strange brew

2 oz Tanqueray 10 Gin (regular Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a pilsner glass (Highball) filled with crushed ice. Top with Green Flash's West Coast IPA (2 1/2 oz Founder's All Day IPA), garnish with mint (lemon twist instead), and add a straw.

Two Saturdays ago, I was working my way through reading the Death & Co. Cocktail Book when I spotted the Strange Brew, a curious Tiki-beer cocktail, for the second time in the text. The recipe was attributed to Thomas Waugh back in 2008, and the concept stemmed from the idea of mixing beer with fresh fruit like the Germans do with their radlers. Thomas' favorite combination was pineapple and IPA which inspired this drink. For a name, he dubbed it Strange Brew after the B-side of EMF's "Unbelievable" single (instead of the original version performed by Cream).
After a bit of shaking, straining, and prep work, it was time to taste. The Strange Brew offered a lemon oil nose instead of the mint one via the prescribed garnish; this aroma actually worked rather well with the sip which was fruity with a touch of malt. The swallow was rather complex with pineapple, juniper, grapefruit, lime, and clove notes; indeed, I was impressed at the bounty of citrus flavors here from the beer's hops, the falernum's lime, the gin's botanicals, and of course the two juices.