While there’s no consensus on how to make horchata – the recipes vary depending on which Latin American country you’re in – the one thing they do have in common is how seriously beloved they are. Horchata is mostly thought of as a warm-weather drink, but the good news is that beer is not.
In the last few years, breweries have come up with the seemingly unnatural pairing of beer and horchata. We were skeptical at first too. But actually, it not only works, it’s basically the best thing ever.
Here are 10 horchata beers you should try:
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Orange County company The Bruery specializes in experimental ales. With their Or Xata, they were obviously inspired by Mexican horchata. Both are made with rice, milk, and cinnamon.
On their site, they recommend pairing the blonde ale with street tacos, corn tamales, or homemade flan.
A quick Google search will show you that Elevation Beer Co.’s Señorita has a good reputation. In 2014, the beer earned a bronze award at the World Beer Cup, according to The Phoenix New Times.
The Mexican-inspired imperial porter is made with crumbled dark chocolate, cinnamon, and milk, and though one reviewer said it smelled a little like Yoo-hoo, many have said that it’s not too sweet.
After their first successful horchata beer, Elevation Beer Co. teamed up with Montanya Distillers for this dark spiced imperial porter. Xandy Bustamante, co-founder of Elevation Beer, said he was so happy with this beer that Montanya earned the right to have the beer named after them.
Dining Out Denver & Boulder suggests making all your dreams come true by pairing it with ice cream for a beer float.
This almost opaque porter is made with brown rice, roasted barley, and chocolate malt. On RateBeer, Ensenada Brewing Co.’s Horchata Porter has average reviews, with some saying that the aftertaste is the most disappointing part.
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Belchin’ Beaver’s Horchata Imperial Stout is another highly regarded beer. It won a silver medal at the 2015 World Beer Championships. The cinnamon, vanilla, and rice malt beer was retired for a period of time, but due to its popularity they brought it back – so try it while you can.
Almanac Beer’s Horchata Almond Milk Stout is inspired by San Francisco’s Mission District and all the families who serve their own version of horchata. The stout is brewed with dark malts, almonds, oats, and Vietnamese Saigon cinnamon.
With a 94 on Ratebeer and an 84 on BeerAdvocate, Cigar City Brewing is another company doing horchata beer right. The vanilla, cinnamon, rice, and lactose beer is also inspired by Mexican horchata, and according to reviewers, it’s not too heavy.
Look, we were pretty skeptical about this one when we first heard of it, but it quickly won us over. Blue Moon’s Cinnamon Horchata Ale, a creation by third-generation Mexican Keith Villa, tastes like equal parts beer and horchata. It’s brewed with long grain rice, Belgian dark candy sugar, and cinnamon.
Read more about our initial reactions here.
Pacific Brewing Company’s Yelp page is filled with hella praise for their horchata beer, which is made with Mexican cinnamon, Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans, pure cocoa, and milk sugar. One commenter, Ben Z., said, “So they are famous for their Horchata Stout and it lives up to its fame. Very rich beer with depth that really develops the deeper into the glass you get.”
This Horchata Ale by Lola is made in Mexico, and is only available in Mexico. So obviously, this one is already one step ahead in authenticity.
