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Stout? Lager? Why not Try Both!Jun 29 '01 (Updated Oct 28 '06) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Black and Tan is a good alternative to try on draft. It can be bottled, too, although it's not a very popular style of beer and very hard to find.
Many people like a good mixed drink. They go to their favorite drinking establishment, decide what type of spirit to imbibe, and then select one of the dozens of available mixers to blend with the chosen liquor. Drinks can be made with fruit juices, coffee, soda water, tonic, and many other things. For those of us who would rather drink beer than liquor, we usually ask the waitress what’s on tap (and we often sigh or frown, because the choices are usually not good!), and then we select among the 5 to 10 draft beers that most places offer. We sit there, enjoying our mug of beer, but then we wonder why our liquor- loving friends have so many options for mixing different flavors. Why can’t the lover of fine brew also enjoy a “mixed” beverage made with different beers? Well, the fact is, they can. As part of a marketing plan, some taverns and brewpubs now offer “blended” beers. Sometimes, in the case of brewpubs, they get creative and combine two of their own beers, brewed on- site, that have compatible flavors and offer them on tap. It’s common to see, for instance, a brewpub that has a separate lager- style beer and a fruit flavored beer that also offers a “new” product that combines the two together. There are other flavor combinations, too, but the most popular style of combined beer is, of course, Black and Tan. What is Black and Tan Beer?: Black and Tan, in the broad sense, refers to any combination of a dark stout or dark porter with a lighter- colored ale or lager. The most popular combination is made with Guinness Stout and Harp Lager. If you go into a tavern, and these two beers are available on tap, the bartender will assume that you want these two beers combined, if you ask for Black and Tan. If Harp lager is not available, another popular substitute is Bass Ale. Black and Tan doesn’t have to be made with stout. Porter will also work. You just need to consider the two flavors of the beers separately, and then decide for yourself if they sound like they would taste good together. Normally, when we think of Black and Tan, we think of drinking a mug of draft beer. But, in the United States, some breweries now offer a bottled version of Black and Tan. These bottled versions are, of course, completely blended, while the draft variety tries to keep the beers separate, with one floating on top of the other. The draft variety is what most drinkers would refer to as the true way to make Black and Tan. What’s the Proper Way to Serve Black and Tan?: Black and Tan should be served with the two beers layered in the glass. You start by filling the glass halfway with the lighter- colored pilsner or lager beer. You should pour it slowly, down the side of the glass, to minimize the amount of foam. Then, you slowly pour the stout or porter on top of the lighter beer, making sure to avoid letting the two beers mix together. In order to accomplish the perfect Black and Tan, you should either pour the dark beer slowly down the side of the glass, or pour the beer over a spoon. The spoon should be inverted, so that the beer hits the backside and then flows down on top of the lager or pilsner. By using the spoon method, the dark beer is distributed evenly and slowly, to avoid mixing the two together. You might wonder why the stout is able to remain floating on top of the lager, since stouts seem heavier. The reason is because first of all, the density of the stout is just slightly different from the density of the lager. The difference is usually so small that it’s insignificant. If it was significantly more dense, it would quickly sink and the beer would blend together. Also, stout and porter almost always have greater viscosity than lager or pilsner. Because of this, the darker beer tends to want to hold itself together, and not mix with the lighter beer. So, it remains unmixed and floats on the top. What are Some Popular Brands of Black and Tan?: The draft variety is the most popular way to drink Black and Tan. As far as bottled versions go, the brand you are most likely to find in your local supermarket is Michelob Black and Tan. It’s a pretty good tasting beer, but like all Anheuser- Busch products, it does include rice, which distracts from the flavor. The other macro- brewers, Miller and Coors, do not make a Black and Tan style. My personal favorite bottled version of this style is Saranac Black and Tan, produced in New York and available in many eastern states. There are a few other bottled Black and Tan beers available on the market, brewed by small, craft- breweries. But you will have a very hard time finding them, because this is not a very popular bottled beer style. Final Thoughts: Black and Tan is an interesting concept for beer, and it has inspired brewers to come up with other “mixed drink” combinations for beer, to help increase sales. The draft version of Black and Tan is the way to go, rather than the bottled. Draft is really the way Black and Tan was intended to be served, with the dark beer floating on top of the lighter- colored beer. Having these “blended beer” options gives the beer drinker something different to try every now and then. It also helps sales for the tavern, because there are all sorts of interesting combinations that a creative bartender can make up and promote. Next time your friend tries to snub your beer with his mixture of liquor and fruit juice, just order yourself a Black and Tan and experience the taste of two of your favorite beers, in the same glass. It may not seem as sophisticated as your buddy’s Long Island Iced Tea, but it’s beer, and that’s what matters. Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read Advice on Other Beer Types: What Should You Know About Pilsner Beers What Should You Know About Blonde Beers What Should You Know about Dunkles Beers What Should You Know About Porter Beers What Should You Know About Stout Beers What Should You Know About IPA Beers What Should You Know About Wheat Beers What Should You Know About Bock Beers What Should You Know About Doppelbock Beers What Should You Know About Ale Beers What Should You Know About Lager Beers  |
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