Tag: coffee

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Featured Review – Zero to Sexy from Figueroa Mountain

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The winning combination found by Noble Ale Works with their Naughty Sauce was bound to be imitated.  Stone had a hand in on that action and now from the north, Figueroa Mountain is proffering up a Golden Mocha Stout.

And though I don’t know how the name matches the beer style the color is pitch perfect.  Certainly golden enough to fool someone who is new to lighter hued coffee ales.  The smell starts off with a cigar aroma first that slides into a darker type of coffee roast smell.  Another sleight of hand.  The taste continues that cigar push.  Almost ashy I would say.  There is quite a bit of sweetness that is in fighting mode against that cigar but in the end it is a push until the next sip and the burnt paper takes back over.

I really like aspects of this beer but it really doubles down too hard on that cigar which I presume is the after effects of the roast of the coffee.  Maybe Fig Mtn. will try this again next year with a different roast or roaster.  I would love to compare how the coffee is adding or subtracting from the rest of the recipe.

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Review – Velvet Mocha Merlin from Firestone Walker

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Part of me loves the special variety packs.  But part of me knows that it is a market-y sort of way to get people to re-try old favorites via a special.  But that is a corner that new chasing beer geeks have painted themselves into.  But in the case of the Winter Bundle from Firestone Walker, I did not think of either for a moment.  I just opened the box and dove in.  And I saved the Velvet Mocha Merlin for last.

This is the regular Merlin accented with an “infusion of Intelligentsia Coffee House aromas and cocoa dusted chocolate truffle flavors.”  And I have to say that it is more on the side of the chocolate truffle.  Which is weird because most Intelligentsia coffee, to me, is strong.  Or if not strong, very uniquely flavored.  But the aroma is cocoa powder.  The taste is creamy and cocoa intermingled.  Like a dark chocolate hot cocoa.  I love the taste and I love the 5.5% ABV too.  But I am not getting any coffee here.  There is a bitterness at the back end of the beer but to me it is like biting into a dark chocolate bar.  No roast notes here.  But again, to reiterate, I really liked it.  But if you are into the coffee beer scene, this one might puzzle you.

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Stimulating

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I don’t approve of buying Christmas gifts before Christmas because I am a grinch.  Wait, that isn’t it.  I just like to celebrate Thanksgiving without looking over my shoulder at the next holiday.  But if you are of the kind to buy before then this now annual tradition is perfect.  You get a handy box that you don’t even need to wrap filled with Stimulus Belgian Amber brewed with Intelligentsia Coffee, a special edition glass and a bag of the actual coffee used in the beer.

Eagle Rock makes Christmas into one stop shopping.

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Video Review – Wake ‘n’ Bake from Terrapin Beer Co.

I am finishing up my epic beer buying binge from Let’s Pour with reviews of two AM oriented beers from Terrapin Beer Company.

First up is Wake ‘n’ Bake…

Here is the brewery description: “Black as night, this coffee stout is thick, rich and full of real coffee flavor. Brewed with a special blend of beans from all over the world developed and roasted specifically for Terrapin by our friends at Jittery Joe’s Coffee right here in Athens, Ga. This unique blend of coffee produces a robust and flavorful beer that will leave you asking why not beer for breakfast!”

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Uppers and Downers

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If you love Stimulus from Eagle Rock and have enjoyed Groundworks Coffee Porter from Smog City then this event is for you…

“October 19th, Intelligentsia in Los Angeles is partnering with Michael Kiser, the author and photographer behind Good Beer Hunting to bring together some of the industry’s most famous beers and brewers to discuss, discover, and drink what coffee and beer truly have to offer.

Kiser will lead a panel discussion with visionaries from Three Floyds, Solemn Oath, Lost Abbey, Stone, Firestone Walker, Angel City, and Goose Island. During the talk, we’ll be sharing tastes from a variety of styles, processes, and formulations for coffee beers that represent both the benchmarks and the future of the art. Because as good as some of these beers have gotten, there’s so much more that can be done when we understand the origins, characteristics, and processes of the ingredients in the glass.”

That is an eclectic list of breweries for one event.  And just the mention of Three Floyds gets beer geeks running.  But I am interested in seeing what Solemn Oath is about and what Angel City will bring to the table.

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Coffee + Beer + Dad

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Los Angeles Craft Breweries & Coffee Roasters Team Up with Leading Chefs at Lot 613 on June 16 Los Angeles, CA—Even the gnarliest of old-school dads needs an occasional change of pace from instant coffee, industrial lager and $5 breakfasts… That’s why you’re going to treat your dad to the Father’s Day “Collabrewtive” Brunch on Sunday, June 16 at Lot 613, where his taste buds will be tantalized by leading Los Angeles craft brewers, coffee roasters and chefs—including coffee-flavored beers created specially for the event by each brewery and roaster.

Presented by Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Food GPS, the Father’s Day “Collabrewtive” Brunch will feature six stations showcasing brewery-roaster duos, as well as six food stations helmed by several of L.A.’s most talented chefs. Seating will be communal, with guests free to chart their own culinary adventure, at their own pace.

Brewery + Coffee Roaster Collaborations

· Firestone Walker Brewing Co. + Intelligentsia Coffee

· Golden Road Brewing + Handsome Coffee Roasters

· Eagle Rock Brewery + Tierra Mia Coffee

· Beachwood BBQ & Brewing + Portola Coffee Lab

· Cismontane Brewing Company + Caffe Luxxe

· Ladyface Ale Companie + LAMILL Coffee

with Featured Chefs · Genevieve Gergis & Ori Menashe (Bestia)· Daniel Mattern & Roxana Jullapat (Cooks County)· Zoe Nathan (Huckleberry + Milo & Olive)· Jason Travi (Littlefork)· John Sedlar (Rivera)· Steve Samson & Zach Pollack (Sotto)

The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and isn’t limited to fathers. The cost is $50 ($60 at the door if available). Children 12 years and under are admitted at half price. A portion of the event proceeds will go to Share Our Strength, an organization that’s dedicated to battling childhood hunger.

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Flying Dog + coffee =

Here is what the gonzo brewers at Flying Dog have to say about their version of the coffee stout…
“Ditch the yuppies with their overpriced lattes and pour yourself a pint of our robust coffee stout. Brewed with a secret roast from The Black Dog Coffee Company, it’s the perfect balance of nutty coffee flavors and chocolate malt notes. Perfect morning, noon and night, this stout’s velvety taste will make it hard to ever return to your favorite acne-prone barista. (He’ll live).”

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Coffee + IPA = Mikkeller

File this under, might work. Two distinct flavors that may fight each other to a standstill. The coffee is called Guji Natural and is roasted by a by Koppi of Sweden. The hops in the other corner are Tomahawk. And it was brewed at Mikkeller’s default brewery De Proef.

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a smaller Chocolate Bock

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Sounds good. Maybe not in the teeth of the summer, but I should let you decide from this description from the Sam Adams website: “Smooth, rich, and dark, with the robust flavor and creamy texture of chocolate.

To create Samuel Adams® Chocolate Bock, we wanted to take the flavor beyond the taste of dark roasted malt. We started with a complex selection of carefully roasted malts combined with hand selected Noble hops from Bavaria. After using a centuries old brewing process, we slowly aged the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs from Felchlin®*. Known for their quality these wild cocoa nibs, harvested from the rainforest of Northern Bolivia, impart complex aromas and flavors of chocolate, honey, and vanilla in the beer.”