If you haven't seen Tom Dickson's YouTube channel, Will it Blend? you should. From iPhones to super glue, he'll throw it in his Total Blender to see if it will indeed blend. Usually, it does, and his campy dialog and 60's game show theme music have driven almost 200 million video views on just over 100 uploaded videos.
As a homebrewer, I was inspired to ask, Will it Float? I called craziness the first time I heard about an ice cream float made with beer, but I figured, let's give it a shot.
Most beer floats are made with some sort of malt forward brew, like a stout or brown ale. Makes sense. Cream and bread belong together: ice cream and cake, milk and cookies, strawberry shortcake with a huge dollop of whipped cream atop.
I'm down to the last few bottles of an extra pale ale I brewed almost five months ago. At the outset, it was considerably more bitter than I was expecting. The bitterness eased off after a few months, leaving room for the Cascade hops to speak their piece. If I serve it at a warm enough temperature - around 50 or 55F - the caramel notes from the hops pop up, but it's still a predominantly hoppy beer.
So I wondered, will the creaminess of the ice cream balance the hop bitterness from the extra pale ale? Only one way to find out.
Ales are best served warmer than most people expect - between 45 and 50F, sometimes as warm as 55F. But for a float, you want that drink to be as cold as possible so the ice cream doesn't melt before you can get your spoon into it. I promoted the beer from the fridge to the freezer (along with my mug), set a timer, and pulled it out after about 15 minutes.
Just like a root beer float, pour the drink first, filling the mug to about half full. Pour slowly down the side of the glass, because you want to minimize the foam. Add a couple of scoops of ice cream. This will generate foam, so watch for a foam over. After it subsides, add more beer if you'd like. Then enjoy!
I was hoping the ice cream would balance out the bitterness like it balances out the tartness of a cherry pie, but the hop bitterness was still front and center. If you like your beer hoppy, you'll likely enjoy it as a float. If not, stick with the malty brews instead.
Will a hoppy extra pale ale float? It will float, but only if you're adventurous enough to try.
