OnTap Magazine

NOSTALGIA Recently, a hot brewdaywas interruptedby the jangly, disjointed jingle from the valley: an all-familiar sound from my childhood. Despite the chaotic, sharp notes, the sound only brought excitement. And just as I did as a child, I scurried straight to the gate to catch the ice cream truck’s attention before he zoomed past. Even though it was mass- produced soft-serve, it was, and still is, a day that makes me smile. As you can tell, I love ice cream. So much so, in fact, that I dabble in making my own from time to time. Much like brewing, experimenting with new flavours and ingredients is part of the fun; and I seldom make the same ice cream twice. I have even gone as far as making ice cream with beer (see On Tap Summer 2019 issue for the recipes, where I made a Schwarzbier & Chocolate ice cream, and a Blueberry & Cherry Kriek Sorbet). FLOATS FOR GROWN-UPS Another firm favourite growing up was Coke and Creme-Soda Floats. I guess, as an adult, our equivalent is an ice-cold beer. But why can’t we have both? Beer and ice cream share intriguing flavour similarities and overlapping taste profiles – whether fruity, coffee/chocolate, sweet or tart – making them a perfect match just waiting to happen. This opens up numerous pairing opportunities, allowing you to have loads of fun experimenting with different flavour combinations based on your personal preferences. From my dabbling, boldly flavoured ice creams pair well in beers that are equally robust in flavour, and your lighter beers require ice creams of medium intensity. Not everyone is as eager to make homemade ice cream as I am, so you’ll be pleased to know that there are loads of boutique-style ice cream parlours popping up across the country, experimenting with weird and wonderful flavours. They are sure to have the perfect beer-float-worthy ice creams. ICE CREAM COMBOS Some of the ice-cream and beer combinations that I have tried: Ice cream 1: Made with a Schwarzbier dark lager, dark chocolate and a double shot of espresso. This was paired with RHBC’s Dark Purpose Chocolate Stout. Ice cream 2: Made with Hibiscus-Citrus-Plum sour and fresh fruit (Nectarines, Granadilla and Pineapple). I paired this ice cream with an IPA. Ice cream 3: A Raspberry and Rodenbach Fruitage Sorbet. This was paired with my Hibiscus- Citrus-Plum sour. Ice cream 4: Peanut Butter with caramel syrup. This ice cream was paired with a rich Baltic Porter. VERDICT The pairings worked beautifully and were loads of fun to drink – sparking the joy and nostalgia of childhood sweet treats. My favourites? First, the Peanut Butter ice cream in the Baltic Porter: the mouthfeel was silky and rich with layers of complexity. Second, the Raspberry Sorbet in the Sour beer: the perfect pint for those summer scorchers, it was fresh and lively with a tart, but still deliciously sweet, mouthfeel. A take-home message if you’re using an IPA as your base beer: go for a heavily fruited ice cream to balance the intense hop fruitiness as well as the bitterness of the beer. I found the bitterness clashed with the ice cream sweetness which created a disjointed mouthfeel. My next beer-float pairing will have to be a stout with a rich cherry ice cream, or a pilsner with a lime sorbet. Go forth: explore and experiment! BEER MEETS FOOD By Megan Gemmell THE IRRESISTIBLE ALLURE OF BEER AND ICE CREAM Peanut butter ice cream with a baltic porter Sorbet with a sour beer Fruit ice cream with an IPA ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2023 | 43