5 Mixers You Need To Make Cheap Beer Taste Better
Now that the hottest days of summer are right on top of us, there are few things in life that are better than an ice-cold beer to beat the heat, especially with friends and family. But while craft beers are awesome, most of us have to settle for the canned, six-packed lagers from the grocery store. And let's be honest here — these aren't exactly known for their incredible flavors.
Fortunately, if you've been tired of drinking close-to-water lagers, there's a trick that you can use to make it a smidge more palatable – add a splash of a mixer. The right one will transform your sad-tasting canned beer into a treat. Bland and tasteless? You can count on something like fruit juice can give it some sweetness and flavor. And if it's the lack of a distinct mouthfeel that's keeping you from enjoying the pint, try and add something like sparkling water. It'll lend the beer a nice "texture" with its effervescence.
The point is, no matter what problem you're having with your cheap beer, there's a mixer out there that can fix it for you. Even though the list is very long, here are some essential mixers that you should keep in your mixing station slash fridge to prep for the next time you have to crack open a cold (but cheap) one.
Tonic water
Tonic water has been used as a cocktail mixer for decades (gin and tonics, anyone?), so it may not surprise you very much to learn that it'll also work awesome for beers. At its core, tonic water is a blend of carbonated water and quinine, a bitter compound extracted from the bark of South America's cinchona tree. While quinine was originally used to fight malaria, it's found a second life as the bitterant that gives tonic water its sharp flavor.
The bitterness of quinine is the main draw of tonic water, which tastes very similar to the bitter hoppy notes in beer. If you're stuck with a bland lager, a splash of tonic water can freshen up your taste buds and give the pint that missing bitter edge back. Just be careful not to add too much, or it's going to get very bitter (about ¼ of tonic to ¾ beer is a good ratio.) And since tonic water is also carbonated, you can use it as a quick fix for a beer that has lost its fizz and turned flat.
Club soda and seltzer
For beers that have plenty of flavor (as much as cheap beers can have, anyway,) but no longer fizzes on your tongue when you sip it, try either club soda or seltzer. While many use these terms interchangeably, there are subtle differences that you should take into consideration before you buy either as a beer mixer.
Club soda is carbonated water that's enriched with a little bit of minerals. So, while the drink will still taste like water behind the layer of effervescence, there will be a slight "crisp" taste similar to spring water. Seltzer, on the other hand, is mineral-free, so what you get is basically pure liquid fizz in a bottle. The lack of any distinct flavor is the reason why they're in a distinct category from tonic water. This quirk will either a great mixer if it's only the effervescence that you're after, which you can use to fix a flat beer.
However, be extra careful when you add them to your beer. While they'll introduce some carbonation, they'll also dilute the brew since they add no flavor of their own. To maintain the beer's original taste, you must use as gentle a pour as you can. Too much, and you run the risk of washing away whatever flavors the cheap beer has entirely.
Your choice of fruit juice
While we're treading close to mixed drink and cocktail territory, if the beer tastes cheap to begin with, you're not giving up much by adding some flair. For those who prefer a sweeter drink, try mixing equal parts beer and fruit juice.
While any fruit juice can work, we recommend opting for something with a good kick of tartness, like citrus juices. This combination is known in many parts of the world as a shandy. Traditionally, shandies are made by mixing lager beers with lemonade, but variations using orange, grapefruit, or berry juices also exist and are just as tasty. The resulting beverage is a tasty one: The sweet-fruitiness of the juice along with the tang of the acid blends really well with the bitterness of the beer.
Do note that this trick will work best with light beers, like lagers, wheat, or pale ale. Dark stouts like canned Guinness will require a different approach.
Cola
Whether you're Team Coke or Team Pepsi, when you put them together with beer, you'll make something that's known in Germany as Colabier. This odd mixture works for two reasons. One, cola has the same dark, caramel-like color of dark stouts, so they can come together in a glass without ending up looking too odd (although you can also mix it with light lagers, too.) And second, the sugary soda's ability to give the beer a dizziness and sweetness boost needs little introduction. In fact, because cola by itself is already very sweet, it's best that you add as little cola as you can — a seven-to-three ratio of beer and cola should make for a flavorful drink without it becoming too cloying.
Opt for this trick if you have beer that isn't too heavily-hopped. Trust us when we say that most people won't find the combination of sweet cola and bitter-forward beer pleasant. When we mixed it for ourselves, the result was it tasted like "cough syrup."
Apple cider
While apple cider's sweet and tart flavor doesn't have the summer vibe (it's more of a fall or winter thing,) you can give it a shot if you have a bottle in your kitchen right now. In a pilsner glass, combine equal parts cold apple cider and your budget-friendly beer. Stir gently to blend the sweet, tart notes of the cider with the beer.
While this basic recipe will already be a pretty substantial upgrade from the cheap beer's watery taste, if you have a well-stocked pantry and some time to kill, you should definitely consider going the extra mile and turning it into a full-fledged cocktail. Cinnamon pairs really well with apple cider, and you can either sprinkle cinnamon powder right on top for a spicy punch or add cinnamon sticks directly into the glass. Then, as the pièce de résistance, you can garnish the glass with either sliced apples as a homage to the cider, or orange slices to play to the golden-orangey hue of the final drink. And voilà, a refreshing apple cider shandy perfect for sipping on a lazy afternoon or a casual get-together!