St.Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Oklahomans will be channeling their best Irish accent at various St. Paddy parties throughout the OKC area. McNellie’s, VZD’s, Tapwerks and Abner’s Ale House will be a few places to head. I love this time of year, this holiday and its love of beer. But it’s also around this time that I hear people ask for a “Black and Tan” thinking it’s a true Irish drink. This may come as a surprise, but the drink isn't a popular choice in Ireland. Let the beer history begin.
A Black and Tanis made from a blend of pale ale, traditionally a Bass Pale Ale, and a Guinness, but a dark beer such as another stout or even a porter can be used. To make a Black and Tan a bartender first fills a pint glass halfway with the Bass, and then adds the Guinness on top. The top layer is best poured slowly over an upside-down tablespoon placed over the glass to avoid splashing and mixing the layers.
Some believe the iconic drink was a symbol that represented harmony between the forced united England and Ireland. Some believe it was a symbol that the Irish still had the upper hand in their forced union with England, as an Irish beer was atop the English ale. But where did it originate? Try England. The style is believed to have originated in the pubs of Britain with drinkers ordering a mix of dark stout and draught bitter. The earliest recorded usage of the term can be found in the Oxford English Dictionary from 1889, though an earlier origin of an 18th century blend of a porter and pale ale has been thought to exist.
Why the no love from Ireland when one of their best exports is being used? Well, the name for one. The term Black and Tan has a very negative meaning on the Emerald Isle. It was used as a nickname for the paramilitary reserve forces during the Irish War of Independence from the UK. The nickname “black and tan” referred to the troops’ uniforms. The Black and Tans was composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as a temporary police-force in 1920 to suppress revolution in Ireland. Although it was established to target the Irish Republican Army, it became notorious through its numerous attacks on the Irish civilians. It all boils down to politics. Being held down by the man.
As we do so well in America, we bastardize other national personas for our own holidays. So, that’s how we make a drink “Irish” when in fact it’s despised in the old country. But I do love them so. So, on St. Paddy’s Day, saddle up to the bar and order a Black and Tan. You’re not Irish so it’s ok. Plus it’s better than green beer.
Cheers!
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