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Blending is the process of pulling samples of various, matured sour beers (and optionally clean beers), measuring out different proportions of each, mixing them together, and tasting the blended samples. The idea is that different sour beers can contribute different flavors, and balance different flavors. Since precise measurements are required, investing in [https://www.google.com/search?q=farheniet+to+celcius&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#safe=off&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=shop&q=plastic+beakers cheap plastic beakers] is necessary. The taste tester should take thorough notes on all aspects of the beer as different proportions of blends are sampled.

# Chill the samples. Taste them cold, and allow them to warm up to room temperature, tasting and smelling along the way.

# Taste each beer on it's own. Choose the best beers to begin with. Off flavors can sometimes be blended out (see Matt Miller's article below), but consider leaving beers with serious flaws out of the blend.

# Make use of [http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/07/priming-barrel-aged-and-blended-sour.html Michael Tonsmeire's Blending Priming Calculator] if possible.

* [http://brouwerij-chugach.com/?p=482 Practical Blending] by Brian Hall.

* [http://www.alesoftheriverwards.com/2014/06/gueuze-blending-101-and-i-am-student.html|Gueuze Blending 101] by Ed Coffey.

* [http://byo.com/hops/item/2374-beer-blending-tips-from-the-pros Beer Blending: Tips from the Pros] by Betsy Parks for BYO Magazine, September 2011.

* [http://beerandwinejournal.com/gueuze-blend/ Blending A Gueuze] by Chris Colby.

[[Category:Techniques]]