Coffee Beer Popularity

Agreed. As I do find BCBCS very good, the coffee overwhelmes everything else that's involved in that beer. Only one man's opinion. Give me the original, or the Barleywine over BCBCS all day.

However, Speedway Stout IMHO brings everything together in perfect, equal balance. My exception to your rule stated above.

 

OP, I am glad you started this. I love beer and love coffee but I consider myself far from understanding either well. At least with beer I've had the benefit of reading plenty of books to enlighten me. Just yesterday I went to the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival here in Albuquerque and it got me thinking why the coffee I sampled at almost every stand was head and shoulders above what I can brew at home. It got me wanting to learn more about coffee and how I can get a better brew at home.

Long story short, what literature would you suggest to educate one on the coffee world? Also, is there any literature out there discussing coffee and beer in combination? Dissecting the different coffee beers with respect to the taste of the coffee specifically?

 

To add to your point, it is actually 5 of the top 10.

However, I think the coffee, even if it is one-dimensional, adds a new dimension to the beers, which improves the overall experience.

If you think about an imperial stout, why do you drink it instead of a dry stout, or a brown ale, or a barley wine? It is because you are looking for multiple layers and particularly intense flavorful and roasted layers. That is not to say the former styles are one-dimensional, but the point remains the same, coffee in a beer, even if it does not do coffee justice, can improve a beers overall flavor profile by adding an additional element.

 

I guess it's a good thing that I'm just a beer snob and not a coffee snob. I love me some coffee stouts.

 

I'm not a Starr Hill fan but I REALLY enjoy their Red Roostarr. The coffee is made fresh in a small hippie town in VA called Floyd. Let me know if anyone would like some for trade. I go to school about 20 minutes away from Floyd. VERY FRESH.

 

I love coffee stout. BCBCS and Tree House Good Morning are both mind blowing experiences...the only two I've given a perfect 5 to...

 

I like BCBCS just fine, as well as KBS. It's an adjunct, not a pure freshly ground cup of coffee, for large mass produced beer in quantity not sure what you expect them to do. The fact that so many coffee infused brews are rated so highly kinda counters your question. It's very popular because people like them, period. Coffee is only a small piece here, as is the bourbon component, as Is the base beer. You might love pure fresh roasted and ground coffee, but that's so far removed from comercially brewed and distributed beers.

 

so the cliff notes is everybody that likes coffee beers & rated them so highly are all mistaken.

 

To most, I dont think most people are or would perceive the coffee in their beer as stale. Most probably don't have that deep of a understanding of coffee.

The flavanoids found in coffee compliment the flavor profiles found in beer. They lend a hand in the bitterness units profile.

I have found certain beers I love the coffee in and some I just didn't like. It's just depends. I love coffee in beer and coffee on its own merits.

 

A Speedway with 2 years on it becomes a thing of pure beauty. Although I sure love a fresh bottle too...

Most interesting thread I've seen in a while. Thank you

 

Simple mate, people love coffee and people also love beer. They also have complimentary flavors. I like both, but it can be done wrong just look at KBS for example, I like my coffee beers better without barrel aging.

 

i feel you. all these poser wanna' be beer ganxtas' with palates so poorly refined that don't recognize stale flavors & gnarly tastes, need their BA 'ghetto passes' revoked.

 

I used to hang out in Floyd--it's frickin' beautiful! Haven't tried Red Roostarr as I can't pass up Monocacy Brewtus out of Frederick, Md.

I'm a fan of coffee, beer, and coffee beer.

 

The answer is simple: A lot of people disagree with you on a subjective thing such as taste. Get over it. You aren't wrong, and they aren't wrong either.

I love fresh coffee. Coffee in beer is a whole different animal. It doesn't go "stale" in hours like brewed coffee does. I've had aged coffee beers that were world class.

 

Stouts are age worthy, whether BA or not, adjunct flavors or not. I have some aged Kbs and imo it's a bit better aged, than Fresh, it's a tad harsh fresh. I have some Bc coffee that I happen to like fresh, it ages wonderfully too. The only stout I've had that was "off " and not poorly constructed was a 2007 Bcbs that was clearly oxidized, but I'm sorry if the coffee component to my stouts are stale I can't detect it. Happily so.

Great thread though, this should be as interisting as anything I've seen in a while. Nice OP.

 

It can be done many different ways, with brewed coffee liquor and/or extract added, or with coffee beans, but in general ground coffee is added to the fermenter after fermentation is complete and the tank is cold crashed; essentially making cold brewed coffee with beer instead of water.