Enjoy Summer with Ice Cream Beer Floats

Have you ever paired beer and ice cream? We’re not just talking about washing down an ice cream cone with some sips of beer – we’re talking about beer ice cream floats! The best of both worlds combine into one glass, creating a summer beverage that you’ll find yourself craving over and over again. Here, Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, discusses this delectable treat.

Many Possibilities for Beer with Ice Cream

There are over 1,000 known ice cream flavors and many more are created each year. Couple this with how many types of beers exist, and you can easily see how many possibilities there are for combining ice cream and beer. Stouts, porters, fruity beers, and even India pale ales (IPAs) – just to name a few – can all take the place of root beer in a classic float. Some of the most popular ice cream beer float flavors include:

Chocolate Porter or Stout Float

Porter and stout beers are already the color of chocolate, and on their own, they possess notes of coffee and cocoa. Adding a scoop or two of chocolate ice cream takes these beers – and your summer – to a completely different level.

Cream Weiss and Berries Float

This type of sweet-and-sour beer goes great with a fruity ice cream flavor, like strawberry, as well as a scoop of vanilla. The result is a surprisingly refreshing float that will make you wish you were sitting under a palm tree.

Espresso and Brown Ale Float

Brown ales are known for their robust aroma, which can be very reminiscent of espresso. Experience the classic taste of espresso like never before by combining espresso-flavored ice cream with your favorite brown ale.

Hefeweizen and Strawberry Cheesecake Float

With subtle notes of banana and clove, hefeweizen is a German-style wheat beer that is unfiltered and contains yeast. These characteristics complement the fruity, heavenly taste of strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

Dark IPA Creamsicle Float

Kick things up a notch by trying a darker IPA with one scoop each of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream. The hops from the IPA are balanced out by the sweetness of the creamsicle flavor, making for an out-of-this-world take on the summer classic.

Mint Float with Stout

Mint ice cream is so refreshingly sweet that it seems to have been made for the warmer months – plus, it complements chocolate perfectly. When paired with a chocolatey stout on the sweeter side, the float tastes like a mint chip ice cream cake, and it’ll be hard to not have more than one.

Orange Sherbet Float with Belgium-Style White Ale or Summer Shandy

These light, tangy, and citrusy beers taste amazing with orange sherbet. This refreshing float features a creamy texture and highlights the citrus notes naturally found in the beer and sherbet.

Vanilla Gelato and Raspberry Sour Ale Float

Raspberry ales are often sweet and sour, which is where the vanilla gelato comes in. This combination is balanced, sinfully decadent, and reminiscent of Grandma’s homemade pie.

How to Make an Ice Cream Beer Float

Hopefully, your taste buds are now inspiring some of your own ice cream and beer pairings. Whichever combination you choose, there are a few simple steps to follow:

1. Chill a glass ahead of time.
2. Once the glass is cold enough, fill it with two scoops of ice cream.
3. Carefully pour the beer over the ice cream until the glass is full.
4. Enjoy by sipping or with a straw or spoon.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also try experimenting with floats that contain wine or spirits instead of beer.

Find Supplies for Beer Ice Cream Floats at Joe Canal’s

Whether you’re new to beer and ice cream in the same glass, or you’ve been enjoying these floats for years, the end result is only as good as the ingredients you use. If you’re in the Lawrenceville, NJ, area, Joe Canal’s is here to help your beer ice cream float dreams come true. While we don’t sell the ice cream portion of this tasty treat, we carry beer and other alcoholic beverages from top brands. For more information, contact us today.