In the case of bratwurst, beer and mustard, sometimes three’s a crowd; brew and the canary condiment get along just fine on their own. “You need a liquid to bring dry mustard to life,” says Barry Levenson, founder and curator of the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wis. “Many mustards use vinegar or, in the case of French mustard, verjus, but beer has been used for years, mainly in England. There are some great beer mustards being made now.” Here, Levenson shares his three favorites:

Aviator Porter Smoky Mustard

“There’s a whole line of Aviator Ale Mustards. I like this one made with porter; it has a great smoky flavor, and you get a good sense of the beer.”

Ipswich Ale Mustard

“It’s a stone-ground mustard with oatmeal stout; sweet and tangy.”

Plochman’s Beer Mustard

“This has huge beer flavor—it’s made with 45 percent Killian’s Irish Red—the biggest beer flavor you’d ever want in a mustard. Their Kosciusko Spicy Brown Beer Mustard is also good.”

Levenson displays more than 5,000 mustards from 60-plus countries at the National Mustard Museum, and sells many of them at his online shop. Learn more at mustardmuseum.com