Spicy Bloody Beer Cocktail

Attending a morning tailgate and do not want to imbibe a mimosa? Make this fun twist on a classic breakfast cocktail! Bloody Beer is essentially a Bloody Mary with beer and sometimes known as “red beer.” Makes 1 drink, but easily can be turned into a pitcher drink.

Two Bloody Marys with beer on a marble platter

This drink is known by maaaaaaaany names: Bloody Beer. Red Beer. A Bloody Mary with beer.

Basically, it highlights your favorite wheat beer (that’s has no fruity flavors) with your favorite Bloody Mary mix.

I was introduced to a tamer version of it (also known as Red Beer) years ago from a friend of my sister’s, who popped open a beer, took a swig and dumped in some tomato juice.

Then reintroduced to it in Louisiana from a friend of my husband’s aunt and uncle. She offered us a Bloody Beer when we visited their lake house, which is a spicier version of Red Beer.

This beer cocktail is one of my favorites for the fall and football season, but it works beautifully as a breakfast drink, especially if you’re not partial to vodka and/or don’t have it on hand.

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    Other beer cocktails you might enjoy: Strawberry French MonacoMeyer Lemon Shandies | Pumpkin Bang

    Other recipes that use Bloody Mary mix: BBQ Bloody Mary | Bloody MarySriracha Baked BeansBloody Maria

    Looking for another drink? Check out my Cocktails Recipe Index.

    Beer is poured into a Spicy Bloody Beer Cocktail before drinking.

    What you need to make a Bloody Beer

    Disclaimer: The links below are affiliate links. If you click through and take action, I will receive a small commission. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about the affiliate programs The Speckled Palate participates in. 

    You can also flavor and garnish your spicy red beer with a variety of toppings:

    • A squeeze of lemon juice (and a lemon wedge)
    • Worcestershire sauce
    • Black pepper
    • Celery salt or celery seed
    • Celery sticks
    • Pickled green beans, okra, etc.

    How to make a Bloody Mary with Beer

    First and foremost, pour Bloody Mary Mix into your cup. Traditionally, we’ve used pint glasses to serve up these Bloody Beers, but you could use a pilsner glass, too. Whatever works, honestly.

    Next, pour the beer in slooooooooowly.

    Season your drink with hot sauce and black pepper. You could also throw in a sprinkle of celery salt if you’re feeling fancy and have that on hand, too.

    Stir the drink slowly, then add celery sticks and pickled veggies as garnish. As you can see in these photos, we don’t normally have a lot of pickled things on hand usually, but if you have them and want to make your Bloody Mary with beer fancier, have at it!

    Other additions to this beer cocktail: A squeeze of lemon juice. A sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce. Celery salt and seed.

    A can of beer pours into a pilsner glass full of red liquid

    Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

    Real talk: Beer cocktails are fantastic for entertaining! We love these for an at-home brunch and for homegating, which is to say tailgating at home. 😉

    This spicy red beer pairs beautifully with any breakfast foods, too, or just with an afternoon cocktail hour and a cheese board.

    Here are some tips and tricks for making a batch of these beauties at your home sometime soon:

    • Turn Bloody Marys with Beer into a pitcher drink!
    • Add extra heat–if you can take it! We generally measure hot sauce and black pepper with our hearts, so feel free to do the same if you like a spicier sipper.
    • Make it an occasion and turn these Bloody Beers into a make-your-own Bloody Mary Bar! My friend, Chrissie, explains exactly how to do this and how to bulk-prepare toppings for the bar for your friends to be able to put together their own.
    Two pilsner glasses holding bloody marys with beer

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are red beers?

    It’s a beer cocktail that involves tomato juice (or in this case, Bloody Mary mix) for a delicious twist on the classic.

    What kind of beer is best in this cocktail?

    Personally, I like a golden ale or a wheat beer (that’s unflavored) to make this beer cocktail. They’re light and flavorful without taking away from the spice and heat of the Bloody Mary mix.

    What is your favorite Bloody Mary mix?

    We love Zing Zang* (affiliate link) because it’s incredibly flavorful and has a lot of built-in heat. Tabasco makes an awesome Bloody Mary mix* (affiliate link), too.

    Honestly, though, use what you have on hand. If the mix isn’t spicy enough, you can always add extra heat in the way of hot sauce and black pepper.

    I don’t have Bloody Mary mix. Is there a way for me to still make this beer cocktail?

    Do you have V8 or a tomato juice at your house? If so, you can spice it up and make it into a homemade Bloody Mary mix.

    How can I make this into a Bloody Mary with Beer pitcher?

    It’s very easy! For a pitcher that serves 6 people, use the following measurements:

    6 golden or wheat beers (12 oz. cans)
    6 cups Bloody Mary Mix
    1 tablespoon hot sauce
    1 ½ teaspoons black pepper

    Just make sure that you don’t pour the beers in until your people are about to start serving themselves so the beers don’t go flat and warm. 

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      Two Bloody Marys with beer on a marble platter
      Yield: 1 cocktail

      Spicy Bloody Beer Cocktail

      Prep Time: 5 minutes
      Total Time: 5 minutes

      Attending a morning tailgate and do not want to imbibe a mimosa? Make this fun twist on a classic breakfast cocktail! Bloody Beer combines your favorite beer with a Bloody Mary. Pour the Bloody Mary Mix into a glass, add hot sauce and black pepper, then top with a golden beer to complete this breakfast drink.

      Ingredients

      • 12 oz. golden or wheat beer
      • 1 cup Bloody Mary Mix
      • ½ teaspoon hot sauce
      • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
      • Pickled Green Beans and Jalapeños, for garnish
      • Celery sticks, for garnish

      Instructions

      1. Add Bloody Mary Mix to your cup.
      2. Pour in the beer slowly.
      3. Season with hot sauce and pepper to taste.
      4. Stir, add any various number of vegetables that are good in Bloody Marys (like green beans or celery), and then enjoy.

      Notes

      If you don't like the spicy of Bloody Mary mix, you can use a tomato juice in place of that, turning this into a true red beer.

      Nutrition Information:

      Yield:

      1

      Serving Size:

      1 cocktail

      Amount Per Serving: Calories: 357Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g

      Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.

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      The photos and recipe for this Bloody Beer were originally published on October 27, 2011. The photographs, along with the text of this blog post, were republished on August 30, 2017.

      A woman with dark curly hair wearing a black tank top in front of a white wall

      About the Author:

      Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her

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      11 Comments

      1. So, this is interesting. I don’t really like Bloody Marys, but I DO love beer. Perhaps, I will give this a go.

      2. Did you know that Mexicans call it Michelada? Budweiser actually sells it in a can now, but with Clamato instead of V8.

      3. Erin, this is nothing short of BRILLIANT, in my opinion. I LOVE bloody marys, but vodka simply does not agree with me, so I rarely ever drink them. I cannot wait to try this version instead!

      4. I love a great Bloody Beer (Michelada!) I use a lime to wet the rim of a pint glass, then salt it with sea salt, I pour in a beer (my fave now? Tecate!) and then squeeze half a lime into the beer. Once the foam goes down, I top off the pint glass with Mr. & Mrs. T’s Spicy Bloody Mary Mix, stir gently and ENJOY! *Warning* These go down waaay too smoothly! (And I’m not really a beer OR a Bloody Mary fan!)

      5. This recipe is an old American recipe it has been around for ever my grandma was a bartender for a while and introduced us to this it is also known as red beer. Mexico has a version of the American bloody beer they call michelada it is similar except add lime.

      6. I loooooooove me some bud & bud light cheladas, but finally decided to begin making my own as the local vendor couldn’t seem to be able to keep ’em in stock after I recently became hooked Thank you for the proper beer to tomato juice ratio. Wonderful read for me dear (not nearly enough comments here on the very subject alone, IMHO= )

        1. Thanks so much, Jeff! Isn’t it fun to make your own? I’m glad that you like the beer to tomato juice ratio here–it’s so important. Cheers!

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