Black and tan is a drink made by layering lager and dark beer, originating from England in the 1800s. It can be served layered or blended, and variations include black and gold or white and white. It is best served in a clear glass to showcase the layering.
A black and tan is a drink prepared by partially filling a glass with a lager and topping with a dark beer such as a stout or porter. Due to the different densities of the two beers, a black and a tan will stay nicely layered, making for quite a striking visual appearance. Many beer pubs offer black and tans, as well as bars and restaurants that serve beer and this drink can also be brewed at home.
Although many people associate black and tan with Ireland, thanks to a promotional campaign by the Guinness Brewery, black and tan originated in England and appear to date back to the 1800s, although the combination may be older. Either way, people started referring to this style of drink as a “tan” in the late 1800s, and the terminology quickly caught on.
Fitting a black and tan can be a little tricky, depending on how attached one is to the layered look. If layers are important, the thicker beer in the top layer is usually poured onto the back of a spoon, so that it flows gently into the glass without disturbing the contents. Some people use a spoon with a specially bent handle that wraps around the rim of the glass for this purpose.
In other cases, people actually want to blend the beer and stout, in which case the stout may be poured first, with the beer poured on top. As the beer sinks to the bottom, it also promotes blending of the two beers, especially if the black and tan are drunk in a timely manner. When a black and a tan is made with a lager, instead of ale, it’s more properly known as a half-and-half, although people aren’t always consistent in following this rule.
Black and tan are best served in a clear glass, to allow people to see the layering of the drink, and sometimes the two beers are highlighted separately, allowing the consumer to mix them.
The popularity of black and tan has led to the widespread adoption of a large family of related drinks, such as black and gold or white and white, along with an assortment of drinks named after specific combinations of beer. Many people like to develop their own version of the black and tan, using locally available beers for a specific desired flavour.
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