Test Kitchen: Beer Floats
I can remember the first time I ever had a root beer float. I wondered ”what is this creamy, delicious dream, combining my favorite beverage with my favorite dessert?” Well, as it turns out, you can make an adult version of this tasty treat! I called over some (all-too-willing) friends, grabbed some St. Patty’s style beers and plenty of Tillamook Ice Cream and conducted an experiment about what makes the best beer float!
First up: Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Hard Cider
Independently, I love both of these ingrdients…but combined, they were amazing! With equal parts cider and ice cream, this tasted just like apple pie a la mode. The smooth cream brought out the tart, green apple flavor in the cider. It would be great for a summer treat (or a summer-dreaming treat) on a front porch. This one was my favorite of the bunch.
Next on the agenda: Tillamook Mountain Huckleberry Ice Cream with Red Ale
We thought that the hoppy flavor of a Red Ale would complement the sweet fruit in the ice cream, and we were right! Since the base of the ice cream is vanilla, it leveled out the hops to create a combo that tasted surprisingly like maple and nuts, with just a hint of fruit. It was a berry good beer float.
Finally: Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream with Guinness Beer
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we decided to make a float with Ireland’s token beer: Guinness! We combined this beer with Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream. Guinness is less carbonated, so the experience was a little smoother. I loved the Mudslide Ice Cream in this, especially because the chocolate bits tasted just a little salty! Unfortunately, most of the chocolate bits sunk to the bottom of the glass. This float was full of really rich flavors.
What kind of beer float would you make!? For more ideas (and some kid-friendly ones!), check out our favorite root beer float recipes.
