The Centuries-Old German Beer Drink That Should Be Your Go-To Winter Beverage

Americans tend to prefer cold beer. Even the late globetrotting chef, author, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain felt strongly about having his beers frosty. Heck, that's why the beer koozie was invented, but there's a growing trend in the United States that's bucking this tradition. It's called bierstacheln, and as you might have guessed by the name, it's German. It transforms cold beer into a warm winter treat with one simple, extremely hot tool: a superheated metal poker — traditionally made of iron but these days typically stainless steel – that's submerged in a cold beer to create something entirely different.

The resulting combination of hot steel and cold beer instantly creates a frothy, creamy, warm head redolent of toasted marshmallows, while also taking the chill off the rest of the beer. This technique also removes some of the beer's carbonization, making for a smoother and softer feel on the palate. It's been dubbed beer brûlée, after crème brûlée — the dessert with the famously crackly caramelized sugar top — and it should be your go-to winter beverage. 

Bierstacheln works by caramelizing the residual malt sugars in beer, using the same basic principle as heating custard to produce crème brûlée. Because the sugars are essential for this process to work, darker beers with more malt sugar are commonly used. Breweries tend to choose bock beer — a type of German beer dating back to the 1300s – doppelbocks, stouts, and barleywines. Also, because the beer foams up during the process, it's common to use only a half-filled glass of beer.

Bierstacheln is a German tradition that predates America's fixation on cold beer. In fact, there was a similar method popular in 18th century Colonial America that made hot cocktails called flips, which included beer and other ingredients. Although the hot poker method has been done in Germany for centuries, exactly when this practice first began isn't well established. Today, bierstacheln has found a home in a growing number of breweries and brewpubs across the U.S. Hopefully, there's one near you so you can enjoy this winter treat, since it's not recommended making this at home.