Mixing It Up: Making Beer Blends with Brandon Baker

Brandon Baker in one of the many friendly faces you'll meet behind the bar at the Dolphin & Anchor Pub in Hanover, PA.

I sat down with Brandon this past week to get his take on beer blending. He has become quite adept at creating blends behind the bar at the Dolphin & Anchor. He enjoys experimenting with combinations to create entirely new flavor experiences from beers already on tap. 

For anyone interested in building their own beer blends, Brandon recommends picking a beer you already enjoy, then think about what flavors you want to enhance, soften, or complement by adding another beer into the mix. His biggest advice: stay creative, curious, and open-minded. Some of the best blends come from combinations you wouldn’t initially expect to work together. 

Blending has also become a way for regulars to recreate some beloved Aldus brews from the past. Brandon says to try mixing Negative Space with Danu, it creates a flavor profile remarkably similar to the former fan-favorite Arrowmatic Amber. 

He also suggests blending as a way to adjust beers that may feel a little too intense for your palate. A bolder flavor can often be softened by introducing a lighter, more approachable beer. One example he recommends is adding American Blonde to Spruce Willis to mellow the stronger spruce character while still preserving the beer’s unique flavor. 

While I was there, we did an impromptu blend that combined American Blonde with Orange Crushsicle, which is already a popular blend in its own right, then we added a touch of lavender syrup. It was heaven! 

Some current customer favorites at the pub include: 

• “Blue Haze” — Berry Your Blues + Hazefield 

• “Jason’s Crush” — Jason Hates It + Orange Crush 

Brandon has one rule when it comes to blending: avoid mixing nitro beers with carbonated beers. According to him, they simply do not play well together. In fact, this is an opinion all the bartenders share.

When asked what blend his all-time favorite is; his answer is Lemonade the Sequel + The Giving Tea, inspired by the classic Arnold Palmer. The combination balanced the bright citrus of the lemonade beer with smooth oolong tea flavors for something especially refreshing during the warmer months. 

However, the creation he’s most proud of is Cinnamon Roll Ale blended with the Pretzel Wheat Ale. The sweet cinnamon notes paired with the soft, bready pretzel character created a blend that tasted surprisingly close to an actual cinnamon pretzel, it may have even inspired the Salted Caramel Pretzel. 

Outside of blending, Brandon says one of the reasons he loves working at the Dolphin & Anchor is because it reminds him of the atmosphere from Cheers. It’s a place where people know each other, conversations happen naturally, and every shift feels more like spending time with friends than simply going to work. That welcoming environment, he says, is exactly why people should come visit the pub. 

As for his personal favorite beers when he’s not experimenting with blends, Brandon says Red Flannel Logger and Oatmeal Creme Pie remain at the top of his list. 

If you don’t see Brandon behind the bar, you can still ask for a beer blend. All our bartenders are happy to mix whatever creation your heart desires from our taps.