So I’m still new to this whole beer thing, only drinking it for a few months now. A few weeks ago I had my first Black and Tan, but I wasn’t really paying attention and just gulped it down. Had another one yesterday and paid a bit more attention to it. I really liked it, the Guinness ended just at the point where I probably would have been sick of it (seemed a little to smokey for me). Then I thought, ya know what this would be REALLY good with, a New Glarus Spotted Cow, in place of the Harp or Bass or whatever was on the bottom. The creamyness of the Guinness would really complement the smooth texture of the Spotted Cow, and I think the little bit of mixing that goes on would also do the Cow well. So I did some poking around on the internet to see if anyone else has done it and I learned something intersting. I had thought the Guinness stayed on top becuase that’s the way the poured it. As it turns out, the reason it stays on top is becuase in addition to the carbon dioxide, they also charge it with nitrogen. This makes is less dense and it stays up there. Spotted cow is a cream ale, I just learned that cream ales are also charged with nitrogen. Does that mean if the bartender makes a black and tan with Spotted Cow (or any other cream ale for that matter) it’s not going to stay separated? Is it just going to mix?
You sure Spotted Cow is a nitrous pour? The Spotted Cows I’ve had were definitely carbon dioxide, not nitrogen, both bottles and taps.
I’ve never heard of Spotted Cow but you should be able to tell from the tap and tower assembly it’s poured from whether or not it goes through a restrictor plate similar to Guinness and, if you’re friendly enough with the bartender, maybe even find out if the same CO2/Nitrogen beer mix is used to push both beers.
The bottle version is definitely just a regular bottle-conditioned beer, with yeast and carbon dioxide and all that entails. You can tell whether it’s a nitrogen pour simply by drinking the beer. Is it silky and smooth with small bubbles like Guinness? Or is it a bit more bubbly in the mouth, like almost every other beer?
I read it here. I’ve never looked at the tap it comes out of and frankly, I’m not sure I would know the difference. I can tell you, however, the bottle doesn’t have a widget in it like a bottle of Guinness does. Maybe it’s not. In which case I’ll have to try it.
That’s a confusing article. Cream ales can be either of those, a kolsch-style ale or a nitrogen-infused ale. The article doesn’t say they have to be both.
Update: Last time I was at the bar, I asked for a “Black Cow” and got exactly what I hoped for.
That Wiki article is confusing at best. With a proper pour, a good bartender should be able to separate just about any two pours.
A proper Half & Half is Harp and Guinness. Much better than a Black & Tan.
Wait, you’re from Milwaukee and new to this beer thing??
For a little while at least. If there is no density difference, they will mix pretty quick.
Hey, at least he’s starting out well. Guinness is wonderful and so is Spotted Cow.
I followed the link in Wiki to the New Glarus page and they list Spotted Cow as a Blond Ale. On the New Glarus website they just list it as a cask conditioned ale. I love Spotted Cow and really doubt it is nitrogen charged.
I think one of the great things about about the Guinness/whatever is not that when you are done with half a Guiness that there is half of another kind of beer to drink but that while you are drinking it they are mixing (with varying proportions) in your mouth. At least when I am drinking one as I am getting towards the end there is usually, at least a little, Guiness left in the mix.
I like Black and Tans and would probably like Black Cows even better since I prefer Spotted Cow to Bass. What I really love though are Back Velvets which are a Guiness/Hard Cider combo. I think the two cmpliment each other very well and heartily recommend you try one.
Guinness doesn’t stay on top because it’s nitrogenated, it stays on top because it’s a much lighter beer. Don’t let the roast flavor fool you, draught Guinness has less alcohol and carbs than Miller Lite.
I have never seen Spotted Cow served on beer gas or nitrogen, I should add.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/km6jv/beersci.htm
Interesting site there about half and half beers and specific gravity…
I worked in an Irish pub and made these occasionally. It isn’t terribly hard, and yes, guinness will float on top of nearly everything. I’ve made something I heard was called a “Belgian Waffle” which was Guinness on top of Hoegaarden. Yes that’s gross, isn’t it?
But yeah, you can float it on top of lagers no problem. It won’t really mix because the guinness is lighter. The previous poster is right. The roasted taste is the only thing dark about this beer. And remember, the dissolved gasses make things heavier, not lighter. If there’s a lot of CO2 in a beer, unless it’s actually in a gaseous state it’s not taking up a whole lot of volume.
'Round here, that’s called a Black Ho. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure it’s very good.
Even as a Brit I wondered about that. 
It’s like asking a Geordie if he likes beer 
Top tip, put a centimetre of dilute blackcurrant (preferably Miwadi brand) in a Guinness glass, pour in Guinness. Blackcurranty Guinness goodness.
I’ll give you the alcohol content (4.0 vs. 4.2% by volume, though you can find other figures and it’s probably best to say they’re about the same), but you appear to be way off on the carbs (10 vs. 3.2 g(?) per 12 oz. serving). Even the calorie content is a fair bit more, though perhaps not as much as some might think.
Do most bars in the US even have a nitrogen system for Guinness? When I see them pour it here, they just tilt back the tap, the Guinness goes in the glass, then they put the tap back to the ‘neutral’ position. IIRC, if there’s a nitrogen system, then isn’t the bartender supposed to tilt the tap in the other direction to give the pint a shot of nitrogen?
At my local, Guinness has its own nitrogen tank, rather than CO[sub]2[/sub] to push it out of the keg and into the tap.