An easy chocolate raspberry beer float takes the concept of beer-for-dessert to the next level, making it a fun and festive treat for Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, or whenever. This stout float is made with just beer and ice cream - no fancy syrups or flavorings needed.
Huh?, yum, and how are you going to do that? were the first three things my husband said when I told him I was going to make a chocolate raspberry beer float for Father's Day last year.
Yup, yes, and easily! were my responses.
A brewery near our college made a stout float that we haven't forgotten about in the...many years since, and this memory coupled with our love of all things chocolate raspberry got the wheels turning for this pink-hued version.
You just need two specially-chosen beers + ice cream for this beer float recipe. Each beer brings one half of that perfect chocolate raspberry flavor (though I don't add them in equal parts) for one creamy, rich, boozy, decadent, and easy dessert drink.
P.S. If you're big into the chocolate raspberry combo, these fudgy brownies with raspberry jam also feature fresh berries for double the delicious flavor.
What You'll Need
Just beer and ice cream. Make sure the beers are well-chilled, then slowly pour them over ice cream in a glass. To quote Ina: how easy is that? Two bigger or three smaller scoops of ice cream are a good starting point: I'm not precise with it, so measure with your heart what "two scoops" means to you.
Chocolate Stout - With a chocolate-y roasted malt flavor, these stouts are real treats to drink. Some stouts lean heavier on coffee notes and some more chocolate, so look up reviews of the kind you're considering buying to find one that aligns with your tastes. ABV, too - they can be 5% or quite a bit higher. I was searching for Young's Double Chocolate Stout, couldn't find it, but landed on Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout. Tasty nonetheless.
Raspberry Lambic Beer - Lindemans Framboise lambic is on the easier side to find in the U.S. It's boldly-flavored, sweet with a hint of sour, and features a deep pink color (and head!) as it's made with raspberry juice. It's also lower in alcohol at 2.5% ABV. I haven't found it at my local grocery stores, but have seen it at liquor stores and, funnily enough, World Market. It comes in 750-ml bottles and a four-pack of 250-ml bottles, the latter of which may be handy as each beer float only uses a few ounces.
Ice Cream - Your favorite good-quality vanilla ice cream is a safe bet, but if feeling adventurous, consider coffee or chocolate.
Prevent a Mess
Use a BIG glass. Beer and other carbonated beverages foam up considerably when poured over ice cream (same deal for a Cheerwine float) so pour slowly to prevent overflow. Ideally go for a glass with a minimum 16-ounce capacity to hold everything, such as a pint glass or glass beer mug. Seen here are 20-ounce imperial pint glasses.
Tips and Tricks
- Leftover lambic? I've put a wine stopper back in the larger bottle and found it to stay fizzy for several days after. If you find sipping it solo to be a little too much, add it as a floater to lighter beers or a drier Prosecco for a fruity twist.
- Serve with a spoon and/or straw. A long spoon or wider stainless steel straw work well.
- Adjust to taste. Raspberry lambic has a strong flavor, so I like to make these beer floats with less lambic, more chocolate stout to balance the two. That said, add more/less of either to make these floats just how you like them.
- Garnish if you like. These beer floats really don't need much garnishing, but I like to pop a few fresh raspberries into the foam and dust with a little cocoa powder (sifted through a fine mesh strainer) if I'm feeling fancy.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Chocolate Raspberry Beer Float
Equipment
- 1 16-ounce glass (minimum size to account for foam)
Ingredients
- 2 large scoops good-quality vanilla ice cream
- 9 ounces chocolate stout
- 3 ounces raspberry (framboise) lambic
Instructions
- Scoop ice cream into a glass with a minimum 16-ounce capacity, though a 20-ounce imperial pint glass is even better. If you just have smaller glasses, considering splitting the float ingredients between two smaller glasses to share.
- Very slowly pour the stout over the ice cream (it will foam up a lot). Then pour in the raspberry lambic and give everything a gentle stir before serving with tall spoons and/or wide straws. Garnish with fresh raspberries and a dusting of cocoa powder if you like.
Notes
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus receive periodic recipe newsletter emails.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Comments
No Comments