Next to drinking beer, brewing is one of many of the oldest and most valued traditions humans enjoy—the first ever proof of brewing and production of beer dates as far back as 4,000 BCE. Since then, beer has taken on a popular synonym, “stout”. Usually, the word just meant “brave” or “proud”, but after the fourteenth century, it took on the meaning “strong”, which in the present day is used to qualify both dark and robust beer.
Coffee is another strong beverage—everyone’s favourite cupped morning fuel. Daring and innovative brewers have moved further to evolve their two favourite drinks into one cup or bottle of satisfaction. Coffee is incorporated into beer to give “coffee stout”. Read on to know more about coffee stout and how to make one.
History of Coffee Stout
Also sometimes referred to as coffee beer, coffee stout is fundamentally beer brewed through the usual processings but with a twist of infusion of coffee flavour and aroma. The enjoyable beverage was invented in the 1990s during an exponential growth period in the brewing industry. Different kinds of new beers and ales were on display for sale at liquor stores. While many brewers aimed to do the unprecedented to make a name for themselves in the industry, there were some successes, one of which is the coffee stout.
Decades later, the Coffee stout has garnered more attention, growth and strength in the brewery industry. The beverage has even successfully piqued the interest of huge companies such as Guinness.
How to Make a Coffee Stout
Just knowing that the beverage exists isn’t enough. However, making it from scratch requires knowledge, skill, resources, and a lot of time and patience. Making coffee stout uses the usual bare essentials in the beer recipes. The addition, however, is the infusion with the coffee flavours. This infusion is done during specific stages of the brewing procedure. Generally, there are several ways to incorporate coffee into beer.
- By adding coffee during the boiling or fermentation stages.
- Adding cold brew coffee to the completed or prepared beer.
- Adding deeply roasted grains to simulate coffee flavours instead of adding coffee itself.
- Aging the beer directly on roasted coffee beans.
That being said, making coffee stout to enjoy in the comfort of your home doesn’t require going through all the tedious and time-consuming processes. Unless you want to learn to become a brewer, there might be more accessible methods to preparing your coffee stout. For instance, it’s a start if you can procure an already brewed unsweetened dark ale. Below are some ingredients you’ll need and the steps to recreating your coffee stout.
The Ingredients
You’ll need,
- 200 ml of brewed coffee.
- 200 ml of beer. Better recommended is a dark ale. The quantities are subject to change based on your preferences, but it is advisable to start small to see how well you like it and what more you need to do better to tweak to satisfaction.
Preparation
- Brew 200ml of strong coffee without sugar or any other additives.
- Let the coffee sit and cool till it’s at room temperature.
- Add the dark ale beer to the coffee in a ratio of 1:1.
- Stir to mix well, and voila. Your coffee stout is ready to enjoy.
Since beer is usually best served cold, you could consider using a cold brew coffee and then chill the entire mix at the end of preparation and see if you like it better. The ratio of coffee to stout may vary concerning the coffee’s strength and personal taste preferences. Feel free to experiment and test with new combinations until you’re satisfied.
How does Coffee Stout Taste?
If you were wondering what coffee stout tastes like as a final push to convince you to make one for yourself, here’s a description. Stouts naturally compliment coffee. The bitter and heavier coffee-like taste intensifies the infused coffee flavour and aroma. Similar to coffee stouts, porters are also used in making coffee beer. Using porter gives more of a chocolate flavour note. The resulting beer is sometimes likened to mocha by some drinkers.
Best Coffee Stouts to Try
Here’s a list of some of the best coffee beer brands to try on for size. See which one piques your interest and satisfies your taste.
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Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Stout
The Guinness nitro cold brew coffee stout has an alcohol by volume of four per cent (4%). This stout has all of your favourite essential features of the classic Guinness bottle but this time with an infused aromatic taste of freshly roasted coffee beans. The flavour is a perfect harmony of bitter and sweet thanks to the caramel and the roasted coffee. This is an ideal beverage for lunch or dinner time relaxations.
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Metazoa Brewing Company’s Trash Panda
This coffee stout is made with oats, marshmallows, wheat and blue mind roasting coffee. This brand scores highly among drinkers with its taste description, including vanilla and cookie. A vanilla latte inspired the drink itself.
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Sixpoint C.R.E.A.M. Ale
This brand of coffee stout is known for its warm, orange-incorporated, blonde ales. You’llYou’ll also find a citrus infusion in the flavour note. This ale blends well with the chosen coffee giving a bitter aftertaste.
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Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier
This German-inspired stout has an ABV of 5.8 per cent. The company’s unique malt provides chocolate flavour and aromatic coffee tastes. Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier is also sometimes referred to as “Black pils”. In terms of appearance, it’s dark and roasted.
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Daybreak by Wolf’sWolf’s Ridge Brewing
This coffee stout has an alcohol by volume of 5 per cent. The beverage has a flavour note of vanilla with the coffee. With its luscious creamy smoothness, the drink has gained a lot of love in Ohio from beer judges and drinkers alike.
Conclusion
Coffee stout is another alcoholic coffee beverage you might fancy trying out. Just like the Rüdesheimer, it has some alcohol to it. This is a great drink to relax at lunchtime or on the thinner table with food that goes with coffee stouts. There are several brands of coffee stout. Try out as many as you’d like until you find one the most satisfying. Alternatively, you brew your stout at home, experimenting with your favourite flavours. Hopefully, this article has informed you better on coffee stout and how to make them.
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