Spike Your Sweets: Beer Ice Cream Floats
Don’t be fooled by the passing of Labor Day. Or the weather of late (it’s rainy out here in the East!). Summer is not yet over! Here at Brit + Co. we are still soaking up every last drop of beach weekends, sunset walks, and, of course, frothy summertime beverages. This week we’re taking that good ole summertime staple, the RBF (root beer float, y’all) to another level – a boozy level. Join us as we pair beer and ice cream for the floats of all floats: Beer Floats.
Making beer floats is very simple. Just scoop ice cream of your choice into a mug and douse it in beer of your choice. Enjoy with a spoon or straw, or go straight from the mug (if you don’t mind the ensuing ‘stache). Here are four suggested combinations using local to NY beer and ice cream. And if you’re looking for something a little more spirit-ed, check out our cocktail ice cream floats too!
The Creme de la Creme
Cream ale with vanilla ice cream.
We chose Sixpoint Sweet Action and are using our Good Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Vanilla ‘scream. Here’s how you make it: Scoop up your ice cream. Add the cream. Indulge in creamy cream ale float.
Berry Berry Foamy
Berry-hinted ale with a creamy berry ice cream.
We love Bluepoint’s Blueberry ale for its strong blueberry notes. And we’re pairing it with our own creamy Big Stick ice cream – cherry with a swirl of pineapple. Scoop your fruity ice cream into the mug, add your berry-hinted ale, and savor each very-berry-filled bite.
Adult RBF
Root beer with a boozy ice cream.
It really just doesn’t get better than the classic Root Beer Float — scoop of vanilla, topped with that bubbly, biting root beer. Well, actually, it does. By replacing that scoop of vanilla with a scoop of rum ice cream. Here’s our adult RBF.
We used a root beer concentrate from P&H Soda, added some sparking water, and poured that on top of a scoop or two of our rum-infused ice cream. This one packs a punch.
The Dark N Chocolatey
Belgian dark ale with a dark chocolate ice cream.
This float makes a great dessert. Choose your dark belgian ale (we love Brooklyn Brewery’s Local 2 – a medium bodied dark belgian ale with some chocolate and nutty hints) and pour it atop a scoop or two of dark chocolate ice cream. Take things up a notch by adding chocolate chips.
What kind of adult floats have you scooped up over the summer? Share them with us in the comments below or over on Twitter.
Diana Hardeman is the owner and chef of MilkMade Ice Cream, a craft ice cream of the month subscription service based in New York. Check out her ice cream adventures on her blog, Adventures in Ice Cream.
