Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Beer cocktails: beyond the boilermaker

Beer Snob | March 1st, 2017

Last Saturday, my wife invited a friend over to catch up and have a drink together. When she pulled out a Redd’s Wicked Blood Orange “beer” and took a sip it was decidedly too sweet for their tastes. Then inspiration struck me and I suggested they drop a shot of Sauza 901 tequila into the mix. The results were not only pleasant but became part of the inspiration for this week’s Beer Snob.

You might call it “a beer and a bump” or a “shot and a chaser”. In Philadelphia it’s called a “citywide special”. The Dutch call it a “little headbutt” and the German call it a “gentleman’s menu”. The most common name it is known by is “the boilermaker” and while in the U.K. it was a half and half mix of draught ale and brown ale, here in the U.S it used to consist of a simple shot served with (typically) a pint of domestic lager.

Then came the “depth charge” form of dropping the shot directly into the glass of beer and now, like most everything else in the beverage industry, the influence of craft beer is starting to be felt on the traditional boilermaker as more and more mixologists are serving up beer cocktails for adventurous customers seeking to bring the best flavors from both the beer and spirits worlds together in one drink.

Even the semifinal round of this year’s Bartender’s Battle required our competitors to incorporate New Belgium’s Lime Citradelic beer into a cocktail featuring a spirit chosen by the judges. All four competitors seemed skilled if not at least comfortable using at least a splash of the lime flavored brew in their delicious creations.

Winner, Elijah Larson, added in some lime vodka, Chambord, chocolate bitters and egg white to present us with a delicious dessert-style drink that got him into the final round.

Runner up Andrew Hardy seemed more than comfortable splashing Lime Citradelic suds into his rum creation to earn him a spot in the finals. When asked how sure of himself he was when the secret ingredient of a craft beer was revealed, he tipped his hand to show the ace up his sleeve. “I do it often, it's kind of fair game working at the Sidestreet and having 50 of them at my disposal. I do really enjoy doing it! I just made an amazing one the other day with Collingwood whiskey and Dark Swan sour ale from Lagunitas. I used that with a couple muddled oranges and a dash of Angostura. I did a splash of Chambord and Aperol to round out the fruitiness and bring out the depth in it. The sour ale that I used is a deep purple color, and while it's sour, really sour it has a bit of a fruity finish to it like Duchess does. So that tart kombucha-esq flavor really rounded it out and let it hit the whole palette! I make a pretty mean gin IPA cocktail too! As long as it's a more citrus-forward IPA anyways.”

So if you are getting a little bored with just a beer and a bump, why not bring both together in the same glass and seek out mixologists like Andrew, who are excited and ready to pump up your IPA with some extra floral or citrus notes, add some extra nut or fruit flavors to your favorite stout or porter, or use your favorite sour in a delightfully unique whiskey drink.

Of course you can always play around at home as well. A simple internet search for beer cocktails will pull up dozens of recipes for you to use as starting points, but always remember that it is important to respect the increased alcohol content versus a regular glass of beer. 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…

By Kooper Shagenakoopershagena@gmail.com One night, Jane Linde Capistran, associate conductor of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, sat and drank wine with her friends: “Jennifer Tackling, the associate concertmaster, and…

Friday, October 31, 5-9 p.m.Ziti’s Italian American Restaurant, 3150 Sheyenne St., Suite 170, West FargoSavor a delectable five course meal with beverage pairings. (Nonalcoholic beverages are available upon request, but must be…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWill we be banging or whimpering at the end of the American empire?T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” accurately portrays the end of most empires in his first lines: “We are the hollow men/…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Dream-factory documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe connects with a Hollywood legend in “Kim Novak’s Vertigo,” the latest in a series of features exploring the filmmaker’s many…

By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…