The Unforgettable Night at Murphy’s Pub
Nearly ten years have passed since my graduation, yet one particular night at Murphy’s Pub, my beloved hangout spot at the University of Illinois, remains etched in my memory. It all began when my roommate, clearly fed up with four years of chugging down pitchers of Keystone Light, complained about its lackluster taste. “It’s just a subpar version of Coors Light,” he argued. “Shouldn’t we refine our palates before we graduate?”
Without a word, the bartender reached for a bottle of Tabasco and added two drops into my roommate’s pint glass.
I couldn’t help but wonder, “Did this sly bartender purposely sabotage his drink for daring to criticize Keystone Light?”
As my roommate pondered how to object without getting kicked out, the bartender encouraged him to take a sip. “It’s better now,” he assured. “Just give it a try.”
Curiosity got the better of us, and to our astonishment, the addition of Tabasco miraculously transformed that pint of lackluster light beer. It didn’t alter the taste per se, but somehow elevated it to a superior version of itself. The subtle kick of spice in the aftertaste made all the difference.
Naturally, for the rest of our senior year, we gleefully experimented with Tabasco in our beer, much to the confusion and disgust of those around us. And while that bartender from that fateful night remains a fuzzy memory, he unknowingly shared an age-old hack for enhancing cheap beer.
The Origins of the Hot Sauce Beer Hack
According to professional chef and food blogger Jim Mumford, this idea likely originated from a desperate attempt at creating the Michelada, a classic Mexican drink made with beer, lime, spice, and tomato-based juice. The Michelada has been around for ages and serves as the inspiration for this beer hack.
As trends tend to do, this tradition has now gained popularity. Food & Wine describes hot sauce as “The One Ingredient That Makes Cheap Beer Taste Incredible.” Bars like Mother’s Ruin in New York have turned this emergency-Michelada-turned-cheap-beer-hack into an Instagram-worthy experience.
If the idea of revitalizing your taste buds with Tabasco-infused beer sounds too good to be true, I urge you to grab that forgotten Bud Light can lurking at the back of your fridge and give it a try. Mumford provides a solid explanation for why hot sauce enhances the flavor of cheap beer. He explains, “While I wouldn’t recommend adding a few dashes to a fruity double IPA, hot sauce can truly elevate neutral-flavored light pilsners or lagers. The acid and salt in the hot sauce bring out the subtle sweetness or maltiness in the beer, which is often hard to detect. Additionally, the hint of spice acts as a palate cleanser, counterbalancing some of the bitterness these beers possess.”
But perhaps a mere drop isn’t enough for you. Maybe you’re the type who wants to drench the top of your beer in hot sauce, just like Pub Royale’s famous “Dressed Hamm’s” in Chicago.
Feel free to mock it if you must. However, when you think about it, it’s not so different from dipping a tortilla chip into salsa. As Mumford aptly concludes, “Since light beer consists mostly of alcohol, water, yeast, and various malty sugars, it’s essentially liquid bread. So, just as you would dunk a flour tortilla into salsa, adding hot sauce to beer simply works.”
So, why not give this ingenious hot sauce beer hack a chance? Step out of your beer-drinking routines and discover a world of flavors waiting to be unlocked. Join us at [Hook’d Up Bar and Grill](https://hookdupbarandgrill.com) and embark on a taste adventure like no other!