02 Apr Skip the coffee. Drink these coffee beers instead!
Posted at 18:55h
in Musings, Quaff-on-brewing, Thr3e Wise Men Brewing, Three Pints Brewpub, Tin Man Brewing Co, Uncategorized
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By Kristina Traxler for Indiana On Tap
One of the things that made me grasp that I was becoming a real person (i.e. transitioning into adulthood) was when I came to the realization that I truly enjoy the taste of coffee. What used to be purely a stimulant to get through the morning is now an enjoyable beverage. Here are some of my favorite coffee beer staples:
- Common Necessity by Quaff On! – This is for the person who loves the flavored coffees instead of the bold dark roasts. This stout has a solid hazelnut flavor and roasted taste. It does have a dark color finish and strong aroma.When drinking this I was surprised to find that it was not as heavy as I expected, which makes it both great and dangerous.
- Hotbox Coffee Porter by Oskar Blues Brewery – Perfect after-dinner beer that would be excellent served alongside dessert. I’m a huge fan of cold-brew coffee, so once I found out that it was the base I was sold. The great thing about cold-brew is it packs the flavor without excess acidity or bitterness. This brew specifically had flavors of chocolate and fruit as well.
- Java Mint Stout by Three Pints Brewing → Mint Microchip Chocolate Stout by Tin Man Brewing – To explain this substitution I need to tell a story. So this one time back in the winter of 2015 I had an amazing stout at the Sinking Ship. This happened to the the Java Mint Stout by Three Pints. The strange mental correlation I made with this beer was that to me it tasted like a mint Oreo dunked in boozey coffee. I was heartbroken when Three Pints announced their closing (everyone should say thank you the brewmasters at Quaff On for preserving this Indiana gem). This past January at a beer dinner at HopCat I was introduced to Tin Man’s Mint Microchip Chocolate Stout. My hopes and dreams were answered. That being said, these two are not a direct substitution. By no means are they the same beer, but it has a similar mint base and a smooth chocolate finish. The next item on my agenda is trying to find it outside of Evansville…
- Hubbard & Cravens Porter by Thr3e Wise Men Brewing - If you live in central Indiana and have never experienced Hubbard & Cravens, stop now and go venture. It’s nice to see two great local business combining forces and making such a great product. This has an exceptionally smooth espresso flavor and a healthy balance of malt. I got to try this at a Girls Pint Out Event last year Beer & Donuts, and I raved about it then too. I’ll go back to my original statement I made back then: this is a beer that you COULD drink at 7AM right when you wake up, it was THAT smooth.
These are just a few that stick out in my mind, I’m sure there are plenty more great brews out there. Don’t hesitate to comment and let me know what I’m missing!
Cheers,
Traxler
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