The Best Apple Cider Beer (Crisp Apple Shandy!)

This spiced apple cider shandy will be one of your favorite fall cocktail recipes. Say buh-bye to the summer shandy and hello to this spiced apple cider beer.

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Say bye to the lemonade shandy, and hello to this apple cider shandy.

It's the perfect beer cocktail for fall. It's so easy to make and tastes just like fall! Now, this isn't hard apple cider, so don't get it confused with some well-known brands like Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider. This combines beer with regular cider. 

It's only 3 ingredients. Just 3 ingredients poured into a glass and that's it! Super simple and tastes just like fall. It's the perfect cocktail for an at-home happy hour, or it's so easy to make for your next party.

You may also like: Apple Cider Martini 

Is cider shandy a thing?

Yes, it is! Cider shandy is totally a thing and you definitely need this drink in your life. You can't necessarily buy this at your local liquor store, but you can easily make apple cider beer homemade with some craft beer, apple cider, and ginger beer.

Ingredients

This apple cider beer requires just 3 ingredients and it is seriously the best. 

Ginger Beer. I used Sugar-Free Barritt's Ginger Beer. However, you can use your favorite ginger beer. I buy my Barritt's at my local Binny's, but they have a store locator on their website if you want to find your nearest retailer.

Apple Cider. I love the Simply Orange products. From their orange juice to their light lemonade to their apple juice, it's so so so delicious and my favorite. Similar to ginger beer, if you have a favorite apple juice/cider you can use that.

Beer. I used a pilsner for this beer, if you want to get super festive and make this into a harvest shandy, you could also use a pumpkin wheat beer!

This is seriously the perfect cocktail to take you from summer to fall. It's crisp and refreshing for those random surprise 90-degree September and October days, but it also capitalizes on the crisp apple and spice of the ginger that just screams fall.

How to make apple cider shandy

1. In a glass, pour in 6 oz. of a cold beer.
2. Top with 4 oz. of apple cider and 2 oz. of ginger beer.
3. Give it a stir and cheers!

Substitutions and variations

Apple Cider. You can always use raw apple juice if you don't have apple cider on hand! You can also make your own apple cider! It is super easy to do and tastes just like apple pie. You can also use a hard apple cider. Some of the best ciders, in my opinion, are Woodchuck Amber Hard Cider, Schilling Excelsior Imperial Apple, or Ace Pear Ciders. 

Fruit Juice.​ You can experiment with other fruit juices to make a fall beer recipe like orange juice. 

What makes a beer a shandy?

Making a beer into a shady means mixing it with a citrus juice, like lemonade. However, you can mix apple cider with beer for this delicious apple cider beer.

What is the best beer to use for a shandy?

You want to use a very user-friendly beer like a Pilsner or a Pale Ale. Something that won't totally overpower or clash with the flavor of apple cider and ginger beer.

Here are some Amazon finds for your home bar.

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Want some more fall cocktail recipe inspiration?

• Black Magic Mule
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Martini
• Fall Aperol Spritz
• Caramel Apple Martini