Beer cocktails are fun. Don’t overthink them.

For my sister and me, running across childhood objects stockpiled in boxes around our parents’ home is a source of sweetness. Though they could be more aggressive about throwing stuff away. Like a few years ago when Dad mentioned that I’d left some beer in the basement fridge. Investigation revealed that the bottles were the remainders of a six-pack of Tequiza.

Some of you may recall this late-’90s-era beer brand, juiced with “the natural flavor of lime” and sweetened with agave nectar. The portmanteau name was supposed to suggest a marriage of tequila and cerveza.

It was certainly a gateway beer for this particular college girl. My palate hadn’t evolved to appreciate the hoppy IPAs that I eventually gravitated to, and Tequiza helped me survive many a college party.

Tequiza was discontinued by the late ’00s, and I’d stopped drinking it well before then. These bottles in my folks’ basement were a good 15 years past their prime. Beer has a short shelf life, and the one bottle I cracked open smelled like a skunk family had romped through a grove of rotting limes.

Still, I thought about Tequiza recently when I was contemplating the overall poor reputation of beer cocktails. My recollection is that cold Tequiza was pretty drinkable. Basically, it was a beer cocktail of sorts. And it had common ground with the few other beer mixology examples I’ve liked. Most have been lager- or pilsner-based. These beers are not a blank slate, exactly. They don’t have the neutrality of vodka, but their soft, malty foundation doesn’t come in swinging, and can provide a base for a refreshing sip that can go in several directions, depending on what other flavors — bitters, umami, citrus or some combination — you add.

For example, one of my favorite beer-tails is a cheeky little number called the Spaghett, in which Baltimore bartender Reed Cahill, working at Wet City Brewing back in 2016, riffed on the growing popularity of drinks like the Aperol Spritz, pairing the bittersweet orange Italian liqueur with beer. Not only do I love red Italian bitters, I love it when “fancy” things put on cozy clothes, so a drink that you make by chugging a slug of Miller High Life and build in the bottle pretty much had me at “Yo.” It’s low fuss and high reward.

Then you’ve got Mexico’s Michelada. If your tastes run to the savory (Bloody Mary and dirty martini fans, this may be your beer-tail) it’s a concoction you should be exploring. At its most basic, the Michelada is beer, lime and hot sauce, but there are all sorts of regional variations around Mexico, many of which include tomato juice and a highly savory element such as Maggi seasoning — if you haven’t tasted it, think of it along the lines of soy or Worcestershire sauce — or Clamato juice. I ended up playing around with a more Asian-flavor-inflected version here, one with both umami savoriness from sriracha and soy sauce and sweetness from pineapple-ginger juice. You can adjust both the spice level and the savory factor by playing with the amounts of sriracha and soy.

And then there’s one of the longest-standing beer cocktails around: It’s a shandy in England and a radler in Germany, but when you order it at a pub, you’re getting a mix of beer and lemon soda. I was craving a shandified version of what people do with Corona and other Mexican lagers already, dropping a squeezed lime wedge into the neck of the bottle. A little agave syrup added appeal for those with a sweet tooth (and throwing in a smidgen of blanco tequila is not a bad option either). When I took a sip of my Lime Shandy, I was pleased to have reinvented Tequiza.

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Spaghett Cocktail

Essentially a beer spritz, this cheeky drink is a great option for those who like bitter red Italian aperitivi. You can use your favorite red bitter here, but sweet, orangey Aperol is the standard. Feel free to try different kinds of citrus. The traditional way to serve this is in the bottle of Miller High Life, but you can certainly pour it into a glass or scale up to pitcher format.

One (12-ounce) bottle chilled Miller High Life beer

1 ounce Aperol or other red Italian-style bitter aperitif

1 lemon wedge

Pour off (or drink) 1 to 2 ounces from the beer bottle.

Carefully pour the Aperol into the bottle — it may help to use a funnel or small liquid measuring cup to do this — then squeeze the lemon wedge in as well. Wait for any fizzing to subside, then give it a gentle swirl. You can stick the lemon wedge into the bottle as well — it will continue to add flavor to the drink as you sip it.

Serves one (one drink)

— Adapted by Spirits columnist M. Carrie Allan from Reed Cahill at Baltimore-based Wet City Brewery

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Piña-chelada

While the classic Mexican michelada is made with beer, tomato juice, hot sauce and other savory elements, this version swaps out the tomato for pineapple and leans on Asian-influenced ingredients such as sriracha and soy sauce. Michelada preparations vary regionally and by personal taste (including one’s degree of heat tolerance!), but the drink should be a bright, spicy flavor bomb.

Where to buy: Tajín can be found at well-stocked supermarkets, Latin markets and online.

Chili-lime salt, such as Tajín, for garnish (optional)

2 lime wedges, plus an optional lime wedge if using the chili-lime salt

Ice

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) fresh lime juice (from 3 to 4 limes)

2 ounces (¼ cup) pineapple-ginger juice, such as Lakewood brand

2 ounces (¼ cup) sweet Thai chili sauce, such as Thai Kitchen brand

¼ to 1 teaspoon sriracha, to taste

¼ teaspoon soy sauce

Two (12-ounce) bottles or cans of chilled Mexican-style lager, such as Modelo Especial, Pacifico or Corona

If using the chili-lime salt, make a little pile on a flat surface, such as a cutting board. Run the inside of a lime wedge around the rims of two pint glasses to moisten them, then dip and rotate the edge of each glass in the chili-lime salt so it sticks to the rim (see Notes).

Fill each glass halfway with ice.

In a mixing glass, stir together the lime juice, pineapple-ginger juice, chili sauce, sriracha and soy sauce until combined.

Use a strainer to divide the mixture between the two salt-rimmed glasses, then top with the beer. Once the fizz subsides, stir gently to combine, garnish each glass with a lime wedge, and serve with the remaining beer so each drinker can continue to top off their drink.

Note: If you have agave or simple syrup handy, those can be used in place of lime juice — they are more effective at making the salt stick.

Servings: 2 (makes 2 drinks)

— Spirits columnist M. Carrie Allan

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Lime Shandy

Shandies (or radlers, if you’re in Germany) are traditionally a mix of beer and lemonade, a sip that balances a lager’s mild hoppiness with sweet citrus — a refreshing low-ABV option. For this lime and agave variation, use a Mexican-style pilsner such as Modelo Especial, Pacifico or Corona. See Variations for a pitcher-sized version.

1½ ounces (3 tablespoons) fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)

½ ounce (1 tablespoon) agave nectar

One (12-ounce) bottle or can chilled Mexican-style lager, such as Modelo Especial, Pacifico or Corona

1 lime hull or wedge, for garnish

In a chilled pint glass, stir together the lime juice and agave nectar until well combined. Top with the pilsner and stir gently once the fizzing has subsided. Garnish with a spent lime hull or lime wedge and serve.

Variation: For a pitcher-sized version, mix 6 ounces of fresh lime juice and 2 ounces of agave nectar in a pitcher, then add four (12-ounce) cans/bottles of chilled pilsner. Divide among pint glasses, garnish each with a lemon wedge and serve.

Servings: 1 (makes 1 drink)

— Spirits columnist M. Carrie Allan