Only one thing rivals my adoration for whiskey. And that is my love for beer.

I love sipping a good bourbon while contemplating silly “would you rather?” questions late into the night with good company. But at the end of a long day, I can’t wait to crack open an ice-cold IPA.

If I could only drink one beverage for the rest of my life – well, don’t ask me which I’d choose because I only know that I’d spend the rest of my life regretting my decision.

Usually, when I have a long night of drinking planned, I don’t choose one or the other. I start with beer, drink two or three, then switch to sipping whiskey when I get full. (Yes, I’ve heard the whole liquor-before-beer rule, but science confirms that this is a myth.)

But aside from an Irish car bomb or two (errr… maybe six or seven) on St. Patrick’s Day, rarely have I mixed my two favorite beverages together. 

How to mix whiskey and beer

I’ve recently experimented at home to see if blending whiskey and beer can make for the perfect marriage. Here’s what I tried and what I concluded:

Berry Beer

I started my experiment with this Berry Beer recipe, which consists mostly of beer with a bit of Scotch, plus some blueberries, lemon and honey. I used a Ballantine’s Blended Scotch and a Blue Moon Belgian White. The Blue Moon’s citrusy flavor turned out to be a good match for the Scotch’s sweet flavor notes.

Verdict: This one is fairly light for a whiskey/beer cocktail. It’s a safe choice for those weeknights when work and responsibilities take priority over drinking. Though I made this one on a chilly evening, it’ll be great to sip on a hot summer night. Plus, since there’s blueberries and lemon, you get to count this one toward your daily fruit intake, according to me.

It’s Bitter to Be Hoppy

Since I’m a fan of hops, I had to give this It’s Bitter to Be Hoppy recipe a try. It’s a mix of whiskey, IPA, grapefruit juice, Aperol and lemon dash. I used a George Dickel No. 12 instead of the Scotch the recipe calls for, along with a Lagunitas IPA.

Verdict: The cocktail has a great name, but I just wasn’t excited about this mix of flavors. Maybe I’m just an IPA purist, but I didn’t like the mix of hops with the sweetness of the whiskey. 

Brewski Old Fashioned Beer Cocktail

The Brewski Old Fashioned Beer Cocktail features bourbon, an Oatmeal stout and a vanilla stout syrup in place of the traditional sugar cube. I used Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout and a Woodford Reserve Bourbon in this clever twist on the classic whiskey cocktail.

The verdict: The Oatmeal Stout added sweetness and complexity to the cocktail I’ve had a zillion times. It could make for a decent dessert drink. But making the stout syrup added about 20 minutes to the process. That’s fine if you’re a mixologist who’s entertaining a crowd, but I’m a fairly lazy drinker. There’s no way I’d make this one again just to sit on my couch and watch “White Lotus.”

Should you mix whiskey and beer?

I’m all for getting creative with cocktails, so if the combination of whiskey and beer flavors appeals to you, go ahead and give it a try! But the mix of whiskey and beer just didn’t do it for me. 

If I were to see an interesting-looking whiskey-and-beer cocktail on a menu, I still might give it a try. But I think I’ll stick to my tried-and-true approach of starting with beer and switching to whiskey.

I guess I can love my whiskey and love my beer – just not in the same glass.