I’ve become fascinated with blending. Never intended to blend. But maybe someday I can do that Newcastle clone. Or even better. All of what I’m learning is from gut instinct and experimentation.
Initially, I’ve been mixing pale ale and 2 & 3 yo barlewine. About 5-1. The pale ale as been fairly young at six weeks but past it’s time IMO. How better to continue my investigations?
Wonderful malt aromas. Enhanced malt flavor. Subtle richness. But the relatively fresh bitterness from the pale ale balances the sweet BW. I feel I’m on to something here. Want to learn more.
I know this is a pretty advanced topic. Spill yer guts about blending. Experiences? Advice?
One of the years JZ won Ninkasi, one of the prizes was a cask full of beer. He of course cracked it in the hospitality suite and dumped it out into pitchers. It was a pale ale-ish beer, way over-oaked. It was really too much to drink straight, so we kept going and getting samples of beer and blending them with that one in the glass. Ever wondered what an oaked wit would taste like? Done. Oaked pilsner? Oaked dopplebock? We tried lots of stuff, especially after we got into the beers left over from the competition. ;D
It’s like the old addage “Some of the greatest inventions in the world were discovered by accident”
Well in blending this may occur. I never thought that blending a Pils with a Bock would be so good but I inadvertantly blended them one day and…wow… it was excellent.
I needed to take a keg to work in a hurry but didn’t have a full one of anything I was prepared to see kicked, so I blended what was left of some other kegs I had lying around: Belgian pale ale, Scottish 70, Oktoberfest, and Schwarzbier, then adjusted it to taste with Biere de Garde, Belgian Blonde Ale, and some Imperial Stout to make artisan-style Belgian brown ale loosely in the Verboden Vrucht vein. I put a little sign on it that just said it was “malty, fruity, spicy, somewhat strong” and said it was a Belgian brown ale.
I also brought two cases of some pretty good craft beer (Sierra Nevada Tumbler and Torpedo, Great Lakes Oktoberfest and Nosferatu, Troegs Sunshine Pils and Hopback Amber). There were maybe three bottles consumed, while the keg was nearly gone.
In case you think the people didn’t know anything about beer, there was about a case of mixed bottles of various Sam Adams stuff, Bud Light, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade left over from some other function. Not a bottle of that was touched.
I wasn’t shooting for any particular target; I just wanted to make something that tasted good. So I blended to taste. Everyone was happy, and now I have four additional free kegs heading into brewing season.
I can’t imagine going after any commercial beer if Gordon Strong brought a keg to my workplace. Sounds like they’re probably pretty well educated on the stuff with him around.
Indeed…especially with his “Belgian pale ale, Scottish 70, Oktoberfest, and Schwarzbier, then adjusted it to taste with Biere de Garde, Belgian Blonde Ale, and some Imperial Stout to make artisan-style Belgian brown ale loosely in the Verboden Vrucht vein.” and then blended in with Torpedo at dispense. ;)
I put a keg of 2 yo BW back in the kegerator. However, it’s a little too much on it’s own. I can only drink about 12oz and I’m done. Been working on it off and on for the last year. I want to get rid of it.
My last 12g AG Bitter didn’t turn out like I’d hoped. My BU’s are negatively off. I let the ferment stray into the mid 70’s for about 8 hours after a day or so of the initial post attenuative phase. I’d say 5 days in.
I’ll spare you the further details. Unremarkable.
There’s a solventy tang to the beer. Six+ weeks has softened it some. But it’s very apparent to me. >:(
Blending!!
Not an ideal situation but I think I can drink it all. This approach is all about the "concentrate"and the “base”. In varying concentrations I’m getting different results. I’m getting better hop character out of the BW at about 25% and it becomes closer to an ESB. But not quite since the fruitiness ain’t there. Very drinkable. Have to watch the pours though. That BW can really add some oomph! to a beer.
So how about more similar strength blending? Don’t want to get fixated on that it has to be strong and weak or a happy accident. I’d like to think there’s some sort of ROT for blending and a method too.
I recently blended a sweet mead into some cider and a berry melomel. They scored 39 and 38 points in the MN Renaissance Festival competition. The ceyser took a 3rd in the mead category.
This approach is all about the "concentrate"and the “base”. In varying concentrations I’m getting different results. I’m getting better hop character out of the BW at about 25% and it becomes closer to an ESB. But not quite since the fruitiness ain’t there. Very drinkable. Have to watch the pours though. That BW can really add some oomph! to a beer.