The Sweet Way To Make Cheap Beer Taste A Whole Lot Better

Listen, we don't judge. Maybe there was a sale at your local beer distributor. Maybe your old roommate from college visited and left a six-pack in your fridge. Maybe a truck crashed and dumped a thousand cases of beer on your front lawn. Whatever the situation, you've found yourself with a substantial quantity of cheap beer and you're looking for a way to get rid of it as quickly (and enjoyably) as possible. We suppose you could drink it straight, depending on your tolerance for cheap hooch, but you may not have the stomach to get through even one can, let alone six or more. Luckily, Stephen Alexander, director of operations for Tall City Brewing Company in Midland, Texas, has come to the rescue. His suggestion? Mix that cheap beer with soda.

"This creates what's often called a Shandy or Radler," said Alexander. "The sweetness and acidity of soda balances out the thin or bland qualities of inexpensive domestic beer, making it more refreshing and flavorful." Maybe this sounds sacrilege to you, the person of taste and discernment who hunts down craft beers from every state in their spare time; but again, we're not talking about using the good stuff, here. If you've got something cheap, you might as well bring out its fullest potential, right?

Technically, the only limits are your imagination, but if you want a couple of recipes to get you started, Alexander was only too happy to oblige. He suggested mixing a lemon-lime soda like Sprite (which hits different, like all sodas, at fast food places) with a light lager in order to create something "bright, citrusy, and super thirst quenching." Alternatively, you can combine some kind of cola with a darker beer or amber as "sweet caramel cola flavors play well with roasted malt." If you're after a "classic 'cantarito' style combo which is crisp with zesty bitterness" all you have to do is mix a grapefruit soda like Jarritos (which has two varieties in Mexico) with a Mexican beer.

As for ratios, well, you don't need to get too fussy about it. Alexander suggested half-beer, half-soda as "a classic starting point," but added that there's always room for tweaking. "For stronger-flavored craft beers, try 70% beer and 30% soda so the beer's complexity still shines." Maybe you'd rather not use a fancy craft beer for this purpose, but hey, it's worth a shot, right? No matter how cheap or special the beer may be, it's a combo that hits like nothing else on a hot day.