Beer Brats on the Grill

This is an easy-to-make a recipe Beer Brats on the Grill recipe cooked in beer with onions then, grilled before serving on toasted buns. So much flavour, in little time, this recipe is one of the best ways to serve brats.

Originally posted on April 11, 2022, updated in May 2025.

What Are Beer Brats on the Grill?

Beer brats are bratwurst sausages cooked in beer and onions. The beer and onions are cooked down until the onions are caramelized and the beer has been reduced. The sausages are then grilled and served with onion and beer reduction.

Ingredients to Make Beer Brats

Making this recipe is simple with only a few ingredients.

• Bratwurst sausages.
• Beer.
• Onions.
• Sausage buns.

Toppings for Beer Brats

Beer Brats are served with the beer caramelized onions that they are cooked in, on a toasted bun.

Then they are topped with mustard. Stone ground mustard is one of the best options, but regular mustard or even Dijon will do.

When making these for a crowd, we offer different flavours of mustard as well as sauerkraut. Some shredded Parmesan cheese makes a good topping as well.

Can Any Beer Be Used To Make Beer Brats?

Many recipes call for a certain type or brand of beer. But if you choose a beer you don’t like, odds are you won’t like the taste of the dish either.

Always cook with a beer that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be an expensive beer or craft beer. Just make sure it is one that you like the taste of.

We have used different kinds of beer to make this recipe. It always depends on what we have on hand at the time.

Special Equipment to Make Beer Brats

For this recipe, we make it on the gas or charcoal grill, depending on our mood that day. Whichever you have will work.

We use a disposable aluminum pan for cooking the beer and onions. It makes for easy cleanup because it can be rinsed and placed in the recycle bin.

A large cast iron pot can also be used or a heavy-bottomed pot. Just remember that whatever pot you use will likely have soot on the outside of it if you are using a charcoal BBQ.

Making Beer Brats on The Grill

Making this recipe is very easy. Everything can be prepared and cooked outdoors on a charcoal or gas BBQ.

The trick is to cook them in the beer before grilling them. This adds flavour to the sausages as well as keeps the sausages juicy so they won’t dry out when you grill them.

Variations to the Beer and Onions

To add colour, we sometimes add red, yellow, and orange peppers or jalapenos that have been julienned and cooked in the beer with the onions. When adding peppers, we usually add them after the beer cooks down so that the peppers still have a little crunch.

For added flavour, we have also added sliced mushrooms to the onions.

What To Serve with Beer Brats

You can serve these sausages on their own, or with a side. These go well with coleslaw, potato salad, or grilled potatoes.

Mac and Cheese also pairs well with these sausages. We like to set a pan of mac and cheese right beside the pan of brats to keep it warm.

Also, corn on the cob is a good choice. And since the BBQ is already hot to make these Beer Brats, grilling the corn is easy to do and delicious.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below to let us know.