Vanilla and Boysenberry Ice Cream Beer Float

The adult version of a spider; beer floats are the perfect late-summer indulgence

There are some lousy things that come with being an adult - like dental bills, ironing, and the slow realization that you might never become that world famous ice skater/astronaut/crime-solving witch.

On the other hand, it's all worth it - because being an adult also means you can drink beer with scoops of ice cream in it on a Sunday afternoon, and nobody’s going to stop you!

Yes, I made a beer float for afternoon tea this weekend, which consisted of two scoops of plain vanilla ice cream topped up with Invercargill Breweries Boysenbeery - a gorgeous, bright pink wheat beer loaded with fresh-tasting berries. It was like drinking a Boysenberry Trumpet, but with a little tart and bitter edge which stopped it from being cloying.  

In case you've never tried putting ice cream in your beer before, imagine the spiders of your childhood (or ice cream floats if you’re not from NZ), only alcoholic, less sweet and more fun.

The thing about beer floats, however, is that as magical as they have the potential to be, they really don’t work with all beers. Try putting ice cream in a pale lager, for example, and you’ll end up with a mess of foul-tasting watery cream. Your best bet is to go for a syrupy, rich stout with enough body and chocolatey sweetness to match the ice cream, but experimenting is all part of the fun. Here are some other combinations you could try:

• Rum ‘n’ Raisin Ice cream with a Belgian Dubbel - like Chimay Red
• Mango Sorbet with a fruity IPA - like Liberty C!itra 
• Vanilla ice cream with a Cherry Lambic - like Lindemans Kreik
• Vanilla ice cream with an Imperial Stout - like 8 Wired iStout (they actually suggest this match on the label!) 

Feeling inspired? Old enough to pay for your own fillings? Great - now get out there and exercise your right to float!