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For this sampling Two Guys tried a Black and Tan. A black and tan is a combination of a dark beer such as a stout and a pale ale or lager. Our ever alert 4 loyal readers will remember that we have defined what a stout and an ale are in previous blog posts. In our never ending battle to prevent boredom we will not define them again. The name Black and Tan is used not just because of the mixture of the black stout and pale(tan) ale. It has more to do with when you pour them correctly into a glass. When poured correctly, you will have the ale on the bottom of the glass and the stout on the top. This gives the beer a black and tan layered look. Now Two Guys are going to throw some physics your way. The stout is on the top because it is of lower relative density than the ale/lager. The reverse is called the Rayleigh-Taylor instability which is found in the after effects of a supernova. If you ever feel the need for a headache look up the Rayleigh-Taylor instability on Wikipedia. It'll take care of that shameful lack of a head hurt rather quickly. It has graphs and everything. Beer is powerful but not quite powerful enough to go supernova. The proper way to have the black and tan layering is to half fill a glass with the ale/lager then pour the stout over an upside down spoon. Guinness draught and Bass ale are commonly used in the black and tan combination. This is the kind you will normally see poured at a pub, but there are other combinations used. One more thing, if you find yourselves in Ireland at a pub, do not order a black and tan, order a half and half. A black and tan is another name for the Irish Royal Constabulary which was a police force made of Englishmen who were known for cracking some Irish heads during the Irish War Independence. They are not remembered kindly in Ireland. Now onto the beer!
Joe:




We tried a Black and Tan Pub Kit from the
Bass Brewery located in a city with a name that legally can only be found in England---Burton upon Trent. But due to leveraged buyouts and several rulings by the European Union and the United States, it is actually owned by the little known brewery,
AB InBev. So more than likely, it was brewed in St. Louis upon Mississippi. See, it doesn't sound as awesome as it would in England. The pub kit consists of 3 Pale Ales and 3 Stouts. Both Justin and I tried the pouring using the spoon method mentioned above. The first flavor is of the stout. This has a roast coffee malt taste that then transitions to the Pale Ale. This has a bit of a malty creamy taste with hint of caramel. The two work together well and I enjoyed the beer quite nicely. I will say to those who have tried a Black and Tan from a tavern using Guinness, it does not have quite the same bite that those do. The Bass Stout is bit more smooth than a Guinness. I will confess that I like the Guinness better but saying that I give the Bass Pub Kit 3 stars. I recommend you try it for the pouring ritual alone. Which by the way, Justin was way better at than me.
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A supernova-free zone |
Justin:




I really enjoy a good black and tan and now thanks to the folks at Bass I am able to enjoy this from the comfort of my own home. If it weren't for this convenient kit poor folks everywhere would be forced to purchase their stout and ale separately! Oh, the horror! All joking aside, I was impressed with this beer combination. While each of these beers can taste great on their own, combining them creates something special that should be tried by everyone. Like Joe, I prefer b&t from a local Irish pub but this alternative works great for an at-home solution. Be brave, grab a friend and have fun as a DIY bartender creating an impressive layered libation that tastes great and looks cool. Three and a half stars!