The Black and the Gold!

While I would love to devote this space ranting about the Steelers' great victory, I can't, so instead I'm going to drown my sorrows in my own black and gold.

One of my favorite drinks is the Black and Gold. There is a nice write-up on the history of the traditional “black and tan” and all of its variations on Wikipedia. I’m responsible for adding Black and Gold to the list, which I’m almost positive gives me the right to say I invented the drink. Hopefully no one deletes my entry…

I was first introduced to the style, probably the same way a lot of people were, by Yuengling’s Black and Tan. Their pre-mixed porter version definitely does not have the taste of an Irish stout version. It’s also missing the flash that a proper poured draught black and tan has. While discussing the Yuengling version about seven years ago, my father-in-law poured me a Black Czech, which is Guinness poured over the Czech Pilsner Urquell. The idea of being able to pour two separate beers into the same glass intrigued me. While mixing beers should be heresy, it just looks too amazing to not do at least once.

The Black and Gold naturally had to follow. While Pilsner Urquell is a great beer, one of our favorite go to styles is German Hefeweizen. The beautiful unfiltered golden wheat beer from Hacker-Pschorr with a black as night top lent by Murphy’s Irish Stout fit the bill perfectly for the 2005 season Super Bowl battle against the Seahawks. This year, I had the opportunity to use Beamish Irish Stout. When mixed with the weissbier, the flavor is hard to describe. The staple creamy roasted chocolate malt from the stout mixes well with the smell of orange peel fruitiness, clove, banana, and wheat. It’s hard to describe and you should really just try one!

Pouring a black and tan of any type is a bit of an art.

First, having the proper spoon makes a world of difference. While it is not 100% necessary, it makes it a lot easier.

You’ll want to pour about half a glass of your choice bottom and let it settle.

Next, crack open that draught can. You’ll want to be quick to get it above the glass. I have had more than a couple of these nitrogenated cans start spitting if their temperature wasn’t just right. Slowly and patiently pour it over the spoon and watch your majestic masterpiece form.

Bask in it’s glory, then drink, rinse (your glass), and repeat.