In these wild times we are living in, sometimes we just need a little distraction. As many of us are stuck at home, we might as well stock up on some of our favorite beers and experiment a little.
Brewers have been blending beers for centuries as a way to achieve specific flavors and consistency. Up until the 20th century, blending was a necessity, because most beer was aged in wooden barrels and each barrel could produce different flavors. Blending was a way to create more uniform and palatable flavors.
Even today, brewers blend different batches and even different beers to create new flavors that can’t be created in a single brew.
But why let the brewers have all the fun blending? Many of you already probably know of a blended beer, the Half and Half (aka Black & Tan). This is a 50/50 mix of a dark stout (most commonly Guinness) and a light lager or pale ale (Harp or Bass). The combination of dark roasty notes from the stout are so perfectly balanced by the light crispness of the lager. But there are many other combos you could make at home, so let’s explore a few.
THE TRIP-TRAP
On a recent trip to Belgium I was lucky to visit the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Heart of Westmalle, also known just as Westmalle. This is the home of the world famous Trappist brewery that brews only three beers: tripel, dubbel and extra (which is only available in Belgium).
Although the public isn’t allowed into the abbey to see the brewery, the wonderful Cafe Trappisten just outside serves these three famous beers.
I was surprised to see a fourth beer on the menu, called a Half & Half, or as locals call it, a Trip-Trap. Turns out this is a local favorite that is a 50/50 blend of Westmalle Dubbel from the tap and Westmalle Tripel from the bottle.
This blend marries the bright, fruity pear and banana notes from the tripel with the darker, sweet caramelized sugar and prune notes from the dubbel. With each sip you get a little of each beer’s character, but they combine perfectly.
This is a fun and easy blend you can re-recreate at home with a bottle of each beer.
FRUIT AND STOUT
If you’re craving a more decadent treat, or if you’re in the mood for dessert, nothing blends better than a fruit beer and a stout.
One of the great combinations is Lindemans Framboise (raspberry) Lambic with Samuel Smith Old Brewery’s Organic Chocolate Stout. Dark chocolate layered with bright, slightly acidic raspberry notes is a match made in heaven. You could easily swap the framboise for Lindemans’ kriek (cherry) or strawberry and if the chocolate stout is too sweet, try Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout.
Fan of peanut butter and jelly? Try blending Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout with one of the Lindemans. There is no exact blending ratio for any of these. It will take a little bit of experimentation to find the exact right mix for your taste, but that’s the fun of it!
SOUR NOTES
Brewers most likely started blending beers because of sour flavors. Some barrels would go sour, so they’d mix them with other beers that were not sour to lighten the flavor. Today, many sour beers are carefully blended by brewers to achieve a desired flavor profile.
At Belgium’s Brouwerij De Brabandere, brewers have been producing Petrus sour beers for decades. The base sour, Petrus Aged Pale, is highly acidic and aged in oak vats for up to two years. It is blended into two other beers, Aged Red, a slightly sweet cherry beer, and Rood Bruin, a tart Flemish brown ale.
A longtime favorite of the brewers has been a 50/50 blend of Aged Pale and Aged Red for a perfect balance of sweet and sour. Lucky for us, Petrus has a blending six-pack that includes three bottles of the Aged Pale and a bottle each of Aged Red, Rood Bruin and 50/50.
This pack is a really fun way to experiment with blending ratios with a group of friends. My favorite blend is 40% Aged Pale, 40% Rood Bruin and 20% Aged Red — a touch of cherry sweetness, with a bright lemony tartness rounded out with notes of dark plums and the balsamic vinegar tone of the Rood Bruin.
The Sour Power pack even comes with a blending recommendation booklet to help you get started.
Tim Golden, a certified cicerone, shares his obsession with all things craft beer on the third week of each month. He is part owner of Village Bottle Shop in Kakaako.
