Beer and ice cream is a fun pairing you can do at home with friends and adult family members.

Summer is the perfect time for a cone of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or any of your favorite flavors. But what if you paired those with…beer? Yes, beer pairs well with almost all foods, including ice cream—and putting them together is a fun summer activity you can do at home.

Here is an illustrated guide to pairing ice cream and beer, drawn by the author!

Almost any fruit ice cream pairs well with the flavors of a German wheat ale known as hefeweizen/weissbier.

Hefeweizen (also known as a “weissbier”) is a German style of wheat ale that has lots of clove and banana flavors in it thanks to organic byproducts created by the yeast. It’s also a very highly carbonated style, which cleans your palate after each bite. The strawberry will meld well with the banana to create a smoothie-type sensation in your mouth. Hefeweizens are a lovely summer beer style and one to be on the lookout for when it gets hot.

Beers To Seek Out: Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz Hefeweizen

Drinking a citrusy hazy IPA with vanilla ice cream creates a classic summer flavor: the creamsicle.

Two flavors that create one sensational combination are classic vanilla and the popular hazy IPA. Eating these two together tastes like a creamsicle, one of the best summer flavors around. Hazy IPAs are made with hops that mimic citrus and tropical flavors, making them a great pairing with vanilla.

Beers to seek out: Tree House Julius, Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing, New Belgium Juice Force

Stouts are known for having coffee flavor/aroma already so pairing this style of beer with coffee ice cream just makes sense.

American stouts are deep, roasty beers with delectable flavors of coffee and dark chocolate, and what better way to complement these flavors than with coffee ice cream? This combination will add a creaminess to your stout and also cut the bitterness as well. Don’t think dark beers can be drunk during the heat of summer? Well, dark beers are wonderful all year round!

Beers to Seek Out: Bell’s Expedition Stout, Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Scotch ales are known for toffee and caramel flavors so pairing them with any ice cream will infuse each bite with a caramel swirl.

When I was a kid, cookie dough was one of my favorite flavors. Now that I’m an adult, I get the fun of pairing beer with one of these childhood treats. If you are looking to essentially add caramel syrup to your ice cream, the Scotch ale (also called a “wee heavy”) is that but in beer form. The richness of the beer and the chewy cookie dough and vanilla ice cream base complement each other really well. It’s decadent for sure.

Beers to seek out: Oskar Blues Old Chub, Traquair House Ale

Chocolate ice cream can work with a range of beer styles but the bitter, high alcohol lager Baltic porter is a delicious choice.

Classic chocolate deserves a unique beer. Baltic porter is a style that is popular in countries like Poland and has flavors of licorice and bittersweet chocolate. It’s a lager (most porters are ales—here’s the difference between an ale and a lager if you’re curious) so there’s a smoothness and a crispness as well. The alcohol in these beers can be very high, but the heat from the alcohol will complement the sweetness of the chocolate.

Beers to seek out: Zywiec, Black Boss Porter

If you are going to do this pairing at home, I recommend starting lightest and moving to darkest in terms of flavors and beers (this article is in the order you should try these pairings). Take a bite of ice cream and then a sip of beer. What are you tasting? How do the flavors work well together to create a new sensation? I like to write down my tasting notes and compare them with my friends’, as everyone’s palate is different. The best part of beer and food pairing is experimentation. Have a pint of rocky road in the fridge? What beer would go well with it? Just try it out and see! If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t; no harm, no foul.

Give it a try this summer and remember to drink responsibly and share beers with the people who care about you and make you happy. Cheers!

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