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Joakim Ruud
Senior Member
Username: Joques
Post Number: 1201
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 84.208.79.179
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 09:27 pm: | 
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Not proper blending mind you, the careful mixing of different beers into a serving keg. But just dispensing two beers into the same glass.
I once had a porter that was a little too acrid and a bitter that was a little too sweet. Put them together in a glass, and they made sweet music.
I recently made my first Rauchbier (strictly a pseudo Rauchbier - I used an ale yeast), and just a few minutes ago I discovered that a small dash of Raichbier in my bitter gave a wonderful hint of wood smoke without the in-your-face bacon flavour of a Rauchbier.
Makes you wonder. Blending a pilsner and a porter, maybe?  |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 9524
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.150.192.193
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 09:53 pm: |
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Blending is worth trying. I sometimes buy Fullers London Porter, which is not too hard to find around here. My wife says it is too dark for her tastes but will blend it with whatever light swill my inlaws buy. I also have a seven-year-old framboise pLambic that is now just too sour for everyday enjoyment. It's quite good when blended with domestic light lager or (dare I say it?) even Corona.
(Message edited by billpierce on November 13, 2008) |
Chumley
Senior Member
Username: Chumley
Post Number: 5675
Registered: 02-2003
Posted From: 63.118.227.254
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 10:48 pm: |
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I have a 1.160 cyser that finished at 1.060. I have a 1.060 cider that finished at 1.000.
Two ounces of cyser + 12 ounces of cider = perfection. |
Dave Witt
Senior Member
Username: Davew
Post Number: 1195
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 71.194.189.126
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 12:26 am: |
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Blending at the tap is a great way to use that not-so-great batch of beer up. I remember many a time adding a third of the "off batch" to something else that was not my favorite anyway, to make an enjoyable beer. |
Jim DeShields
Member
Username: Niquejim
Post Number: 131
Registered: 07-2006
Posted From: 71.3.164.23
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 01:20 am: |
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Someone left a 6-pk of Busch Lite at my place and I was out of homebrew. (Don't kill me for this) If you mix 1 Bigfoot with 6 busch lites you get a tasty drunk |
Andy Hancock
Member
Username: Ahancbrew1
Post Number: 239
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 192.55.52.1
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 09:32 am: |
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Back in the '80s I used to mix about an ounce or 2 of Guinness extra stout with 12 ounces of the cheapest swill I could find. It wasn't great, but it was better than just the swill.
About 5 years later I started brewing my own beer and I would do the same thing with Pale beers that didn't turn out to well. After a while I realized I was wasting my good homebrew stout by mixing it with bad beer, just to make an acceptable one. Now I would just throw the bad beer out
Sometimes I’ll experiment buy adding different thing to the glass (fruit juice, etc.) before adding the beer. I found some interesting mixtures, but nothing I would like 5 gallons of. If you like black pepper, try adding a little to a small amount of pilsner. |
Steve Jones
Advanced Member
Username: Stevej
Post Number: 578
Registered: 08-2001
Posted From: 164.89.253.21
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 12:58 pm: |
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Last year we terminated a 3-year long club project (50 gallons of barleywine in a Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrel, solera style) because it had evolved to the point where the bourbon and oak character was simply overwhelming. Adding fresh barleywine to it just ruined a good 5 gallon batch.
So we divvied up what was left (maybe 35 gallons ... 1-3 gallons each to a few dozen people) and over the past year we've had some interesting beers come to the meetings. One of the most interesting was an over-the-top (hop wise) IPA blended with about 10% BBBW. |
Paul Edwards
Senior Member
Username: Pedwards
Post Number: 1651
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 76.252.21.215
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 03:33 pm: |
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Anyone here old enough to remember Judy Ashworth? She was known for blending beers at her pub in Dublin, CA.
Some of her blends:
A Foggy Night in the Sierras: 1/2 Old Foghorn and 1/2 SNPA
Train Wreck in the Sierras: 1/3 each Devil Mountain Railroad Ale, SNPA and Old Foghorn
San Francisco Coal Car: 1/2 each Anchor Steam and Anchor Porter
A Kick in the Caboose: 1/2 Devil Mountain Railroad Ale and 1/2 SN Bigfoot |
Dan Listermann
Senior Member
Username: Listermann
Post Number: 6237
Registered: 03-2004
Posted From: 74.215.69.145
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 03:56 pm: |
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Blending rarely makes a bad beer - quite the opposite. Commercially blending beers could create new brands without starting from scratch. The only problem is that you would have to be sure you always had enough of the base beers to blend. |
Kevin Kowalczyk
Intermediate Member
Username: Itsfunbrewingbeer
Post Number: 354
Registered: 10-2007
Posted From: 12.165.82.136
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 05:50 pm: |
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How many of you guys blend beers for competition? E.G. You have an bitter that isn't hoppy enough, so you blend a little of your IPA with it to get it in the proper range for category? |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 9526
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.150.192.193
| | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 09:15 pm: |
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Bob G. knows Judy Ashworth. I'm sure he'll drop in if he sees this thread. The last time I was in California I drank more than a few with Bob and his wife at Judy's old pub, which has been sold a couple of time since she owned it. |
Brad Petit
Intermediate Member
Username: Voodoobrew
Post Number: 351
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 24.88.127.90
| | Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 06:18 am: |
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Good timing. I had blended a little Blonde Ale with IPA before I sat down at the computer.
It's something I don't do enough even though I know full well the benefits.
Inspired by some comments here, I just blended that same IPA with a Belgian-ish blonde beer that I'm not too thrilled with. Normally I'd rather choke down the bad beer and enjoy the good beer unadulterated. The result just now has a pleasant apricot aroma but at 50-50 the flavor still leans a little too far toward the "bad" beer. But with each sip it grows on me...
OK, I'm rambling, I'll hit "Post" now... |
Bierview
Intermediate Member
Username: Bierview
Post Number: 401
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 67.81.178.93
| | Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 03:05 pm: |
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I had some bitters that just didn't turn out right and blended it with a sweet stout. Made both of them go down a lot easier. |
Tim C.
Member
Username: Timc
Post Number: 151
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 24.192.121.4
| | Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2008 - 10:30 pm: |
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I had a barlywine that was cloyingly sweet. A few ounces with the porter I have made a great beer. However it is so heavy you can only tolerate one at a sitting. |
Vance Barnes
Senior Member
Username: Vancebarnes
Post Number: 3470
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 74.7.7.66
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 09:12 pm: |
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I guessing that during the time period the "three threads" would have been blended in the glass? Or do you think they would have blended them all together in the barrel? I guess it's did the brewer blend them or the publican? |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 9556
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.150.192.193
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 01:35 pm: |
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From what I know of the history of porter, the "three threads" were originally blended by the publican and then later by the brewers. |
Brews and Views Archive 2008 
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