For all our new subscribers welcome aboard, its great to have you with us. For all our existing subscribers get ready for another year of awesome beer!

Each month you’ll receive your pack along with tasting notes, plus our thoughts on a beery topic - this month it’s blending beers. Have you ever tried mixing one beer with another and seeing what the new combination tastes like?

It’s not something you see done very often, but can be a bit of fun. Here are 10 beer blends we think everyone should try at least once:

1.IPA (India Pale Ale) + Brown Ale = India Brown Ale

2.IPA + Red Ale = India Red Ale

3.IPA + Stout/Porter = Black IPA

4.IPA + Saison/Farmhouse Ale = India Saison/Farmhouse Ale

5.Stout + Pale Ale = Black and Tan

6.Kriek + Stout = Black Forrest (just like the cake!)

7.Wheat Ale / Witbier / Hefeweizen + IPA = White IPA

8.Rauchbier + Pumpkin Ale = Smoked Pumpkin

9.Russian Imperial Stout + Pale Ale = The Pale Russian

10.Chocolate Stout + Kriek = Choc Berry

Some tips on beer blending:

1.Pour a small portion of the two beers into separate glasses and taste each beer to get an idea of the key flavour profiles before blending.

2.Get a third glass and pour one beer in and then the other, and vice versa- you will see different layering effects of the beers, particularly when mixing dark and light beer styles.

3.Consider the ratios of the blend, try things like 30/70 and 50/50. Depending on the beers this can make one more dominant than the other.

4.Don’t limit the blends to just two beers, if drinking with friends try blends with 3 or more.

In this month’s pack one blend you can try is the Fixation Obsession IPA mixed with the Bridge Road Beechy to create a Summer Session IPA.

Cheers!

The Boys @ Beer Cartel