I admit it! I am a blender

[Willy]

I almost always have six beers on tap. Blonde ale, a few browns, pilsner, IPA related, and a stout.

Sometimes... I make myself a blend. Personally, I don't think it is heresy or an abomination but I bet it does to some. (You should try it sometime).

So what would I blend? Oh... 4 parts blonde ale, 1/2 - 1 part brown and a splash of pilsner. I don't know... Whatever I am feeling sounds interesting. stout with American Brown ale is quite good.

But I mostly do the beer straight up. Of course. That said... I have blended. Ha.

So I am curious. Are there any other blenders out there? Any suggestions to blend ? To be honest - I have had some incredible blends over the years.

 

[day_trippr]

[raises hand] Yo!

I also have 6 beers on tap, with one a nitro stout, another a raspberry hibiscus wheat, and the third a wcipa. The other three are hazies, and I occasionally will pour a two or even three way blend of those...

Cheers!

 

[kevin58]

You are simply carrying on a practice that has occurred at English pubs for well over a century... probably not so much these days but once it was common.

 

[Willy]

Today's blender for the Phillys/Mets game... Brown (16 srm, fuggles and Kent goldings) with American Brown (24 SRM with Magnum and mosaic). Delicious.

Didn't know the history @kevin58 . Cool. And interesting. I kinda knew this went on forever.

 

[lumpher]

People blend all the time. Black and Tan is the ultimate blend to me, and 1 of my favorites. Blending isn't heresy at all. What's good to each of us is what's important as homebrewers (except pumpkin spiced ale.. Nope.. UH UH...total heresy)

 

[Lampy]

I bottle, but I still end up blending; some wine and hefeweizen, or cider and oatmeal stout... all together in my belly!

 

[worlddivides]

There are even some breweries that sell a pint of beer in two separate cans that have a paper-plastic holding them together and it has explanations for blending them to taste. I once even found one that had 3 separate beers in one package for blending. Most of the ones I've seen have been sours (the one with 3 was, if I remember correctly, a blueberry sour, a raspberry sour, and a non-fruited sour). I do think sours are the only style of beer that are predominantly blended before being bottled and sold, whereas most other styles just package a single batch. But beer "cocktails" that are essentially just half one beer and half another beer have been around for a while, black and tan being the most famous example.

So anyone who calls it "heresy" or an "abomination" doesn't know what they're talking about.

 

[pvpeacock]

I remember being in an English Pub in York in the 1980's which had a sign that said "Anyone caught making a Snake Bite will be ejected." I asked someone what a Snake Bite was and was told it was a beer-cider blend. At another pub, I tried making one myself and boy did it knock me on my can!

 

[fluketamer]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/blasphemus-beer-blending.730319/

i am guilty myself

 

[Willy]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/blasphemus-beer-blending.730319/

i am guilty myself

@fluketamer thanks for the link to this thread. Really fun read and I wouldn't have posted question that was already examined. Oops. Cheers !!!

 

[Rish]

A couple of times I found a New Belgium 12 pack of 3 or 4 different beers with "recipes" on how to blend them to achieve different flavor profiles. It was interesting and tasty to me but I haven't seen them in quite a while.

 

[Willy]

A couple of times I found a New Belgium 12 pack of 3 or 4 different beers with "recipes" on how to blend them to achieve different flavor profiles. It was interesting and tasty to me but I haven't seen them in quite a while.

Is this it? Dang - never tried one. Sounds like fun.
https://www.westword.com/restaurant...elve-pack-of-beers-meant-for-blending-9704287

 

[Rish]

^^That's it! More styles than I remembered but you're right, it was fun.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

A couple of years ago, when I was over at Leinenkugels' Brewery (Chippewa Falls WI) in the Leinie Lodge, they offered blended beer samples - and you could leave with a 1 page list of blended beer ideas.

 

[rmr9]

When I was in Vienna most places had at least a light and a dark beer on tap and there was always an option for a mix of the two. Never tried the “gemischt” but I thought it was pretty cool to see

 

[dtashmore547]

I make black and tan regularly but sometimes when one or two ales don't turn out quite as desired blending can fix or improve

 

[Beermeister32]

Some of the new IPA’s are really over the top hopping and high ABV. I’ve blended them down in the glass with either a can of Coors Light or even Budweiser Zero depending on the beer ABV. Makes a lot of them a more drinkable and fun IPA in a more normal range. Plus, you get twice as much of it to drink.

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

sweet stout and cider - name that drink - clue it is not black and tan - and no googling....

 

[Willy]

sweet stout and cider - name that drink - clue it is not black and tan - and no googling....

Snake bite? Someone mentioned it about 10 posts before. Never heard of it.

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

Willy - A snakebite is an alcoholic drink made with equal parts lager and cider. If a dash of blackcurrant cordial is added, it is known as a "Diesel". It was first popularised in the UK in the 1980s. I drank these strange combos in the 1960s.

 

[hiphoppotamuss]

I make black and tan regularly but sometimes when one or two ales don't turn out quite as desired blending can fix or improve

Yep! Guilty of that here as well!
IPA mixed with brown ale became an “amber” and was quite good
Saison mixed with Tripel worked
Stout mixed with my 12% imperial stout brought the ABV down to 7% ish and was quite tasty

 

[bwible]

I make black and tan regularly but sometimes when one or two ales don't turn out quite as desired blending can fix or improve

There’s black and tan, also half & half, or some say “arf and arf”? I can’t remember exactly, I know one has to be made with Harp and I think the other is with Bass? Anybody know?

 

[Bramling Cross]

Saison mixed with Tripel worked

Oh, I like the sound of that. I can really taste that on my mind's tongue. Yes, some of that, please!

Regarding the topic more generally, I'm an inveterate blender. After all, it's one of the chief joys of UK brewing. I've spent the last three weeks blending a very nice ordinary bitter and a wonderful dark mild. With the bitter kicked, I'll start doing the same with the UK IPA I put on line a couple days ago.

Also, please don't let the Reinheitsgestapo know this, but I've been enjoying a bit of Munich lager or helles with a splash of dark mild. Very pleasant, very verboten.

Here’s the bitter and mild.

And here’s the UK IPA and mild poured earlier this evening.

 

[leedspointbrew]

A mix of my summer PA with Yard's Pale Ale. Honestly thought that it was better than either individually. Even more surprisingly, my wife agreed

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

There’s black and tan, also half & half, or some say “arf and arf”? I can’t remember exactly, I know one has to be made with Harp and I think the other is with Bass? Anybody know?

It’s the same drink, but Black and Tan is offensive to the Irish. And, yes, a half and half poured in Ireland will be made with Harp.
https://content.kegworks.com/blog/dont-order-a-black-and-tan-in-ireland