In Materialists, Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a matchmaker who finds herself torn between a wealthy charmer (Pedro Pascal) and her struggling actor ex-boyfriend (Chris Evans). But she also can’t seem to decide between two very-different-yet-delicious-in-their-own-way beverages: Her signature drink order is a Coke and beer. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
Pouring some cola into a half-empty pint of beer may sound unusual (and possibly gross) to us here in the States, but it’s actually a popular combination in Germany, where a 50/50 mix of Coca-Cola and beer is known as a “diesel.” (The name comes from the way that pouring Coke into beer causes it to take on the appearance of diesel fuel. Not exactly an appetizing color.) Depending on what region of Germany you’re in, you might also hear it referred to as a “kalter kaffee,” “colabier,” “mazout,” “moorwasser,” “schmutziges” or “krefelder.” Traditionally, the beer used is a pilsner, which, when combined with the sweetness of the cola, makes for a light, refreshing summertime drink.
Still, it sounded weird enough to us that we had to try it for ourselves. We opted for classic Coke (as opposed to Diet Coke) to get the full, sugary effect, and we used Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Pilsner for the beer. The verdict? It’s not bad! Admittedly, we tweaked the ratio a bit to make it more palatable. The Coke felt too overpowering in the 50/50 blend, making it a little too sweet and difficult to pick up any beer flavor, so we switched it to more like two parts beer, one part cola. That seems to be the sweet spot. There were a few naysayers, but the majority of us found it to be surprisingly good.
After a few sips, it’s easy to understand why this combination of flavors would be popular in Germany: The Coke gives the pilsner some added maltiness, making it taste more like a marzen or an Oktoberfest. But it still maintains that classic crispness that lends itself well to summertime drinking, and because you’re essentially diluting an already relatively-low ABV beer by adding the Coke to it, you could easily throw back plenty of these without having to worry about how you’ll feel the next day.
Will Materialists inspire more Americans to mix up their own diesels this summer? That remains to be seen. But you can check out our office taste-test below.
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