Vanilla Raspberry Beer Float

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

If the idea of beer and ice cream sounds strange to you, you’re not alone. That said, you should give it a try! There’s something supremely satisfying about the pairing. The first beer float I ever tried was a St. Patrick’s Day mashup of dark Guinness stout and a scoop of coffee ice cream, and friends? It was delicious!

While that first experience will always stand out in my mind, the global heatwave we’re in means that dark beers are very far from mind. In an attempt to come up with a summer-y substitute for stout, I stumbled across a long-forgotten beverage at my local liquor store — Lindeman’s Raspberry Framboise beer.

❓ What are Lambic Style Beers

If you’ve yet to try lambic-style beers, you’re really missing out. They’re sweet, tart, funky, and absolutely guzzle-worthy. With an alcohol content of just 2.5%, they’re also light enough for prolonged periods of day drinking.

Made using a process known as “spontaneous fermentation,” lambics are like the sourdough of the beer world. Instead of using a single, homogenous culture like is used for making lagers or IPAs, lambics are exposed to the bacteria in the air. 

For a beer to be labeled as a true lambic, it must be brewed in the Zenne river valley of Belgium where the seasonal microflora impart their uniquely Belgian flavor profile. While not all lambics are given a secondary fermentation with fruit, many are. 

Alternate Flavors

From cherry-flavored krieks to apple-flavored pommes, peach-flavored pêches to raspberry-flavored framboise, there’s a whole world of fruity sour beers to try. Since we’re smack-dab in the middle of summer, this easy-to-find raspberry sour beer won my attention. (You can find it at Trader Joe’s, Target, liquor stores, and most chain grocery stores.) 

It’s sweet and effervescent enough to evoke soda-shop vibes, but with a bit of malty booziness in the background. Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it taste like sweet-tart raspberry pie a la mode but in root beer float form. Just trust me: it’s glorious. Plus, who doesn’t love a 2-ingredient dessert on a hot summer day?!?

🍴Ingredients

As promised, beer ice cream floats have a VERY short ingredient list. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Raspberry Lambic Beer - You can swap in any fruit-flavored lambic here.
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - I liked the simplicity of a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, but feel free to use a flavor with fruit swirls or a fruit-flavored sweet creamy ice cream base. I suggest sticking to other berries, cherries, peaches, plums, citrus, or rhubarb flavors. Chocolate flecks or chocolate swirls could also be welcome, but I don’t suggest a chocolate ice cream base because it will overpower the subtle notes of the lambic. If you have an ice cream maker, make your own ice cream recipe to add to this classic treat!
• Fresh Raspberries & Raspberry Sauce - The refreshing fruit addition to add to your lambic float in a tall glass! The perfect garnish for a hot day. 

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

Beer floats come in all kinds of tasty flavor variations! Here are a few others worth considering:

• Stouts or Porters + Chocolate, Cherry, Vanilla, Coconut, Toffee, Peanut Butter, or Coffee Ice Cream
• Amber Lager + Salted Caramel or Vanilla-Pretzel Ice Cream
• Pilsners + Fruit Sherbet
• Summer Shandy + Citrus Sherbet or Citrus Ice Cream
• Belgian White Ale + Citrus Sherbet
• Hefeweisen + Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry, or Cheesecake Ice Cream, or Grapefruit Sherbet/Sorbet
• Pale Ales or IPAs with Fruit Sorbets
• Add some passion fruit curd or a scoop of raspberry sorbet to your float! Combine vanilla ice cream and passion fruit ice cream for the ultimate tropical twist!

Did you come up with a stellar beer float flavor combination that the world should know about? Let me know in the comments below or tag me in your social media posts so I can cheer you on!

Equipment

You don’t need much to make these Belgian raspberry beer floats. Here’s what I suggest you use:

• Corkscrew - Lindeman’s secures their bottle with both a cork and a twist cap. Make sure you have a wine tool at the ready!
• Ice Cream Scoop - A good ice cream scoop can make a huge difference. Not only will it help prevent you from accidentally bending your spoons, but will also yield a perfectly round ice cream shop-sized scoop. 
• Pint Glasses - Any large glasses will work. I tend to reach for either pint glasses or the vintage ice cream sundae glasses.
• Straws & Long Spoons - Not essential, but definitely helpful for eating/drinking your floats without making a mess.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Making a beer float is about as easy as it gets. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Add Ice Cream to your glass, about 1-3 scoops per your taste.

Step 2: Pour Beer into the glass over the ice cream until full. Serve with a straw and spoon, and top with raspberries.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• If you’re hosting a party, consider pre-scooping your ice cream and freezing the scoops. It’ll make serving a large group much easier and quicker than doing it all by hand on the spot. 
• Want to create a number of options for guests to enjoy at a party? I love to keep a selection of ice cream in the freezer, ready to grab at a moment's notice - Blood orange sorbet, ice cream cake slices and ice cream sandwiches!
• If you’re experimenting with beer float flavor creations, be sure to match strength with strength. Light beers should be paired with light ice cream or sherbet; heavy beers can withstand heavier flavors.  
• Tip your glass to pour the beer; this will help it from getting too foamy!
• Add a raspberry sugar rim on your glass to add some flavor and a bit of garnish!

💭 Recipe FAQs

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