This beer can be used as a flotation device

Summer calls for simple desserts, treats that are easy to put together so you're not trapped in the kitchen squandering precious warm weather. Ice cream fits the bill, but it can be boring and predictable. So be unpredictable: Fill a glass with ice cream and beer.

Root beer and icy vanilla were once the order of the day, but you can put a sophisticated twist on that old favorite.

Scoop creamy vanilla into a pint glass filled with a sweet, heavy, dark beer such as Mackeson's Triple Stout. The roasted, chocolatey flavors and the alcohol bite blend with the sweet vanilla to produce an incredibly rich, tasty concoction. The drink needs to be made at the last minute, but you can chill the glasses and scoop the ice cream well before you need it. Keep the ice cream balls in the freezer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then assemble the floats and serve after a lazy barbecue.

Manufacturers are also in on the fun, so you can buy ice cream already infused with beer flavor. Ben & Jerry's has created Black & Tan, a frozen version of the classic combination of stout and pale ale or lager, by putting the malty flavor (though sadly not the alcohol) in ice cream, along with veins of dark chocolate. The tan ice cream has a mildly toasty, stout like flavor, and it mixes with the black (chocolate) to create a luscious, velvety dessert.

And if you're feeling really ambitious, you can churn some yourself. Pull out the ice cream machine and add Guinness or another dry stout to your favorite vanilla recipe. You'll want to eat a whole pint.

Ann Cortissoz can be reached at a_cortissoz@globe.com.