If you had to combine two beverages that Americans love, you would have coffee beer. Craft breweries across the United States have zealously embraced coffee flavored beer. The creations that have resulted from experimenting with the combination of some of the oldest beverages in the world have caught the attention of craft beer lovers everywhere.
Coffee Beer
Coffee beer can be either a lager beer or an ale beer, with coffee added to boost flavor. While stouts and porters are popular base styles for coffee beer, many craft breweries are experimenting with other styles, like cream ales and India pale ales. Brewers may steep the beans in either water or beer to impart java flavor while taking care to avoid the addition of too much acidity. As with any beer, the addition of an ingredient can have a drastic effect on the flavor — but striking a balance is often the goal of brewers.
Warming Up with Coffee Beer
Coffee is a versatile ingredient in beer, and lends a smooth roasted flavor to just about any style, from stouts and porters to pale ales and even sour beers. You can look to pair coffee flavored beers with a wide variety of different foods. Desserts might be an obvious choice, after all, — who wouldn’t enjoy a piece of pecan pie cheesecake alongside a smooth, rich coffee oatmeal stout? Despite how well it pairs with sweeter dishes, there is no reason a coffee beer couldn’t be an excellent companion to a charcoal grilled rib-eye steak at your next cookout. This beer style also makes a nice partner when paired with aged semi-hard cheeses when you’re entertaining.
Pointing You in the Direction of Coffee Flavored Beer
Finding your next favorite beer doesn’t have to stop here. CraftBeer.com’s “Find a Brewery” map is designed to help you find small and independent craft breweries near you. Giving you the option to search for breweries by location, desired brewery name, or state, finding breweries and brewpubs closest to your location could lead you to your next favorite beer, which could be a coffee flavored beer.
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