Beer cocktails _ L'ART DU COCKTAIL À LA BIÈRE par cyril hubert

THE ART OF BEER COCKTAILS By Cyril Hubert

By Nathalie Baylaucq 13.11.2024

I am a beerologist, passionate about mixology, and now I dedicate myself to exploring beer cocktails. With extensive experience as a beerologist and author of several books, Beer in cocktails is a reference in this unique field.

Although it remains a burgeoning domain, I strive to restore beer to its former prestige, actively contributing to its development and laying the first foundations of this promising movement.

The Panaché: The Timeless Classic and the Most Well-Known

I begin with the most famous: the panaché, this refreshing mix of beer and lemonade. Discover the history of this classic and why it remains so popular today.

Personally, panaché is not a cocktail for me. A cocktail with only two ingredients requires that each of those ingredients brings some complexity to the drink for it to be considered a cocktail, which, in my opinion, is not the case with panaché.

Even with a very good quality lager, the nature of both lager and lemonade is such that they do not contribute to creating a complex drink. A classic lager is designed to be light and refreshing, while simple lemonade is sweet, limiting the depth of flavor that can be achieved when combining them.

Therefore, for a two-ingredient drink to be perceived as a true cocktail, it must be chosen not only for its quality but also for its ability to interact in a way that produces a rich and nuanced tasting experience. If the two ingredients lack intrinsic complexity, as is the case with panaché, they will not produce the same richness as a traditional cocktail with three ingredients or more.

L'ART DU COCKTAIL À LA BIÈRE par cyril hubert

In conclusion, two ingredients may be enough for a cocktail, but they must be chosen carefully to offer complexity and interaction beyond the simple sum of flavors, which is not the case with simple combinations like panaché. However, though it pains me to admit it, Monaco is a cocktail of this type, as it contains three ingredients.

According to my research in French books on beverages and cocktails, the first appearance of panaché that I found (after hours of reading) dates back to 1889 and was called Bitter Lemonade, an English beer (i.e., a high-fermentation ale for the time) and not a lager, mixed with English lemonade.

The Monaco: The Most Well-Known Timeless Classic

We begin with the most famous: this refreshing mix of beer, lemonade, and grenadine syrup. Discover the history of this classic and why it remains so popular today. Its history is difficult to trace accurately, as there is no official historical documentation on its creation. However, it is generally accepted that the Monaco is a French cocktail, likely originating in breweries and cafés in the early 20th century, or perhaps even earlier, in a context where adding syrups and lemonade to beer was common.

The Monaco became popular as a light, sweet, and refreshing drink, ideal for those who found beer too bitter or wanted a softer, more festive drink. It is often associated with moments of relaxation, especially in the seaside resorts of the French Riviera and other tourist regions of France. It is believed to have been designed to attract a broader clientele, including women and young adults, in a context where sweet drinks were popular. The name “Monaco” could evoke the prestige and elegance of the principality, as one of the most common theories about the origin of the name is related to the colors of the drink. The mix of grenadine syrup (red) and beer with foam (white) resembles the colors of the flag of the principality of Monaco, which is red and white. This visual association might have inspired the name of the cocktail. While this explanation is not formally documented, it is widely accepted and seems logical given the simplicity of the drink and the importance of visual symbols in popular culture. This explanation relating to the flag colors seems more coherent with the origin of the name than the idea of a direct connection with the principality itself, which does not have a particular tradition around this cocktail.

What Are the Basic Ingredients for Beer Cocktails?

What elements are essential for preparing simple beer cocktails? Cyril Hubert explains which types of beers and soft drinks are best suited for quick and delicious mixes.

To start, the combinations are endless, but in my opinion, it is important to respect the Rule of Balance.
A cocktail made up of at least two complex ingredients requires a balance between four key elements: sweetness, acidity, strength, and bitterness.

Sugar provides sweetness. It can come from various sources such as sugar, liqueurs, creams, fruits, or syrups. Acidity, generally associated with citrus, certain flowers, or vinegar-based elements, ensures cohesion. Strength, from spirits, creates the perfect harmony in cocktail creation, while bitterness plays a crucial role in crafting a cocktail, adding balance and complexity to the flavor, preventing the cocktail from being too sweet or too sour.

Creating a cocktail with your favorite beer is an exploration of its nuances and infinite possibilities.

CUSTOMIZE TO YOUR PREFERENCES

Define your beer cocktail according to your mood, the moment, and the available ingredients. Start by selecting the base: alcoholic or non-alcoholic, hot or cold. Choose a family of garnishes to guide you. Opt for a flavor: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, or fatty. Then, select a texture for your cocktail: it can be creamy, frothy, crunchy, smooth, watery, etc. Decide whether you want a classic or surprising cocktail, indulgent, comforting, or energizing. Use the ingredients you like.

Taste the beer before creating your cocktail to understand its characteristics. Identify the aromas: floral, fruity, spicy, earthy. Enjoy the flavors and scents: malt, fruits, citrus, or others.

Evaluate the texture and body of the beer, which can range from watery to viscous, influencing the mouthfeel and structure. Observe the effervescence: bubbly, sparkling, lively, very effervescent, aggressive, or more subdued and calm. This characteristic will add a dynamic dimension to your creation of beer cocktail. Enjoy the finish: does it leave a persistent mark on the palate, astringent, dry? Do the flavors and aromas linger for a long time? This final note will guide your choice.

Nothing is left to chance!

Explore the vast diversity of beer styles to enrich your creations. From hoppy and bitter IPAs to toasty Imperial Stouts, and sour Lambics, each style offers unique characteristics that will influence your creations. Taste and understand their differences to fine-tune your palate and discover your preferred profiles.
Choose beers, spirits, and ingredients based on your taste. If you like fruity flavors, go for ingredients that match. Avoid smoky or peaty tones if you don’t like them. Prefer caramelized and sweet notes? Try aged rum or caramel-flavored Pastry Bock beers.

To choose a spirit for your beer cocktail, explore its sensory and structural characteristics, including the terroir and geographic origin, which will influence its aromatic profile. For example, a Scottish whisky differs from an American whisky. Identify the dominant aromas (fruits, spices, herbs, etc.) and specific flavors. The alcohol content influences the strength of the cocktail and the sensory perception on the palate. Evaluate the texture, light or robust, as well as the finish. Choose a spirit or eau-de-vie that complements the selected beer. Make sure the profiles marry harmoniously.

For light beers like Pilsners, International Pale Lagers, or Pale Ales, choose light spirits like gin for their delicacy or vodka for its neutrality.

For sweet, malty beers like Irish Red Ales, Märzens, autumn beers, and amber bières de garde, opt for light whiskies with smooth profiles like bourbon or rye whisky.

For darker, toasted, and roasted beers like Stouts or Porters, choose spirits with delicate profiles.

Strong pale beers like Triples, strong Belgian blondes, or Hellesbocks, with their fruity, herbal, spicy, and malty esters, pair well with brandy, adding sophistication to these beers.

For bitter, hoppy beers like IPAs, New Zealand Pilsners, or American Pale Ales, choose floral or spicy spirits to complement the hop aromas, like gin or spiced rums.

Barleywines and Old Ales, with their malty, wine-like strength and their sense of aging and comfort, pair well with robust spirits for an enriched tasting experience.

Sour beers, like Lambics, Sours, Straight Sours, or Fruited Sours, are well-suited for exploring fruity spirits that enhance their sour flavor, like brandy or woody gin.

Beers with spices, vegetables, herbs, or specific aromatic ingredients, like Christmas or autumn beers, pair well with spiced gins and herb-infused vodkas that complement the spiced characteristics.

TEST AND ADJUST

Once the base is chosen, test and adjust the balance. For more acidity on your beer cocktail, add citrus juice; for more sweetness, adjust the sugar. Tailor the ingredients to your preference: sweet, fruity, indulgent, or dry.

And More Complex Cocktails for Connoisseurs?

For those who enjoy more sophisticated flavors, Cyril presents more complex beer cocktails.

Innovative blends with ingredients like syrups, herbs, and advanced preparation techniques. Perhaps this phrase needs to be changed, as there are none of these ingredients in the cocktails.

I share with you photos from my book, accompanied by detailed recipes. Whether for a simple beer cocktail or a more elaborate creation, these illustrations bring his advice to life and inspire trying something new.

Difficult Cocktail ****

Mary’s Hot Dog

Ingredients:

3 cl bourbon
2 cl hot dog bun syrup
Amylase packet (Rolling Beer)
2 dashes of chipotle Tabasco

BEER: Groteski (Iso-Kallas Brewery)

1 tsp BBQ sauce
500 g hot dog buns
1 chili pepper
Ice
Directly in the glass

Put 500 g of hot dog buns into the blender, add 25 g of Alpha-amylase (enzyme available from Rolling Beer) and 250 g of water, blend until a paste forms.
Put the paste in a vacuum bag and sous-vide at 60°C for two hours.
Filter everything through a Superbag and reduce in a saucepan for a few minutes until you get a slightly thick syrup.
Add ice and all ingredients into the glass and top with beer, stir.
Add a few dashes of chipotle Tabasco, stir.
Garnish with a chili pepper.

Easy Cocktail *

Passionnément

Ingredients

4 cl Tropical Porter’s Gin
½ passion fruit (or 3 cl of juice)
1 cl lime syrup
2 vanilla pods

BEER: Martigny Vice Session IPA (White Frontier Brewery)

In the shaker:

Pour all ingredients, except the beer, into the shaker.
Fill with ice, shake.
Serve using a double strain.
Top with beer, stir.
Garnish with two vanilla pods and ½ passion fruit.

Dragarita**

Ingredients

4 cl Mezcal Espadin (Noble Coyote)
2 cl Triple sec Dry Curaçao (Maison Ferrand)
3 cl fresh lime juice
4 cl juice or some pieces of red pitaya
1.5 cl agave syrup (Monin)
A pinch of pink salt

BEER: 45 Dias Mexican Lager

In the shaker:

Muddle the pieces of red pitaya in the shaker, then add all ingredients, except the beer.
Fill the shaker with ice, shake.
Serve using a double strain.
Top with beer and stir.
Garnish with a slice of red pitaya and lime.

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Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.