Alesmith/Mikkeler Collab

For sure not, since I'm not a coffee "geek", but if you put a bcbcs '13 '14 and a couple other socal coffee beers I had before I will for sure tell you which is which (most likely just by the aroma) and therefore which one I like the most. That's all that matters to me. (Although it will be pretty obvious to tell the difference between the BCBCS and "others")
As far as Pappy goes, I never was a fan of that barrel.

 

Exactly. I'm not really sure what are we arguing here Anyway, assuming I will try the Kopi Sweedway and like that one more than for example the Vietnamese, that is all that matters to me. I don't care if I would pick the coffee type in a blind test without having the beer before.

 

That's not to say the quality of the coffee won't come through in the final beer. I guess my cooking analogy that I used above wasn't the best, but you'll certainly notice a difference between a beer using coffee brewed with over-roasted beans and scalding hot water (Starbucks) and the same beer using cold-steeped coffee from quality beans. That said, if you were comparing two beers using the same base beer, same coffee brewing method, but different origin, it's highly unlikely you'd be able to differentiate between the beer that used the Colombian vs Costa Rican.

 

A good question to ask is would you pay $14 more than regular speedway to have Kopi coffee added? Regular speedway is already pretty great and kopi luwak coffee is nothing more than a gimmick so you're just paying more for a gimmick.

 

Probably not, that's why I'm still debating if I should get a couple bottles or not, especially that the only Speedway variant I really liked so far is the regular bourbon BA.

But do such beers even exist? (aside from homebrews) I think that even the aforementioned BCBCS is a little different every year and therefore your arguments are strictly academic. I'm just saying from the consumer point of view - I have two same beers (technically - because branded under the same name) with different coffee and I definitely like one way more than another, then I choose this one...and I'm definitely not picking it because the name is Zirikana or Kopi or it came from Africa or South America.

 

Kopi Luwak beans do indeed have a unique taste. If you put tasters of beer geek brunch weasel and kopi luwak speedway among eight other non-kopi stouts, I am confident I could identify the subtle aromas of rodent poo. The only evidence to the contrary besides the "expertise" on coffee flavors offered in this forum is the lady who successfully passed off the shit pie in the Help.

 

FWIW, the prices on most of their beers are pretty low and reasonable. It's just the barrel aged whales that he charges market price on

 

Thanks man.

 

I saw paper work from the Indonesian Government that came with the beans used for this collab that states the beans are in fact 100% cage free and they are actually really picked up from the Jungle floor. Maybe Mostra will have that documentation on them at the release party. See ya guys next Sat!

 

Thank you for this post - I was considering pursuing a bottle until I read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

"The traditional method of collecting feces from wild civets has given way to intensive farming methods in which civets in battery cage systems are force fed the coffee beans. This method of production has raised ethical concerns about the treatment of civets due to "horrific conditions" including isolation, poor diet, small cages and a high mortality rate.[3][4] A 2013 BBC investigation of intensive civet farming in Sumatra found conditions of animal cruelty.[5] Intensive farming is also criticised by traditional farmers because the civets do not select what they eat, so the beans are of poor quality compared to beans collected from the wild.[6]According to an officer from the TRAFFIC conservation programme, the trade in civets to make kopi luwak may constitute a significant threat to wild civet populations.[7]

Although kopi luwak is a form of processing rather than a variety of coffee, it has been called one of the most expensive coffees in the world with retail prices reaching €550 / US$700 per kilogram,[8] close to the €850 / US$1,100 price of Black Ivory coffee. The price paid to collectors in the Philippines is closer to US$20 per kilogram.[1] The price of farmed (considered low-grade by connoisseurs) kopi luwak in large Indonesian supermarkets is from US$100 per kilogram (five times the price of a high quality local arabica coffee). Genuine kopi luwak from wild civets is difficult to purchase in Indonesia and proving it is not fake is very difficult - there is little enforcement regarding use of the name "kopi luwak", and there's even a local cheap coffee brand named "Luwak", which costs under US$3 per kilogram but is occasionally sold online under the guise of real kopi luwak.

An investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia found fraud to be rife in the kopi luwak industry, with producers willing to label coffee from caged civets with a "wild sourced" or similar label.[9] A BBC investigation revealed similar findings.[5]"

 

^^ just more for other people man.

 

Can't wait to not purchase these bottles

 

While I agree with there may be fraud specially in any type of niche market like that. However PETA lives in a glass house and shouldn't throw stones.

 

So much hate in this thread regardless of the price or your beliefs, I'll be happily be opening this next to BA Kopi when I pick it up this weekend.

Cheers to everyone I'll be seeing at the release party.

 

And done ... in for 4 bottles ... easy peasy - took a total of two minutes to complete order - WOOHOO, luv BPT releases!

 

I'm curious to see how long this lasts, or if it even sells out.

 

It's open to proxys, so I'm guessing there's a lot of out of towner/pick it up for me interest. Even at a higher price tag, I'd be surprise if it doesn't sell out fast.

 

Seems like it took 5 min to sell out.

 

Looks like it's sold out, pending people dropping them out of their carts.