A Beautiful Black and Tan Beer

How the heck do you make one of those cool looking Black and Tan Drinks? I get asked that all the time!

And the answer is – it’s not that hard, but it does take a little practice! There’s a little backstory to why I decided to perfect the black and tan beer (but feel free to click that Jump to Recipe button if you don’t want to read it!)

We went to the mall to buy underwear. We really did! I called up my sister to see if she wanted to come with me (it’s really not that hard to convince her to shop), since Victoria’s Secret was having one of those 5 for $25 specials, and I hadn’t purchased a new pair for myself in something like five years! (Yikes…)

So off we went. And we came back with two puppies instead. I know…. we’re like that.

My kids had been bugging me for years to get a puppy. And, while I think they’re cute and all, I really had no intention of taking on that responsibility or hassle. After all, weren’t five kids enough to handle, not to mention the fact that I’m highly allergic to animal hair.

But the more they mentioned it, the more I secretly thought I just might do it (maybe… if the stars aligned just the right way). So I started my research (the lawyer in me is always researching…) and discovered there are a whole slew of dogs that don’t aggravate allergies.

Then I researched dog personalities. And finally, look and color of the dog. I narrowed it down to one, and only one, type of dog. I wanted a black Goldendoodle (a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle).

The black ones are particularly hard to come by. So that was it. Knowing I’d never come across one by happenstance, I settled on the hard to find black Goldendoodle. I was pretty sure my fate was sealed – I was never going to get a dog.

And then we went to the mall. And wouldn’t you know it…. that darn puppy in the window of the pet store was the exact dog I had pictured in my head – the one I never thought I’d find.

The cutest, poofy-est, biggest black fur ball ever! That was it. I was done. My sister thought I was nuts. But just then she saw the exact puppy she had wanted since she was a kid, curled up in the corner of another window.

A teeny tiny tan ball of fur. A cockapoo (cocker spaniel and toy poodle mix). Seriously cute. She took a selfie with the puppy and sent it to her husband. He knew it. She was done, too.

We went home with our puppies, a bunch of dog paraphernalia, two puppy crates, and cracked open a couple of beers to celebrate. I don’t think we ever made it to Victoria’s Secret.

As I sit here on my sister’s patio this Friday afternoon, six years later, I’m reminded of that first day we brought Black Bentley and Tan Cooper home (the kids seriously wanted to name them Blackie and Tanny – little kids are so creative…).

They’re running around together, tugging on toys together, and sunbathing together. And I’m thinking it’s time to crack open a beer. Only this time – sticking with the whole black and tan theme – I’m going for the über sexy, über classy black and tan beer.

There’s nothing quite like ordering a black and tan beer and your bartender comes back with a work of art – tan beer on the bottom with dark beer floating on top. So cool!

I guess the only thing better than getting one from your bartender is making a black and tan beer right at home to enjoy on the patio. It’s so classy you could even drink it in your underwear and still look good!

 

[wpurp-searchable-recipe]A Beautiful Black and Tan Beer – Crack open a pale ale and a porter and pour yourself a work of art! Make a black and tan beer! – Pale Ale, Porter (Canned Guinness (it has a CO2 cartridge that really helps! ), , Pour half the Pale Ale into a beer glass fairly quickly. You want it to get a good head on it. Then open the Guinness. Hold a spoon over the top of the glass and turn the spoon over so it is convex. Slowly pour the Guinness over the back of the spoon and let it dribble into the glass. This will facilitate the dark beer staying on top. Pour slowly until the glass is full. Repeat the process for the second beer. ; ; – – Appetizer – American – Drinks – Easy – No cooking – Summer – beer – black and tan – black and tan beer – cocktails[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]