Shaken or tapped: Beer and Cocktail Bars

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Peter Eichhorn on the huge value that beer brings to a cocktail bar

When it comes to the status of beer, Germany is far behind the times. Traditionalists are horrified that anyone might think this to be the case: “What? How dare you! Germany is the home of the ‘Reinheitsgebot’ (beer purity law) – beer is in our DNA!” As a matter of fact, however, beer continues to receive the ‘stepchild’ treatment in the hospitality trade. In other words, it is frequently ignored. Customers are frequently confronted with wine lists the size of an encyclopaedia, yet anyone looking for mention of beer – let alone a carefully curated beer selection – will usually search in vain.

It was in 2010 that craft beers took their first, halting steps in Germany. 30 years after the USA, 20 years after Scandinavia and ten years after Israel, the home of Oktoberfest, Hallertau (the world’s largest hop-planting area) and the Starkbieranstich (Strong Beer Festival) became seemingly the last part of the alcohol-consuming world to take its first tentative steps towards discovering a new beer culture and reinvigorating its range of beers. Franconia was the only region within Germany to escape the long and sad decline of the country's great brewing traditions.

In the world of drinks, the avant-garde is found behind the bar

Then, in the 2010s, cocktail bars had the opportunity to do what they always do: serve as the avant-garde in the world of drinks. Bars are where trends in spirits make their first appearance: rums and gins are selected with great care, techniques like fat-washing, smokers and rotary evaporators (‘rotovaps’) are put to good use, and the country's mixologists invent a never-ending stream of outstanding creations.

This is when a few pioneers here began approaching the field of beer – after all, bars generally attract people who are open to trying new things and who enjoy an unconventional tipple. Customers in Berlin’s ‘Becketts Kopf’ bar began casting curious glances at the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, while in the ‘Boilerman Bar’ in Hamburg, large bottles from the Maisels & Friends beer brand served in champagne buckets with a shot of bourbon gained their own cult following. A number of bars took advantage of their lack of brewery ties to freely choose their own range of beers.

From thirst-quenchers to cocktail ingredients

Now, one decade later, the bar scene has come a long way in its dealings with beer. In addition to captivating beers offered as an accompaniment to whisky or as a sparkling refreshment in between two cocktails, bars boiling down their own syrups is a move that clearly opens up a wide range of possibilities. The malty character of a Schwarzbier (black beer) or porter is a perfect addition to an Old Fashioned. The same is true of the combination of rye beer and rye whiskey. A wheat beer syrup adds nuances of clove and banana to a drink, while peat fans should be sure to try out an Old Fashioned cocktail made from Islay Malt and smoked beer syrup. The range of flavour possibilities is practically endless.

Beer can do so much in a bar

At Bar Convent Berlin 2022, the Deutsche Barkeeper Union e.V. (DBU) addressed this topic as part of its stage programme and joined with an enthusiastic audience to explore the possibilities offered by beer in a bar, be it as a ‘Gedeck’ (a German term for a pairing of beer and spirits), an ingredient, or a filler. A Belgian Kriek beer (a sour beer with cherries) can supplement a cherry liquor to provide a refreshing sparkle.

The USA as a model

It is in the USA in particular – the country where the whole craft beer movement began in 1979 – that beer is firmly established as a cocktail ingredient. At first, bartenders relied on old standards like the Snakebite (crème de cassis, cider, lager), Black Velvet (champagne and Guinness) and Lagerita (tequila and lager). Later, beers were used to add a subtle twist to cocktails. The addition of wheat bear to a Sidecar can spark an elegant transformation, while an infusion of porter or stout into a White Russian creates a powerful long drink.

Cocktails with beer

While all of this was going on, beer-loving bartenders around the globe were busily developing new drinks with beer as an ingredient. German-speaking countries saw the publication of a book entitled ‘Cocktailian 3 – Bier und Craft Beer’ that aimed to expand the presence of beer in the world of cocktails, and bartender Marco Meier from Munich contributed an impressive selection of cocktail recipes that aimed to do just that. Already in 2017, beer and cocktail expert Jacob Grier from Portland, Oregon was invited to speak at Bar Convent Berlin, where he explored the innovative potential of this category of cocktails on the Brewberlin stage. He has since used his expertise to write a book entitled ‘Cocktails on Tap – The Art of Mixing Spirits and Beer’. Here, he divides beer cocktails into seven different categories and presents recipes that range from old standards to some of the most complex creations to ever emerge from the bar scene in the USA.

Mutual inspiration

At BCB, the DBU team successfully made one of the recipe’s from Grier’s book. Developed by bartender Evan Martin from Seattle, the ‘Yakima Sling’ demonstrates just how well India Pale Ale and tequila go with one another. The recipe: add 4.5 cl Reposado tequila, 2.5 cl grapefruit juice, 2 cl cinnamon syrup and 1.5 cl lime juice to the shaker. Then shake the mixture, strain over ice cubes in a Collins glass, and top up with 6 to 9 cl of IPA.

The fact that bar culture is also inspiring the brewing scene is illustrated by cocktail historian David Wondrich and the Brooklyn Brewery’s master brewer, Garrett Oliver. They live in the same neighbourhood in New York and enjoy going out for a drink together. Garrett Oliver, whose creation the ‘Brooklyn Lager’ has already established itself as a timeless classic in the new US-American beer culture, speaks fondly of these excursions: “Some of the cocktails we enjoyed became the inspiration for a new beer recipe.” When it comes to pairing beers with foods, his book ‘Brewmaster’s Table’ is a standard work of reference. He is the person New York chefs turn to when they need to brew a suitable beer for a particular dish on their menu. It is clear that the world of fine drink and dining can look forward to some amazingly fascinating sensory experiences in future.

Yet already in 1897 in his book ‘Cakes and Ales’, the author Edward Spencer was moved to say: “I wonder: how many people are aware that champagne and Guinness Stout make one of the world’s best combinations?” It’s true – beer cocktails are well worth exploring.