faced tuna sandwich and top it off with some pesto (see above). You’re welcome.
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Beer cocktails have been showing up everywhere lately, but here’s one we haven’t seen before: beer and cider.
And why not? Cider doesn’t have to be only for autumn. Mix it up with a light wheat beer and you have a serious summertime drink. At the B&O American Brasserie bar in Baltimore, bartender Brendan Dorr serves a Flying Dog witte beer with cider, plus falernum for a little sweetness.