Happy National Beer Lover’s Day! Traditionally, this national beer holiday has been celebrated over an ale or lager. However, there's nothing wrong with celebrating this day with any number of American beers. In fact, why not enjoy a beertail on National Beer Lover's Day? Since beer pairs with sports just as perfectly as it does with pizza, so we recommend serving any of the following recipes at your sports bar. We also recommend enjoying one of these sensational beertails with a slice.
As always, we encourage you to take a look at this list of recipes, try them out, and come up with your own variations. There are so many amazing beers out there, and they’re just waiting for bartenders to experiment with them. Break out your favorite brew, take a swig, and let inspiration wash over you.
Cheers!
Bitter Roots
Courtesy of Anvil Bar & Refuge
- 1 oz. Cynar
- 1 oz. Chilled IPA
- 3/4 oz. Jamaican rum
- 3/4 oz. Madeira
- 1 tsp. honey syrup (3 parts honey diluted with 1 part hot water)
- 1 dash of Angostura bitters
- Fresh artichoke leaf for garnish (optional)
Combine all ingredients, except beer, and stir with ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with beer, stir and garnish.
Black Velvet
Courtesy of Salt & Wind
- 4 oz. Guinness or other stout beer
- 4 oz. Brut sparkling wine
- 1 tsp. Crème de mure or crème de cassis
- Brandied or other liqueur-soaked cherries
Pour the sparkling wine into a chilled Champagne flute or coupe, add the stout beer and the creme de mure or creme de cassis, top with a cherry and serve.
Chabela Cortez
Courtesy of Jay Kuehner of The Cloud Room and Damn the Weather
- 2.5 oz. fresh tomato juice (see note)
- 1 bottle Mexican beer
- 1 oz. Fresh lime juice
- 1/4 oz. Chamoy (see note)
- 1/4 oz. Simple syrup
- 1/4 to 1/2 oz. Hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Tapatio)
- 1/2 oz. Olive brine (Kuehner uses Goya)
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Cracked black pepper
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- Shrimp and lime for garnish
- Salt for rim
Salt the rim of a chilled 12-ounce beer glass and set aside. Stir or shake all ingredients except the beer with ice. Pour, ice included, into glass and top with beer. Garnish. Serve with the bottle containing any remaining beer to the side of the glass so that it can be added as desired.
For fresh tomato juice:
Puree fresh, ripe tomatoes (Kuehner recommends heirloom tomatoes) and strain through a sieve.
Note on Chamoy:
A tangy, salty and somewhat sweet sauce made from pickled fruit, Chamoy is available in many Latin grocery stores. If you can’t find it, the Chabela Cortez can be made without Chamoy but it’s worth a solid search.
Pumpkin Apple Cider Shandy
Courtesy of With Salt & Wit
- 3 oz. Apple cider
- 3 oz. Pumpkin beer
- The juice of half an orange
- Sliced apples and/or oranges for garnish
Fill a glass with ice and add apple cider and the juice of the orange. Top with pumpkin beer. Serve immediately.
Rye Got Lei’d
Courtesy of The Seven Grand
- 1.5 oz. Crater Lake rye whiskey
- 3 oz. IPA
- 1/2 oz. lemon juice
- 1 oz. pineapple juice
- 1/2 oz. orange juice
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 3.0 oz I.P.A. beer
- Orange peel for garnish
In a shaker with no ice, add the rye, lemon juice, pineapple juice, orange juice and brown sugar. Do a “dry” shake for 20 seconds. Add fresh ice and shake for another 20 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass filled with one ice cube per glass. Top off with IPA beer. Garnish with an orange peel.
Tom Terrific
Courtesy of Daren Swisher
- 2 oz. IPA
- 1 3/4 oz. Old Tom gin
- 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
- 1/2 oz. Demerara simple syrup
- 1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
- Orange wheel for garnish
Combine all ingredients except for beer and shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass, top with beer, and garnish.