The first snap of chilly air is all I need to feel the spirit of autumn. I like to consider autumn a temporal landmark, a moment that can make you feel motivated to take on new challenges. What better to complement this new feeling called November than a cup of Joe. Coffee is one of the world’s most ancient brews, brought to New Amsterdam in the mid-1600s as coffeehouses became popular across Europe. This super drink has a rich history dating back to 800 AD when goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats acting energetic after eating berries containing the now world-famous coffee beans. Now, if we go even further back to about 10,000 BC, when cereal grain was first farmed, we can see the first signs of people using grains for basic fermentation practices in the Middle East, thus creating the holy grail of beverages – Beer!
For most brewers, it is natural to decide to use coffee in the brewing process. Coffee is a popular addition to beer because it complements the flavors and aromas of darker beers. Coffee is a versatile ingredient in beer and lends a smooth roasted flavor to just about any style, but especially stouts. It is often brewed with roasted malt or barley, giving it its signature creamy head. Stouts can range in sweetness, bitterness, and alcohol content, from sweet or milk stouts to dry stouts and imperial stouts.
Trying to maximize the brewing experience has us looking for a coffee beer with freshly-brewed, bright coffee flavor where the roast is paired nicely with the base brew. But, what’s the best way to go about getting this flavor? Stouts are great for their natural notes of dark chocolate, roasted grain, some dark fruit, and nuttiness, all combining well with coffee, which can be produced in stouts from the malt bill (before the brewer even adds coffee!).
With KBS Chocolate Espresso, the latest creation highlighting Founders Brewing’s favorite ingredients that have set the barrel-aging standard, the symphony of rich chocolate and bold espresso flavors harmonize with notes of oak and a touch of vanilla bean, giving it a clean finish. The stout brings a mocha quality to the coffee beans while the coffee beans bring out a sweetness in the stout we’ve never seen before.
Coffee-infused beers are a great choice for anyone looking to get into barrel-aged stouts. This Stout by Three Floyds Brewing is brewed with whole coffee beans. Guatemala Huehuetenango beans are juicy and bright – this lighter medium roast delights any coffee lover with subtle peanut butter and semisweet chocolate notes. These flavors are the perfect complement to a barrel-aged stout. The taste is deeply roasted, with a powerful brand of java.
If you take your coffee black, this next one is for you because we got a double coffee Imperial Stout from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! in Montréal, QC, Canada. Ground coffee beans are infused during the brewing process, intensifying the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste. Péché Mortel (French for “Mortal Sin”) is brewed to be savored. This dense Imperial beer with very pronounced roasted flavors was born in Montreal and is now here in BG at our Mellow Mushroom for you to sip on and experience this sinfully good brew.
You love coffee. You love beer. Combining stuff you dig doesn’t always work out well, but these two were truly meant to be. For one thing, the craft beer and third-wave coffee movements have grown up side-by-side and seem to attract a lot of the same fans and artisans, which might be why the flavor and aroma characteristics of coffee meld seamlessly with your favorite stouts. The aroma, warmth, and comfort of a cup of coffee can enhance the cozy feelings that come with fall and the comfortable feeling of a pint of beer with dinner. A coffee-laced brew adds a rich aroma and a delightful complexity, characterized by heightened mouthfeel, making any brew a match made in heaven for lovers of either or both.
-by Maeve Black