Black & Tan recipe

[coh]

Hey homebrewers! I was sitting here pondering ideas for my next batch and was wondering something:

A few of my friends lately have been on a huge black n tan binge and I was thinking about brewing one up but was unsure on when and where you should combine the black and the tan. Right now I've got two brew pots, and one corny keg on top of my other equipment for brewing. What I was thinking is brewing a 2.5gal pot worth of a lighter beer (I'm thinking a Bell's Two Hearted clone) and another 2.5gal pot of a chocolate stout. I'd then combine both pots into primary fermentation and finish the process as normal. Does this sound like everything will ferment and meld together correctly or would it end in disaster? Should I consider putting all of the grains together and boiling all of it at once? Should I ferment each in separate carboys and introduce eachother ("Hi Stout, I'm Two-Hearted. Together we can be delicious!") during secondary? Does this just sound like a horrible idea?

Just looking for some advice or opinions. Thanks.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Black and tans are made at the keg faucet with a brolly spoon.
A hoppy beer like Bell's 2 hearter, IMO, would not meld well in a Black and Tan. You use a mellow hopped Enlgish Pale for the tan.
And fermenting or even bottling/kegging the two batches together would definietly not get a separation like when ordering one.
If you're going after taste only, then brew and condition (bottle of keg) a stout and an English pale. Then pour half and half come drinking time.

 

[coh]

I guess if you're going for a traditional black and tan you would use something less hoppy, but if you're a fan of two hearted you should definitely experiment with it in a B&T. I understand about the separation but what about beers like Mississippi Mud which is a black and tan bottled together in a nice redneck-looking jug? I wouldn't say it's the best black and tan, but for something that comes pre-bottled it's not bad.

I've been looking for an excuse to spend money on another faucet, keg, etc so maybe I'll hold off on this idea until I get some money set aside and then do it right. I guess I was mainly trying to see if I could find a roundabout way of making one

Thanks for the advice

 

[wildwest450]

Buy some Guinness and Bass.

 

[mmb]

Even commercial Black and Tans like Yuengling Black and Tan are two beers that are blended at the brewery.

I'd brew two batches and let them finish, then blend to taste.

 

[coh]

Buy some Guinness and Bass.

ORLY? Thanks for that super insightful advice

 

[weirdboy]

Rather than making the "black" part of the equation a stout, what if you made it with a dark barleywine and an IPA? That would be like a hoppy black & tan.

 

[coh]

Rather than making the "black" part of the equation a stout, what if you made it with a dark barleywine and an IPA? That would be like a hoppy black & tan.

That's an interesting suggestion actually...ill keep that in mind as well. So many recipes to choose from!

 

[wildwest450]

ORLY? Thanks for that super insightful advice

Your welcome.
You did ask for advice and opinions.

Just looking for some advice or opinions. Thanks

Making and blending two beers is a lot of work. If you haven't brewed a lot, it would be easier to buy them separate.

And if your friends are like mine, they'll gripe if it aint perfect.

 

[splendidus]

Making and blending two beers is a lot of work. If you haven't brewed a lot, it would be easier to buy them separate.

And if your friends are like mine, they'll gripe if it aint perfect.

I'm pretty sure this applies to most any beer. The point of this hobby is to expend effort doing something you find interesting, possibly finding something better than what is bought...

 

[mordantly]

And if your friends are like mine, they'll gripe if it aint perfect.

solution: "get the hell out, knob!!!"

 

[coh]

I'm pretty sure this applies to most any beer. The point of this hobby is to expend effort doing something you find interesting, possibly finding something better than what is bought...

this man speaks wisdom!

I've been homebrewing for almost 3 years now so it's not like I'm new to the process. With every beer I make I try to do something that I've never tried before...so every beer I make has equal possibility of being absolutely awesome or ending in total disaster. I feel like part of the hobby is trying new stuff and experimenting with your tastes...you envision something you like, but can you actually make it a reality?

anyway, enough with the sappy talk. I may still try this out sometime and I'll let you guys what I do and how it turns out. Beer love is mostly opinion anyway, but I was hoping someone here had already tried something like this before...the fact that nobody has is just making me want to try it more maybe I have a problem haha

 

[wildwest450]

I'm pretty sure this applies to most any beer. The point of this hobby is to expend effort doing something you find interesting, possibly finding something better than what is bought...

Of course it does. My point was not to go through all that trouble to please his friends. Believe me i've been there and done that.

When it doesn't come out perfect they'll be bitchin.

 

[coh]

Not to sound like an ass but maybe you should find some cooler friends? I don't homebrew to please my friends it just so happens that my friends are pleased by my homebrew...maybe they don't say its bad to my face but they actually willfully donate money to the recipe fund. Why would you pay for something that sucks?

 

[archiefl98]

Why would you pay for something that sucks?

Because hookers are fun.

My understanding of the black and tan is that the specific gravity of the stout (Guinness) is less than that of the pale (Bass Ale / Harp Lager) and therefore sits on top when gently poured over a spoon. So in theory you could use nearly any dry darker beer (FG ~1.009) with any sweet/"normal" tan colored beer (FG ~1.015) and have them stay separate.

Your original question was has anyone done this -- yes I have. I had a nice chocolate stout (FG 1.010), and a strawberry honey wheat extract kit that stopped fermenting at about 1.018. Poured the honey wheat in first, then used my handy Guinness spoon to pour in the chocolate stout. It stayed separate for a while, but after about 15 minutes or so it would mix up pretty good.

My thought would be to make the brews separate and combine them using a spoon at the time of drinking -- as to me the visual is the "awe" aspect of the drink.

As for mixing two batches into the fermenter, I suppose you could, although I have no idea how it would turn out. With two separate batches you also have the ability of drinking just one beer, just the other beer, or the black and tan combo.

My $0.02.

 

[dcp27]

I was thinking about making my own black and tan and talked to one of the guys at a local brewery that makes a good bottle black and tan. They mixed theirs in a tank prior to carbonation. I'd either go secondary or just bottling bucket. When you drink a layered one it mixes as you drink it anyway.

 

[Bob]

Yuengling Black & Tan is a blending of Yuengling Porter - a black lager beer - and Premium - a fairly standard Light American Lager. In the beginning, waaaay back in the 1970s, it was a combined-at-the-faucet blend of Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale (Cream Ale). That's a far more tasty blend, IMO.

Anyway, to the best of my knowledge most if not all widely-available beers labelled "Black & Tan" are blends of dark and light lager beers. Good luck duplicating that!

If I were you, I'd brew a relatively low-gravity Robust Porter and blend with a Cream Ale. That'd get closest to Yuengling and Mississippi Mud.

Bob