Beer Cocktail: What’s the Scoop?

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you’re floating? Cruising through the fluffy white clouds in the sky on a journey created by the precious REM cycle that we all love?

Then the unthinkable inevitably happens: we are ripped from the skies, wings clipped as we are pulled down to the earth as gravity wages a violent attack on our pleasure cruise.

No announcements of placing our seats and tray tables in the upright position, just a full body jerk as we are rudely awakened just a millisecond before we hit the ground.

But, although we are powerless to stay in our sleep-induced visions and remain among the clouds in a dream state laced with cotton candy-esque shapes of awesomeness, we are empowered in the real world by a dear friend of ours: beer!

In my own dream to pair beer with food in delicious combinations, I came across a particularly exciting, albeit unconventional combination!

It’s called a Beer Float, and it is exactly as the title suggests–beer and vanilla ice cream together in one!

Porters and Stouts seem to be the beer of choice in regard to making these floats, so in taking one for the team, I tried both.

Now, in the Pacific Northwest we are lucky enough to be close to the Deschutes Brewery, and that means we have plenty of the black gold that is Black Butte Porter!

For those who don’t have access to this liquid deliciosity, don’t fret, I also whipped a beer float together using a well-established commercial brand, Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout.

If you’re going to try this at home, here is a quick tip: to avoid foaming over and making a mess, pour the beer into the glass first, and then add your vanilla ice cream.

In an effort to put my own twist on this amazing dessert drink, I added a few touches that upped the flavor and the alcohol content to this adult beverage!

Hardy Vanilla is a blend of premium Madagascar vanilla with 8 year old Hardy VSOP Cognac. I threw a bottle of this stuff in the freezer overnight to get it nice and thick. After the beer and the ice cream went in the glass, I drizzled some of this vanilla cognac over the top of the float to enhance the “adult-ness” of this adult beverage.

Now, floats aren’t truly a float without a topper, and we all know that the only crown jewel meant to adorn this delicious treat is a cherry! And as I am not one to skimp on the details, I plucked a Maker’s Mark bourbon-soaked cherry from the treasure chest to bejewel the top of this frozen gem!

So if you’re looking for a dream come true, or just a delicious way to cool off from the summer heat, “float” to the store and pick up the goodies to make one of these amazing treats and see what the “scoop” is all about!

What other combinations of beer floats have you tried?