The 'Beer Sundae' You've Got To Try For Dessert, According To A Cicerone

When you think of ice cream and sundaes, you probably don't envision the cold, creamy treat in a beer. But we recently spoke to Lindsay Jo Whirley, Newfields' assistant director of culinary operations and certified cicerone, and she raved about a beer-based dessert she stumbled upon at the Westvleteren Abbey in Belgium about five years ago.

She explained, "[It was] ... their delicious Westvleteren 12 beer (big, dark, delicious Trappist beer) served in a chalice with ice cream, whip cream, and rolled sweet wafers." What Whirley was describing was a beer sundae. "I would confidently say it is the world's most prestigious 'Beer Sundae.' To my knowledge, you can only legally buy this beer straight from the brewery itself." Of course, we salivated at the idea. 

Years ago, I had a Kirin frozen beer at Disney Springs, which consisted of a swirl of off-white beer slushy that looked like ice cream atop cold Kirin beer. And breweries, like the Asian-American-owned Lucky Envelope Brewing in Seattle, make creamy dessert stouts like ube latte cream stout and peanut butter cream stout. There are also soda and root beer floats! So, it's not too hard to imagine enjoying a beer sundae for dessert. Plus, according to Whirley, making your own at home is not difficult, and we're all for it. 

To make a beer sundae at home, you will need ice cream, beer, and unique toppings to spruce up your ice cream sundae. The ice cream and toppings you want to use to make the beer sundae are up to you. As for the beer, however, Lindsay Jo Whirley has recommendations. She told us, "... this concept of mixing a big, dark, sweet beer with ice cream can be applied when using an American porter, a coffee or chocolate stout, or really, any big, dark, sweet beer of your choosing." So, if you have a cold chalice, use that as the vessel for your beer sundae. 

If you don't, you can use a cold beer mug or other type of beer glass. Add the beer of your choice — and hopefully, it's a sweet one or a milk stout. Then, add in scoops of your favorite ice cream. We believe in creativity but feel starting with a safe choice, like vanilla-flavored ice cream, is best. (We've ranked the 23 best ice cream brands in case you don't know where to start.) Then, add your favorite toppings, finish it off with whipped cream and a cherry, and enjoy your decked-out beer sundae responsibly.