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.

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.

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

Other recipes that use Bloody Mary mix: BBQ Bloody Mary | Bloody Mary | Sriracha Baked Beans | Bloody Maria

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

What you need to make a Bloody Beer

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• Bloody Mary Mix
• Hot sauce
• Giant Pub Pilsner Glasses (or your favorite pint glasses)
• Your favorite wheat beer that doesn’t have fruit undertones

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.

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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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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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.