What’s The Best Beer for Beer Bread?

Posted by on November 10, 2022

There’s just one rule for choosing a beer for beer bread: pick something you like! Every variety of beer has a unique flavor that will impact how your beer bread tastes. A good rule of thumb is to choose a flavor profile that complements whatever you plan to serve with your beer bread.

Tastefully Simple’s Bountiful Beer Bread Mix® is versatile enough to work with ANY carbonated beverage – even non-alcoholic beers and sodas. Cheap domestic beers as well as craft beers will work, so you can get as fancy as you want. So while you really can’t go wrong with any beer, here are some tips for picking the perfect beer for your bread.

Is Lupulin or Schell's beer better?

Color

Lighter beers, such as lagers, ales and pilsners, will give your bread a lighter color, and mild taste that just about everyone loves. Darker beers like stouts and porters make a darker-colored loaf and have a stronger beer flavor.

Flavor Profile

  • Hoppy beers like IPAs will give your bread a more bitter taste. Although many beer lovers will enjoy that hoppy taste, it’s not for everyone. These are the beers you’d use for your craft beer-loving friends.
  • Malty beers like lagers and bocks aren’t as hoppy, and add a comforting, malty flavor to your bread.
  • Clean and crisp beers like pilsners, Kölsches and ales have a light, delicate flavor that pairs well with almost anything. These are the beers to use if you’re “playing it safe” for a crowd whose beer tastes are unknown.
  • Dark and robust beers like porters, stouts and brown ales can add rich, roasted flavor with a hint of chocolate or coffee. Try these beers for sweeter beer bread recipes and for breakfast breads.
  • Seasonal beers, like Oktoberfests and Pumpkin ales are a lot of fun to experiment with during different times of the year.
  • Fruity beers, like Saison and Hefewizens will add a hint of fruit and spice to your bread. They are excellent choices for sweeter breads for breakfasts and brunches.
  • Irish beers like Guinness and red ales are perfect when you’re serving up Irish Stew or celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
  • Smoked beers will add a touch of wood smoke or bbq flavor to your bread. They are usually milder beers, but the smoky taste isn’t for everyone.
  • Ciders are a lot of fun to use in beer bread. They add a fruity, sweet flavor that almost everyone will love.

Have Fun Experimenting

You can always experiment with different types and do a taste test to see which beer you think is best! We did that with some of our favorite local breweries. Check out the results!

Lupulin Brewery Beer Bread Taste Test

Schell’s Brewery Beer Bread Taste Test

Don’t forget to check out our Easy Beer Bread Recipes page for more ways to make beer bread!

-kgm