2-Ingredient Beermosa

4.42 from 29 votes

With just two ingredients, the Beermosa is a fun, easy-to-make drink to enjoy for brunch or anytime! Who knew beer and orange juice could be so good together? This recipe for a beer mimosa is delicious with many light brews and fresh OJ.

A glass of orange juice with foam on top, garnished with a small green leaf, surrounded by whole oranges and a bottle on a white surface.

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About this Beermosa recipe

Beer is an underrated cocktail ingredient if you ask me. It’s fantastic in the tomato-based michelada, but it works really well in sweet drink recipes too.

The Beermosa is a cocktail recipe that has a pub feel yet keeps things classy. It’s fantastic for brunch anytime of year, as it’s a great alternative to a champagne-based mimosa. It’s a play on a classic mimosa, and the beer acts as fizzy champagne. In fact, there is no champagne in this cocktail at all.

It’s a popular choice for St. Patrick’s Day — the luck of the Irish doesn’t have to include green beer! This two-ingredient Beermosa makes for a whimsical St. Patrick’s Day drink (especially because the Irish flag also has an orange stripe). And it’s technically a shandy, a popular type of drink in the British Isles, made with beer and some kind of juice or lemonade.

You can make a Beermosa with just two ingredient; however, there’s an optional third ingredient that can really level up this drink. Cheers to beers (in cocktails)!

Note from the author

2025 update: You guys love these Beermosas! I’m so happy this recipe holds up for all your celebrations year-round! This recipe was originally created for Feast + West by Melissa Jones of Glisten & Grace in 2015 and it’s become one of my favorites too. (Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your recipe!) I have since re-tested the recipe, added new photos and shared even more tips for making the best-ever beer mimosas. This recipe is so much fun — I know you are going to love it!

Top view of a creamy orange drink garnished with basil leaves, surrounded by a sliced orange, whole orange, a citrus juicer, and a gold jigger on a white surface.

Why you’ll love this Beermosa recipe

  1. Beermosas are easy to make. You only need two ingredients! (Plus one more if you’re feeling fancy.)
  2. They are flavorful and creative. You can enjoy this twist on the mimosa for breakfast or brunch as an alternative (or in addition) to the champagne kind.
  3. Make it yours. If you want to play around with flavor, there are lots of ways to customize this cocktail.
  4. Enjoy them anytime! It’s the perfect brunch cocktail, happy hour drink or game day beverage.

Beer and orange juice

Beer and orange juice together make for a delicious combination — a beer mimosa. It might sound like an odd combination at first, but it makes sense once you think about it. Orange can be a great accompaniment to many beers. 

Look no further than beer labels like Blue Moon and Shock Top, which are sometimes even served with orange slices. Some beers even have citrusy notes, like some hazy India Pale Ales (IPAs).

Beer is a wonderful addition to many cocktails, such as the beerita which is a lime juice margarita made with beer. The crisp, hoppy flavor of beer is a wonderful match for tart citrus.

Three glasses of orange beer with foam sit next to a brown bottle, fresh oranges, and a juicer.
decorative icon of citrus slices.

chill your glasses!

Make sure to take the time to chill the empty glasses before serving so everything stays cold while you prepare and enjoy your Beermosa. Stash them in the freezer at least an hour before you’re ready to serve your drinks, or as long as you can.

Tools & glassware 

Use whatever beer glass you have on hand! You can use a tulip pint glass, which has a rounded, tapered shape. Standard pint glasses would be great too, though I am partial to these can-shaped glasses.

And of course, you can use a champagne glass! Bear in mind that these are much smaller than pint glasses, but this is a great way to stretch your ingredients if you prefer to serve less potent drinks.

Three glasses of orange juice with a frothy top, each garnished with a mint leaf, on a white surface.

Ingredients

Since this Beermosa recipe only has two ingredients (or three if you want to take things up a notch), quality really matters. It’s important to select a good-quality beer as well as fresh orange juice. Here’s what to pick up from the store:

  • lager beer (or any juicy beer with citrus notes)
  • orange juice without pulp
  • orange liqueur (optional)
  • garnishes (optional), such as basil, rosemary or mint leaves or an orange slice

Best beer for mimosas

This is definitely not the time for a PBR or a Budweiser, y’all.  A good Beermosa works best with any type of beer that has notes of citrus.

I recommend a Hefeweizen, saison, Belgian witbier, blonde ale, lager or pilsner. Some gose beers and hazy IPAs have pretty juicy flavors, so they absolutely can work too if you like those. (I love my local brewery Sycamore’s IPA beer called Juiciness for this drink.)

You can definitely have fun picking out a craft beer to use in your Beermosa. Ask your local bottle shop or taproom to make recommendations if you are having trouble choosing.

Whatever you pick, make sure it’s something on the lighter side, this is not the time for a strong IPA, stout or porter. (If dark beer is what you desire, try a black velvet cocktail which is made with champagne and Guinness beer.)

Three glasses of orange juice with foam and basil leaves, next to a jigger and an orange on a white surface.

Best orange juice

You should use a really, really good orange juice for Beermosas, but that depends on your budget, tools available and quantity needed. My suggestion for any cocktail is always to buy the best ingredients you can afford, and that’s true for orange juice too! Here are some tips for choosing an orange juice.

  1. Fresh-squeezed orange juice is always the best! If you can afford to splurge on the fresh-squeezed at the store, do it. If you’re game, the best juice is always going to come from squeezing the oranges at home. I recommend using an orange squeezer or a citrus juicer. But if you are able to splurge on a fancier citrus juicer, the results would be worth it.
  2. Store-bought OJ works just fine though too, and is a great hack if you want to make a ton of Beermosas for a crowd. Get the best kind you can afford.
  3. Pulp or no pulp? Feel free to pick up the kind with pulp or without. But if it were me, I’d grab one that has low or no pulp to keep your Beermosas free of pulp. (There’s nothing wrong with pulp! It’s just not as appetizing when it floats at the top of a Beermosa! If you squeeze your citrus at home, strain the pulp for a smoother drink.)

Orange liqueur

Another tip Melissa has is to add 1 ounce of orange liqueur to each glass, for a little extra punch.

  • Grand Marnier and Cointreau are two brands for orange liqueur that are considered top-shelf, so if you can afford to splurge on these, you won’t be disappointed. Cointreau is clear and based on a neutral spirit, and Grand Marnier is darker in color because it is made with brandy. Patron Citronge and Luxardo Triplum are other top-shelf brands to look out for.
  • Plain triple sec is also orange-flavored, so that would work as well and is a much friendlier option for the wallet.
  • Blue curaçao is orange-flavored but has a vibrant blue color, so you can add that to make yours a green Beermosa — even more perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! (These green mimosas are favorites for sure.)
Three glasses of orange juice with a frothy top, each garnished with a mint leaf, on a white surface.

Substitutions & variations

Adjust the amounts: Prefer more bubbles and beer flavor? Fill the glass about ⅓-full with orange juice, then add the beer. Prefer more citrus? Use more orange juice. The splash of orange liqueur will help too.

Swap the citrus juice: If you like, you can play with other kinds of citrus juice.

  • Blood orange juice is one of my favorites, and making the beer version of blood orange mimosas sounds right up my alley.
  • Lemonade or limeade: These will be more like a traditional shandy, but we can still call it a Beermosa if we want to!
  • Grapefruit juice and beer is technically called a radler, but it’s still a delicious brunch drink.

Switch up the beer: You can use any light beer that sounds good to you! Feel free to grab a Belgian-style saison, blonde ale, lager or pilsner.

Non-alcoholic beermosa: Use a non-alcoholic beer to make this a virgin Beermosa. My good friend raves about the non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing. You can also use sparkling cider or ginger ale to make a virgin mimosa.

A glass of frothy orange drink garnished with a basil leaf, next to a halved orange, with more glasses in the background.

Brass Monkey beer cocktail

There is another name for the Beermosa, and that’s the brass monkey. Thanks to the Beastie Boys for popularizing the name, there is some debate about what a brass monkey cocktail actually is.

  • One version says it is a recipe made with orange juice and malt liquor, AKA beer. In other words, brass monkey is just another name for this Beermosa.
  • Another version of the brass monkey hails back to the 1970s. It was a pre-mixed, canned drink produced by the Heublein Company made from dark rum, orange juice and vodka.
  • There is also a beer from Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Co. called Brass Monkey which is a blood-orange flavored beer. I think it would be great in the Beermosa!
  • Finally, there’s the Beastie Boys rapped about in the 1980s. Theirs was a mix of malt liquor and orange juice, so it’s not too dissimilar from a Beermosa.

Never mind if you call this two-ingredient cocktail a Beermosa or a brass monkey — it is delicious either way!

Orange juice shandy cocktail

You could also call the beer mimosa cocktail a shandy. Shandies are usually made with a combination of lemonade and beer.

However, you can have fun with other flavors and mixers as well, as I have done with strawberry lemonade shandies and spiced apple cider shandies.

Instructions

Ready to mix up some easy beer mimosas? Here’s what to do:

For the full measurements and step-by-step instructions, head down to the recipe card. It’s all there waiting for you!

Orange juice being poured into a glass with a citrus juicer and half an orange in the background.
A hand pours a clear liquid from a small metal jigger into a glass filled with orange juice, next to a green glass juicer and half an orange on a white surface.

Before you begin, place beer glasses in freezer for one hour prior to serving to thoroughly chill. You can do this the night before, too. If you forget, just put them in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients.

When you’re ready to serve them, pour the orange juice into each chilled glass. Add the orange liqueur, if using.

A bottle of liquid is being poured into a glass filled with orange juice, placed on a white surface beside a green plate and a sliced orange.
A hand places a basil leaf garnish on a glass of orange juice, with a sliced orange and a green dish in the background.

Finally, holding each glass at an angle, pour in the beer against the side of the glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or basil if you like!

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Tips & tricks

  • Be sure to chill your glasses ahead of time.
  • Use a high-quality orange juice, ideally freshly squeezed.
  • Try it with different kinds of beer until you find your favorite.

FAQ

Can you mix beer and orange juice?

Yes! Beer and orange juice is similar to both the shandy and the mimosa cocktails. Shandies usually feature beer and lemonade, while mimosas are made with orange juice and champagne. Beer and orange juice together make for a bright and crisp drink.

Three glasses of orange juice with foam and basil leaves, next to a jigger and an orange on a white surface.

Food pairings

You can enjoy a Beermosa with just about anything. Try them for brunch or breakfast alongside golden waffles or cinnamon donuts.

But since these have beer in them, sip them while you enjoy anything appropriate for drinking a beer. Say, a game day celebration with food like popcorn shrimp and fried pickles. Or serve them at a cookout with a big serving of chicken wings and elk burgers.

More beer cocktails

Beer makes a wonderful addition to cocktails and shouldn’t be overlooked as a mixer. For more beer cocktails, try my Cheerwine shandy, or a ginger pumpkin beer shandy.

— Did you make this recipe? —

Please leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below.

A glass of orange juice with foam on top, garnished with a small green leaf, surrounded by whole oranges and a bottle on a white surface.

2-Ingredient Beermosa (Beer Mimosa)

Yield: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
The Beermosa is a refreshing mimosa made with beer — perfect for brunch or watching the game!
4.42 from 29 votes
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ingredients

  • 8 ounces orange juice fresh-squeezed
  • 1 ounce orange liqueur optional
  • 9-10 ounces light beer with citrus notes (such as a lager, pilsner, blonde ale or Belgian-style saison)
  • 1 sprig fresh mint or basil, for garnish, optional

instructions

  • Place 1 (18-ounce) beer glasses in freezer for one hour prior to serving to thoroughly chill.
  • Pour orange juice into each glass (or about halfway full). Add orange liqueur if using.
  • Holding glasses at an angle, pour in the beer until the glass is full. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or basil.

notes

Best orange juice: Fresh-squeezed orange juice is always the best! Store-bought is fine too, but it’s ideal pick up the kind without pulp as it will float on top of the drink. If you squeeze your citrus at home, strain the pulp for a smoother drink.
Best beer: I recommend a Belgian-style saison, blonde ale, lager or pilsner. Some hazy IPAs can have pretty juicy, citrusy flavor profiles, so they absolutely can work too if you like those. Stay away from anything too strong, like most IPAs, or dark in color, like a porter or stout. 
Take things up a notch. Add 1 ounce of orange liqueur to each glass, such as Patron, Cointreau, Grand Marnier or triple sec. For a green beermosa, add 1 ounce of blue curaçao for the orange liqueur. 
Adjust the ratio to your taste. Prefer more bubbles or beer flavor? Fill the glass about ⅓-full with orange juice, then add the beer. Prefer more citrus? Use more orange juice. The splash of orange liqueur will help too.
 
Original recipe by Melissa Jones in 2015. Re-tested and photographed by Susannah Brinkley Henry in 2025.

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nutrition information

Yield: 1 cocktail

amount per serving:

Serving: 18ounces Calories: 263kcal Carbohydrates: 37g Protein: 2g Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 0.1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g Sodium: 15mg Potassium: 516mg Fiber: 0.5g Sugar: 28g Vitamin A: 454IU Vitamin C: 113mg Calcium: 35mg Iron: 1mg
did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #feastandwestrecipes!

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Comments

  1. Mel says

    Anyone else notice that this recipe has you putting 19 ounces of liquid into an 18 ounce glass? 😂 Otherwise. I’m trying this with an Oktoberfest this weekend. Thanks!

    • Susannah says

      Hey Mel, the triple sec is optional. If you’re using it, you can either scale back the OJ to accommodate, or you can just use a little less beer. Either way, hope you love it!

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