You may be familiar with mulled wine or Glühwein, but if you are a beer lover, give this German hot beer cocktail called Glühbier a try! It's a hot winter beer steeped with spice, citrus, and cherries, and worth a try!
What is Glühbier?
You may have had Glühwein or mulled wine at a Christmas market or Weihnachtsmarkt. Well, consider Glühbier the fun cousin of it for those beer lovers out there.
I made mine with a German dark beer, warmed it on the cooktop, and steeped it with frozen cherries, orange peel, lemon slices, and a mixture of warm winter spices including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and allspice.
I finished it with just a touch of sugar. You can experiment with using blueberries instead of cherries and honey instead of sugar. Want that extra warming touch? Add a shot of fruit liqueur or whiskey.
How to make this hot beer cocktail
It's really simple. You steep the beer with fruit and spices, then sweeten it to taste with a bit of sugar or honey. There are a few things to pay attention to.
- Do not bring it to a boil, or else you're losing the alcohol. You can also increase the alcohol content by adding liqueur or whiskey at the end.
- Steep the fruit and spices only for 10 minutes, then remove them. This is important, so the spice is mild and the fruit pith doesn't turn your cocktail bitter.
- Turn your heat to low to keep the Glühbier warm and cover it with a lid.
To make the beer cocktail experience even more fun, serve it up using this beautiful beer tasting kit. I even added some homemade German vanilla bean cookies, called Vanillekipferl, on the bottom layer to snack on.
Ingredients
Beer. I used a German dark beer, but you can also experiment with using different beers like a lager or pilsner. I would suggest not picking a beer that's too hoppy.
Sugar. I add just a couple of teaspoons in this recipe, but that may also depend on the type of beer you use (as well as personal preference). If you'd like, sub for honey.
Orange. Just the peel and I'd encourage using organic. I love the warming citrus flavor the peel adds.
Lemon. Cut into slices and I usually use organic when using the peel or whole lemon in a recipe, too.
Cherries. I add frozen cherries to let them steep with the other fruit and spices. You could also use blueberries.
Cinnamon. I always use whole spices when making Glühbier or Glühwein.
Cloves. Whole cloves if possible. Or just add a pinch of ground.
Cardamom. Not a typical whole spice to have in your pantry, so you can also use a pinch of ground cardamom.
Allspice. Just a pinch if you don't have the whole spice.
Liqueur or Whiskey (optional). A fruit liqueur or whiskey would be a fun addition to this beer cocktail. I like it plain, however.
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Glühbier (Hot Beer Cocktail)
Equipment
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Strainer
- 1 beer tasting kit optional, to make for a fun serving experience (as pictured)
Ingredients
- 1 liter beer 3 bottles, I used a German dark beer by Warsteiner
- 100 grams cherries I used frozen
- 1 orange organic, peel of half the orange
- 1 lemon organic, cut into slices
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 whole cardamom
- 1 whole allspice
- 2 Tablespoon sugar You can also use honey. Depending on the beer you use, you may want to use more or less.
Instructions
- Over medium heat, warm all ingredients other than the sugar in a small pot.1 liter beer, 100 grams cherries, 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves, 1 whole cardamom, 1 whole allspice
- Once you see steam coming up, reduce heat to low and let steep for 10 minutes without boiling.
- Strain out all fruit and spices and sweeten to taste (I use about 2 Tablespoons of sugar, but depending on the beer you use, you may need to add more or less).2 Tablespoon sugar
- Serve in fun serving glasses like this beer tasting kit with some German Christmas cookies (like my favorite vanilla bean cookies, Vanillekipferl).
Video
Notes
- Do not bring it to a boil, or else you're losing the alcohol. You can also increase the alcohol content by adding liqueur or whiskey at the end.
- Steep the fruit and spices only for 10 minutes, then remove them. This is important, so the spice is mild and the fruit pith doesn't turn your cocktail bitter.
- Turn your heat to low to keep the Glühbier warm and cover it with a lid.
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