CiceroneCraft Brew Bar StoryFive Of The Best Beermosa Recipes

I’ve crafted a handful of beermosa’s in my time.

In fact, I got my beermosa making chops back when I beertended for Octopi on Sundays (the only day to get a beermosa). Since then, I’ve talked to people who wondered “What kind of beer do I use in a beermosa?” or “What proportion of beer to orange juice should I mix in my beermosa?” or “Is there more to a 2-ingredient beermosa recipe than the 2 ingredients?”

(The answer to the last question is no. A 2-ingredient recipe is a 2-ingredient recipe… but if you’re wondering about garnishes, we’ll get to that.)

Getting The Full Experience

The best beermosa excites your four core beer-drinking senses: sight, smell, mouthfeel and taste.

Use your curious palate, a fondness for beer and grip on experimentation to find the perfect blend for you.

And as you try, look at the beer and see how the the combination impacts the color, the transparency, the bubbles.

Take a whiff – are you picking up double the tangerine? Does it smell like wheat?

As you take a sip, let the liquid wash across your entire tongue before swallowing. Does it feel pulpy? Does it feel carbonated, like it’s dancing across your palate?

And last but not least, how does it taste? Too much OJ? Too little? The perfect blend of a morning pick-me-up?

When it comes to making a beermosa, the journey is meant to be as fun as the result. Here are a few tips to ensure you get more fun out of blending yourself a beermosa than… well, not.

Blending Tips

Always pour beer in first and then orange juice. Orange juice is going to compete more strongly, so if you start with orange juice first, you might quickly run out of glass space to fit beer in as you work toward the optimal ratio.

I recommend sticking with styles that compliment rather than cut or contrast the orange juice. Think of styles like Gose, Saison, Belgian Witbier, Hefeweizen, Tropical IPA, Brutt IPA and White IPA.

Another tip is to use a clean and cooled down glass (just running cold water in it, swirling and pouring will do the trick).

In a pinch I’ve added beer to an actual orange juice jug and have added orange juice into a beer can after I drank a bit from the can. It’s a mess and you lose out on the full sensory experience.

Also, if you’re just learning to blend, it’s worth using a larger glass than a taster-sized one. Give yourself room to experiment, make errors and visibly see something you want to drink.

Though my personal preference is no pulp orange juice, I encourage you to experiment. There is no right answer for what kind of orange juice to blend with beer.

More Than 2-Ingredients

A quick aside about garnishes; by all means elevate your experience with a garnish. If you’re putting on a show, taking a photo or simply want to wax the rim of your glass with an orange peel to prep your palate before the liquid touches your tongue – go for it. Maybe add a little cinnamon or chia seed to the drink to make it healthier. No judgement!

However, before you add any other ingredients or garnishes, I suggest closing your eyes to truly experience the blend of beer and orange juice, first. There should be a harmony of one complementing the other – never overpowering. Once you’ve appreciated that, then by all means go wild if you still want to.

Beermosa Recommendations

Strictly pulling from experience, here are the five best beermosa recipes.

A simple pale ale blended with no pulp Simply Orange.

An overly fruited sour with pulp Tropicana.

A juicy, hazy IPA with “some pulp” version of the Aldi brand of Orange Juice.

A classic hefeweizen with Sunny D. (Yea, they still make it!)

If you’re feeling extra adventurous, seek out a rye IPA – something like Electric Flower Garden by Hacienda and combine it with your favorite no pulp orange juice. It makes for a more fun, mealtime twist to the beermosa.

Curated Beermosa 6-Pack

Want to start blending?

For a limited time, we’ll be stocking our back bar cooler with curated beermosa packs. Three single bottles of orange juice and three variants of beers that we believe go wonderfully with the orange juice.