Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Maple Syrup Beers Bring Breakfast to Your Pint Glass

By

Following the runaway success of Founders’ coffee-forward Breakfast Stout, brewers have developed innovative ways to bring the bold flavors and distinct ingredients of the morning meal into our pint glasses. Case in point, you can now find beers brewed with grits — yes, grits, that southern breakfast staple. Bacon fans may be contributing to the resurgence of the Rauchbier style, which mimics the salty, smoky flavors that we know and love. There’s even a beer named Biscuits & Gravy that (thankfully) doesn’t taste like its namesake.

But in many brewhouses, the most successful and widely-used breakfast standard is maple syrup. The natural sugar in maple syrup is a perfect catalyst for boosting a brew’s alcohol content, adding a touch of sweetness, or infusing a bit of childhood nostalgia into your ale. Even if you’d never pour a beer for breakfast (which, let’s be real, you probably needs to try once in your life, just to say that you have), you’d likely welcome the rich, warming goodness of maple syrup in these beer selections any time of day.

Recommended Videos

Hop Cakes

NoDa Brewing Company

Hop Cakes NoDa Brewing Company
NoDa Brewing Company

While big, toasty stouts may be the obvious choice for a beer to utilize maple syrup, NoDa (named for the hip North Davidson area of Charlotte, North Carolina) has flipped that concept with a Double IPA that is sweet, citrusy and yes, boozy at over 12 percent alcohol by volume.

Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

Funky Buddha Brewery

Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Funky Buddha
Funky Buddha

One of the beers that kickstarted the Funky Buddha empire back in 2010, Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is just as impressive today. It’s malty, creamy and drips with maple syrup goodness. You shouldn’t expect any less from the brewery known for replicating diverse food flavors in its beer lineup.

Christmas Pancakes

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Christmas Pancakes Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

For this seasonal release, Hardywood Park takes its amazing Gingerbread Stout and ferments the beer a second time on maple syrup. Now available in bottles, Christmas Pancakes adds another exciting GBS variant for fans to track down. (Who wouldn’t want to pop this open on Christmas morning?)

Fayston Maple Imperial Stout

Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Fayston Maple Imperial Stout Lawsons Finest Liquids
Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Boasting two gallons of Vermont maple syrup per barrel, this cellar-aged beer from Lawson’s combines maple, coffee, and dark chocolate flavors into a complex beer that is surprisingly easy to drink. It’s the perfect beer for pairing with robust holiday meals.

Mornin’ Delight

Toppling Goliath Brewery

Mornin Delight Toppling Goliath Brewery
Toppling Goliath Brewery

As part of an exclusive club of beers that require their own ticketed release day, Mornin’ Delight is as hype-worthy as they come. Folks trek from around the country to Toppling Goliath’s Decorah, Iowa brewery for the opportunity to buy a strict allotment of only two bottles. The beer’s “World Class” rating at Beer Advocate leads one to believe it may be worth the effort.

For similar seasonal flavor profiles, check out the best sweet potato and pumpkin beers.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
Enjoy a Campfire Beer with Your Pup with the New Busch Dog Brew
Busch Dog Brew

Ben Franklin famously said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Well, technically, he said that about wine, but let’s not get hung up on history and facts. It’s so profound that it’s definitely something he could have said. We would argue that dogs and campfires are even further proof. Thankfully, Anheuser-Busch just announced the perfect way to enjoy all three together.

Billed as “the nectar of the DOGS,” Busch’s all-new Dog Brew is the healthiest way for your dog to enjoy a cold one with you by the campfire. Since both beer and hops are toxic to dogs, the non-alcoholic brew is actually a bone broth made from just a few all-natural ingredients, including pork butt, corn, basil, celery, mint, turmeric, ginger, and water. Not only is it safe for dogs, but it’s healthy in promoting their digestive system. Plus, if your pup struggles with eating solid foods, it’s a more accessible way to get the nutrients they need. But, let’s be honest, it’s really just a clever marketing ploy that we’re happy to buy into. Who doesn’t love the idea of drinking a campfire beer with their pooch? You too can drink Dog Brew with your dog, although it tastes nothing like beer, and Busch admits it’s pretty bland by human standards.

Read more
The Best Summer Sakes to Buy
Female hand pouring sake

Just as we do with wine and cocktails, we crave different types of sake in different seasons. So to get the lowdown on the best summer sakes we should be drinking (especially as we enter the dog days), we chatted with International Sake Sommelier Jessica Joly. Not only is Joly a WSET Level 3 sake sommelier, she’s also the marketing director of Sake Discoveries and the inaugural winner of Miss Sake USA 2016. Joly knows her stuff, and she loves to educate her U.S. audience on the nuances of sake through tastings and food pairing events. Joly talks about her five favorite summer sakes below, including tasting notes and ideal food pairings so you can find your warm weather match.
Amabuki Gin No Kurenai Junmai "Pink Lady"

If you’re a fan of rosé wine, you’ll love this lively, fruit-forward sake. “We call this sake the ‘Pink Lady’ because of its rose color,” Joly says. “The color comes from the ancient strain of black rice that they add during the end of fermentation. This producer uses flower yeast for all their sakes, and they blend Pink Nadeshiko (flower), strawberry, vanilla, and cactus for this particular brew.” This sake is lightly sweet with fruit undertones of fig and strawberry. Joly recommends drinking it with bold dishes like beef bolognese and sweet and sour chicken, and it also makes for a lovely aperitif before a meal.
Hakkaisan “Awa” Sparkling Sake

Read more
Oskar Blues Brewery Releases French’s Mustard Beer
oskar blues frenchs mustard beer pr select 2

Mustard and beer is a great combination, but usually we're talking mustard used as a condiment on a sausage or pretzel alongside a pint. Colorado's Oskar Blues Brewery has taken this pairing to a whole new level with a new collaboration with French's Mustard, appropriately called French’s Mustard Beer. It's a tropical wheat beer that is literally brewed with French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, along with an infusion of fruit and citrus flavors including key lime, lemon, tangerine, and passion fruit. “We’re stoked on bold flavors at Oskar Blues Brewery and we never shy away from a challenge,” said Oskar Blues head brewer, Juice Drapeau, in a prepared statement. “With French’s Mustard Beer we elevated the Classic Yellow Mustard flavor with tangy lemon and lime to create a tropical wheat ale I’d pair with a loaded hot dog on the hottest day of the year.”

This isn't the first food crossover for French's, known for its bright yellow mustard that is ubiquitous at backyard barbecues around the country. Last year, the brand collaborated with Coolhaus to release a mustard ice cream that was available in New York and California for a limited time alongside a pretzel cookie. And Oskar Blues is no stranger to brewing uniquely flavored beer, as indicated by its "Death By" series of brews with such flavors as king cake, coconut, and even affogato.

Read more