Trouble Brewing – A Brief History Of Coffee Beer
This is a follow-up article in a series I’m writing about coffee beer. Check out the first part in the series here.
I believe that understanding and appreciating the origin of any beer enhances the brewer’s and drinker’s experience. When I began researching coffee beer I sought out the birthplace of this style so that I could further my understanding for this quaffable brew. What I didn’t expect to find was a trail of dead ends and a mystery-novel like story.
Coffee Beer /kaw-fee beer/ – beers brewed with the addition of coffee or any coffee related product, resulting in a distinct flavor profile similar to those which may be found in coffee; a variety of products and methods may be used to evoke the coffee profile which is desired by the brewer. The most common base recipes for this resemble stouts and porters, which naturally lend themselves to roast flavor profiles commonly associated with coffee. [1]
Once upon a time, homebrewers mimicked the practices of commercial brewers on a much smaller scale. As it stands today, some of the most interesting beer styles in commercial production have origins in homebrewing. Coffee beer may be the poster child for this very phenomenon. Long before commercial brewers were producing coffee beer it appears homebrewers were mastering this unique art form.
Evidence of the Beginning
Charlie Papzian’s The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing
“…only fresh ground beans and steep (never boil them) during the final 5 minutes before straining and sparging. Another option would be to add freshly ground coffee to the secondary and “cold extract” the coffee essence. How much to use? Give it a shot with half a pound for your first 5 gallons and progress from there.” [2]
Coffee & Beer: Match Made In Beer Drinker Heaven
I get goose bumps when “brewing” enters into any conversation. Consuming a beverage that requires meticulous flavor extraction and results in showcasing an artist’s hard work speaks to my soul. It should be no surprise that my two favorite beverages are brewed. Both beer and coffee share an ability to stimulate social gatherings and unite people. These products have become essential to my existence. Not because I need them, but because they embody and ignite my passion.
Long before I was drinking coffee or beer, a creative genius hatched a plan. Why not infuse these two incredible beverages to create one of the richest, most decadent beverages on the planet? Finding the exact origin is near impossible, but like most innovation in beer I believe coffee stouts began with homebrewers. Not long after, a talented commercial brewer extended this idea and introduced the world to a brand new style of beer. Use of the word “synergy” is for Satan and other evil beings, but I’ll be damned if the merriment of coffee and beer isn’t the best synergy I’ve ever quaffed.
Enough Romance, Get to the Details
Professing aside, I’m writing about this topic for a very important reason. I’ve been fortunate enough to land a job squarely positioned between these two unique beverages. I will be bartending at Tryst Coffeehouse Bar & Lounge for the foreseeable future. I’ll also be assuming a role as the in-house beer dude. Inspired by my love of these two beverages, I thought it would be a great idea to write an article about the marriage of coffee and beer not only in product, but in ideology as well. Upon conducting some preliminary research I realized that this topic is way bigger than I originally thought. Coffee stouts and porters are so complex that I believe one could spend an entire lifetime researching them. I won’t be doing that, but I have decided to detail these unique beer styles in an epic three-part follow up. Continued
10 Commandments of Beer: Don’t Be a Beer Snob
I love when I get the chance to meet people in early stages of beer enlightenment. Someone close to them convincingly poured and served a fine craft brew at a reasonable drinking temperature and they understandably fell in love. They’ve stumbled into said newfound love and they proceed to tell everyone about it. This is wonderful, showing interest in craft beer. Unfortunately, these “newfound” experts will relay information or operate under misconceptions while spreading the word of the beer gospel in a negative tone. The more I learn about beer, the more I understand how little I know in the entire scope of said fermented product. I’ve listed some basics here to help the newfound beer lovers navigate these treacherous waters and avoid being “that guy” AKA beer snob.
Beer Snob /beer snob/ – A moderately informed beer drinker that admonishes those around them for taking pleasure in seemingly inferior products. Often this is coupled with a misunderstanding of said products and a desire to consistently one-up other individuals in the room.
1) Context Is Everything
I love quaffing a quadruple from a fat tulip while enjoying some fancy dessert or casually reading a novel. That being said, if somebody is offering me a simple lager or pale ale while we’re out fishing you better believe I’ll drink that too. Where possible, I love drinking beer under optimal conditions. You are not so holier than thou that you can’t relax and enjoy a social drink with your less informed buddies. If you really can’t suffer through the brews being offered, sip a simple cocktail or some wine instead. There is virtually no beer I won’t accept when my only other option is jell-o shots.
2) Do Not Look Down Upon Others
Saint Patty’s Day: Bad for Craft Beer?
Every once in a while everybody could use some comic relief. Thank you St. Patrick’s Day, you’re timing is impeccable. As I continue this journey into the world of craft beer by brewing, researching and tasting beer I find that most beer enthusiasts are well-adjusted and relaxed individuals. A new trend which seems to have kicked up is snobbery regarding beer. Some newcomers believe that by purchasing a really expensive bottle of beer and tasting a few they’re experts. Those same people refuse to drink any beer that has been manufactured by a successful regional brewer. Well, I take my beer seriously but I don’t take St. Patty’s seriously. It is basically an Irish holiday popularized by Americans as an excuse to drink. Strange. Watch the video, proof that I’m not too big for my britches.
This was my comic spin on something the craft beer community seems to struggle with. Although it could be a good marketing opportunity, how beneficial is it for the craft beer industry? At Meridian Pint, I had a lady make a reservation for this Saturday night because we don’t cater to the St. Patty’s crowd.
Still Not Too Cool For That
People are always amazed when I tell them I am not so holier than thou that I won’t drink a Bud Light. Yesterday my homebrew buddy Rob and I kicked off bottling a batch of homebrew by drinking a PBR. Why? I don’t know, it is a tradition he has and all brewers are superstitious. In fact, if I never drank [insert obscene number here] cases of Keystone Light while in college I would never have the true appreciation for craft beer that I do today. Turns out the general craft beer community isn’t too big on St. Patty’s and with good reason, why would they be? St. Patty’s seems to be more about binge drinking and playing games. Why waste fancy beer if it’s only going to end up back on the floor?
Continued
Beer Gets Weird: Draft Beer Infusion System (Hopback)
If you’ve been following this blog at all, you know I’m set on building a career out of drinking beer. That requires a couple great ideas and a certain ingenuity / drive that is not entirely too common. In an effort to bill myself as a beer and business expert, I’m showcasing a system that I built as a creative way to build bar business. Enter my take on a draft beer infusion system. Check out the video below.
Bar Meetings Aren’t All Bad
Bar meetings usually consist of two things: problems and punishment. Thankfully, Amy Giles prefers not to hold these kinds of meetings. In fact, the general theme of the entire meeting was good. It comprised mostly of housekeeping items and acknowledgment that bar staff at Vintage 50 is kicking butt. The only major problem or question we were left with: how do we give our current customers and our new customers something to get excited about?
Start Firing Spitballs
As the entire group began spit-balling ideas my mind trekked into “space”. That space is a labyrinth full of knowledge. No knowledge is useless unless you fail to utilize it.
I can thank my parents for entertaining my insane number of questions as a child. I still haven’t figured out why the sky is blue. As I drifted into the corridors of my mind the room became increasing inaudible. I began cataloging everything I knew regarding beer, business, and marketing. Continued
Beer Review: Legend Brewing Co. Brown Ale
I recently decided to add a video component to my beerish lifestyle. This helps explain the delays here at DivineBrew.com Three jobs and my online endeavors for self-servicing beer fame have consumed a bunch of my time. Everyone knows how much I love to talk, so I figured I should embrace this. Beware: belching and rambling will ensue. You watch this video at your own risk. Did you know that beer belching stems from maltodextrin and carbonation? Now you know. Check it out below.
Major Takeaways
Legend Brewing Co. labels their brown ale as a British style brown. I feel the ABV (alcohol by volume) and overall flavor profile indicates this beer leans more heavily towards American style brown ale. This is somewhat of a nascent matter but definitely worth examination. If you’re in the state of Virginia this an affordable microbrew that helps to build out your draft lineup. If you’re a retailer, I believe your need to carry this really depends on what your product mix looks like.
Beer Mustache
When I teach people how to properly taste beer I explain this quite regularly: a mustache is a good thing. The foam that is left on your upper lip allows you to continuously perceive aroma. Aroma accounts for an estimated 80% of the flavor you perceive when tasting the beer. Ever been sick and unable to taste anything? That is because you can’t smell. Smell is a huge component of taste. I wrote an article about properly tasting beer here.
Help… Please?
I try to incorporate an educational component with a little bit of gas expulsion in my videos for humor. My homebrewer buddy Rob taught me that beer farting stems from the maltodextrin content in beer in addition to the carbonation. Farting feels normal and healthy to me. Do I need to re-examine this? Either way I would love to get some feedback on my first video. What is good, bad, and/or ugly. Give me your comments!