BRYSON CITY, NC – On Black Friday, Nantahala Brewing Company will release 22 ounce bottles of its next specialty beer, Midnight Topher, a stout infused with locally produced Tribal Grounds Coffee Roasters espresso beans. Created by Head Brewer Chris White, this espresso-style stout was inspired by White’s past work and his present career.
Prior to becoming a brewer, White worked for numerous years as a barista. He greatly enjoyed the hands on nature of the job and the variety of flavors available in different roasts and bean origins. As a brewer he enjoys the same benefits as a barista, a hands on job that allows him to work with raw ingredients that are skillfully combined to create a delicious product. In his new work, he also enjoys the opportunity to get creative and design recipes, including Midnight Topher.
“I used to work in coffee and wanted to blend two things I greatly enjoy, coffee and beer,” said White. “Some coffee beers only have mild flavors or hints of coffee but that was not what I wanted. I was aiming for a robust coffee flavor with lots of roast character and I think I succeeded. This is the kind of coffee beer that I want to drink.“
Midnight Topher, deemed by Nantahala Brewing as an “illicitly indulgent stout,” is a 6% ABV stout infused with whole espresso beans after fermentation but prior to carbonation. This technique results in a beer dominated by iced coffee, roast and chocolate flavors without any of the astringency that can result from brewed coffee added to the boil. An addition of lactose rounds out the stout’s mouthfeel.
And for the name? Midnight Topher wasn’t just created by White, it also got its name from him as well. Known as Topher around the brewery, White is known to partake in a bit of debauchery and sometimes likes to burn more than just the midnight oil.
“What can I say?” laughed White. “I like what I like.”
Bottles of Midnight Topher will be released at the Bryson City brewery on Friday, November 25th. The beer will also be available on shelves in grocery stores and bottle shops in Tennessee and Western North Carolina in the following weeks.
About Nantahala Brewing Co.
Founded in 2009, Nantahala Brewing Company creates award-winning beers in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A proud supporter of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Friends of the Smokies and Great Smoky Mountain Association, the brewery’s beer, culture and vision are defined by the park’s wild spaces and its untouched, natural water that flows from one of the purest, protected watersheds on the planet. Nantahala Brewing is known for such adventure-inspired flagships as Dirty Girl Blonde Ale, Noon Day IPA, App Trail Extra Pale Ale, and Bryson City Brown Ale. In addition, the brewery seasonally releases Little Tennessee Logger, 4-Foot Drop Pale Ale, Devil’s Courthouse Belgian Golden Strong, 8-Foot Drop Double IPA, Hellbender Hefeweizen, Rivers End Oktoberfest, Pattons Run Porter, Chocolate Covered Cherry Stout, Nantahala Pale Ale and Sticky Dog Stout and is known for their specialty Trail Magic series. These beers can be found in six packs and on draft in grocery stores and restaurants across North Carolina and Tennessee. For more information about the brewery, visit www.nantahalabrewing.com
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