UNOmar

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Am I retarded or are there certain beers you can't pour a black & tan with? I currently have an all-grain version of Walker's Holy Grail Porter on tap (which is delicious), but when I try to use my Lagerhead Brutul to pour a proper black & tan it slowly drops into the lighter beer. I've tried using my own pale ale as well as molson for the tan part, but the porter just won't stay poised. Could it be a final gravity thing?
I even thought it might be overpressurized and dispensing too fast, but dropping the pressure in the keg down to 5 psi didn't even help. Any ideas?
FYI the porter finished at 1.011 and 5.2% ABV in case that affects anything.

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UNOmar

Baron von BeeGee

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It's Walker's fault.

the_bird

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Where the hell has Walker been? He didn't have another aneurysm, did he?

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Baron von BeeGee

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Yankee land, I think.


Note that that's anywhere north of Richmond for us Johnnies!

the_bird

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Ah, that explains it. Didn't think they let you guys out of the state.

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"I'm kind of toasted. But I looked at my watch and it's only 6:30 so I can't stop drinking yet." - Yooper's Bob
"Brown eye finally recovered after the abuse it endured in Ptown last weekend, but it took almost a full week." - Paulie
"no, he just doesn't speak 'stupid'. i, however, am fluent...." - motobrewer

Baron von BeeGee

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Walker's naturalized so, with his passport, he can exit. I'm stuck working on my truck and bemoaning the fact that my Dad's pig cooker is propane powered instead of wood! Kind of warm down here, too.

Brewsmith

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Nevermind all their bantering, UNOmar. I'll get this thread back on track.

I believe it's the final gravity of tthe beer that determines how it stays on top. You have to pour the heaviest beer first and then the lightest. If they both have about the same FG, they'll mix pretty easily.

At least that what I think. Now back to being off topic.

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Baron von BeeGee

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FWIW, I agree with Brewsmith. Guiness is pretty dry, and hence it will float on a heavier beer. I wonder if carbonation could have anything to do with it, as well, but I'm one or two Chimays too deep to reason.

the_bird

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We had a big discussion about this a few months ago, and there was no consensus. Final gravity makes sense as the primary factor, as does differences in carbonation, and there might be other factors at work that impact surface tension. So... I don't know.

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"I'm kind of toasted. But I looked at my watch and it's only 6:30 so I can't stop drinking yet." - Yooper's Bob
"Brown eye finally recovered after the abuse it endured in Ptown last weekend, but it took almost a full week." - Paulie
"no, he just doesn't speak 'stupid'. i, however, am fluent...." - motobrewer

Sandy

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I didn't find the last discussion that was had on this, but from a purely physics standpoint there are only 2 reasons that 2 fluids won't mix together. Density (ie gravity) and polarity (this is the reason that oil and water won't mix even when shaken or stirred ).

Therefore, unless the 2 beers have a different FG you'll have a pretty hard time to get one to float on the other. The only way carbonation would really have an impact is in it's effect on the gravity of the finished product, though i think that would be rather minimal.