Gone are the days when you’ll have to choose between an ice cold beer and an enticing craft cocktail. The masterminds behind High Water Brewing, Inc.—Steve and Barri Altimari—are turning out an exciting menu of sippers using their line-up of flavorful beers as the base. “One of the big driving forces in why we were pursuing beer cocktails was for us to expand the available types of drinks and use our beers to enhance the flavors of some of the standard cocktails,” says Steve.
Beer cocktails aren’t exactly new, but they are trending. In addition to the mainstays like the Michelada and Shandy, High Water is working with flavors like raspberry, cranberry, lavender, grapefruit, and violet, to make beer cocktails with more edge. The results are some refreshing and complex drinks like the B&B Spritzer with Violets and Lavender made with #FUBAR2020 Sour Beer, Abe’s Famous Michelada featuring the Cucumber Kolsch, Ramble on Rose Spritzer created with Ramble on Rose Sour Beer, and Mother Gose Missing Raspberry Lemonade, which uses a base of High Water’s Raspberry Gose. What sets High Water’s drinks apart is they don’t mix additional alcohol in—the beer speaks for itself.
The duo makes it easy to enjoy a beer cocktail. Simply step into the tasting room and order one up. Barri doesn’t rest, constantly turning out new mixtures to indulge. They’ve also included recipes to two favorites below, so you can pick up the necessary ingredients—including beer from High Water—and mix up your own beer cocktail at home.
Mother Gose Missing Raspberry Lemonade
High Water Brewing’s Raspberry Gose blended with house-made raspberry lemonade and a cranberry icicle. Garnished with fresh cranberries.
Ingredients:
4 oz. Mother Gose Missing Gose Beer
2 oz. sweetened fresh lemonade
2-1/2 oz raspberry-cranberry juice
Directions:
Place juice in 16 oz. pint glass with ice cubes, add 4 oz. Mother Gose Missing, and top with 2 oz. of lemonade. Stir and serve with a straw.
Abe’s Famous Michelada
Cucumber Kolsch blended with Abraham’s Picante Clamato Juice and fresh citrus. Served with a tajin rim and garnished with a green olive, pepperoncini pepper, cocktail onion, house-made pickled carrot, and a lime wedge. This cocktail is named for Abraham Lara, the High Water Brewing bar manager and co-conspirator in the Beer Cocktail program.
Ingredients:
4 oz. Cucumber Kolsch
14 oz. Clamato Juice
1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 oz. lime Juice
Worcestershire Sauce, to taste
Tabasco, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Tajin powder
Choice garnishes
Directions:
Mix Juices and season to taste. Wet rim of 16 oz. pint glass, dip rim in Tajin Powder to coat, and fill with ice cubes. Pour beer into glass, top with clamato juice blend, and garnish with choice ingredients.
High Water Brewing
927 Industrial Way, Lodi
(209) 625-8146
HighWaterBrewing.com