Black & Tan

I've looked around in the past on how to pour a black & tan, and haven't really found any good instructions, so now that I've gotten decent at it I figured I'd go ahead and share what I've found.

For those of you who don't know, there's many variation on the "black and tan". In Ireland, it's simply a pale ale and Guinness mixed together, but in the US it's typically poured so the beers stay separate. Technically black and tan refers specifically to the mixture of Bass and Guinness, but it can also be done with Harp or Smithwicks. There's also drinks that layer even champagne or hard cider.

The easiest way to pour is with a Black and Tan turtle like the one found here. However, other people use a spoon bent backwards, and I've found it's possible to do with even a regular spoon. There's just a few tricks to making the pour just right.

First, you pour the pale ale on the bottom, and a generous head is key. The first attempts I made at black and tans started with little to no head on the bottom layer, and they were massive failures. See the picture for more details.

Second, you have to pour the top layer over the spoon very slowly. You just want a light trickle going down the side of the glass, so there's very little disturbance when it hits the beer. I think what's happening is that the head absorbs some of the impact of the beer, so it stays on top. I personally held a spoon upside down and made sure it was touching the side of the glass so the beer went smoothly down the side. Definitely take it slow, don't rush the pour. It may take a few times to practice, but if you're patient with the pour, it can turn out well.

A final note, I've heard some people say that it only works with the Guinness draught, not the extra stout. Supposedly since nitrogen is lighter than CO2, that has something to do with it being on top, so look for the cans or bottles with the widget. I don't know how true that is, but it seems to be working for me. Now that I've gotten better with the pour, I may try it with some other beers to see if the "widget only" theory has any merit to it.

- Adam