Beer and ice cream are quintessential summer delights.

However, it’s not as simple as mixing a scoop of mint chip into a pint of pale ale.

Instead, you might trust one of the top ice cream parlors to craft a selection of beer-infused ice creams, creating the ideal summer combination as temperatures rise and pool season begins.

The Salt & Straw Brewer’s Series offers a collection of five unique flavors, each blending a distinct beer from various American microbreweries. This series was launched today in stores and online for nationwide delivery, and it will be available until the end of June.

The collection offers a diverse range of flavors, featuring a porter, stout, lager, ale, and hazy IPA. However, the process of making beer-infused ice cream is more complex than just mixing beer with ice cream.

As explained by Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw, beer alone does not have a strong enough flavor profile to counterbalance the rich fat content of ice cream. Efforts to enhance the beer’s flavor by heating it ended up altering its inherent qualities. Therefore, Tyler had to meticulously break down each beer and reconstruct it into a creamy, sweet version that faithfully represents the original beer flavor in every spoonful. This meticulous process benefits the consumer immensely.

Here is a list of the five distinct flavors available, including details about the breweries involved and the methods used to create these ice creams.

Métier’s Black Stripe Porter & Bread Pudding

Métier Brewing, located in Seattle, stands out as one of the few black-owned breweries in the country and exemplifies how such establishments can foster a sense of community through beer. Tyler combines three types of malts, one variety of barley, and toasted coconut, which he then mixes with additional hops to forge an ultra-concentrated syrup. This concoction is transformed into an unfiltered coconut beer, mirroring the flavor elements of Métier’s Black Stripe Porter. Subsequently, this syrup is blended into an ice cream base along with Donna Moodie’s acclaimed gooey bread pudding from Seattle and crunchy toffee.

Breakside’s Barrel-Aged Chocolate Stout

Located in Portland, Oregon, Breakside Brewery holds recognition as an esteemed microbrewery. Collaborating with lead brewer Ben Edmunds, Tyler created a bespoke barrel-aged beer named Shasta Taffy for this particular flavor. Cocoa nibs are immersed in the brew for four days, post which they are dried and incorporated into chocolate to craft a chocolate bark. This beer-infused bark is then whisked into the ice cream, interlaced with a homemade tres leches cake swirl that uses two types of milk, with the stout serving as the third component.

Russian River’s Supplication Ale w/ Manchego

Russian River Brewing, located in Santa Rosa, California, is renowned for its creation of hoppy and Belgian-style beers. Their notable Supplication Ale is crafted by aging it in pinot noir barrels along with sour cherries for 12 months, and it’s released annually. This distinctive sour brown ale is innovatively combined with a creation of light fudge made by Tyler, infused with three-month-aged Manchego cheese and tart-cherry marmalade, giving a unique twist inspired by a classic beer and cheese tasting experience.

Monkish’s Space Cookies & Cream Hazy IPA

Located in Torrance, California, Monkish Brewing is an Asian-owned establishment that focuses exclusively on Belgian-style beers and is amongst the pioneers of the hazy IPA on the West Coast. Tyler extracts flavors from their Space Cookies beer, reminiscent of ‘nilla wafers, to craft an ice cream. This includes making a hops-flavored simple syrup blended with a citrus syrup crafted from fresh grapefruits and orange zest, mirroring the beer’s flavors, and integrating this with a swirl of ‘nilla wafer cookie butter.

La Tropical’s La Original Lager w/ Guava

La Tropical, which began in Cuba, ceased operations for 60 years following the revolution, only to be revived in 2020 in the Wynwood district of Miami. Using their century-and-a-half-old Cuban Ambar Lager recipe, Tyler crafts a uniquely tropical ice cream. This creation features homemade flan topped with sweet guava drizzle and infused with hints of honey.