Cooking With Beer – Sierra Nevada Festbier & Pretzel Ice Cream
Cooking With Beer – Sierra Nevada Festbier & Pretzel Ice Cream
Festive desserts take on new meaning when made with serious beer. Like this delicious sweet and salty Oktoberfest ice cream treat, that’s easier to make than you might think.
And although this recipe works well with most brown ales, we used Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is a 6% ABV modern Festbier which they did in collaboration with Störtebeker, an internationally recognized award-winning German brewer.
The Sierra Nevada’s 2025 Festbier (it’s a different collaboration every year) leans nicely into its rich, smooth malt backbone with fresh-baked bread and honey notes that provide a sweet touch to this deliciously crunchy ice cream.
Let’s do this!
Sierra Nevada Festbier & Pretzel Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbeir
- 1/2 cup crushed pretzels

(Courtesy Sierra Nevada Brewing)
Directions:
- In a saucepan, heat cream, milk, and sugar over medium heat until warm.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened (do not boil).
- Remove from heat and stir in the beer.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Fold in crushed pretzels during the last few minutes of churning.
- Freeze until firm and enjoy!
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