This Week On Tap: Tin Man Brewing’s Cafe Leche

Welcome to Indiana On Tap’s new recurring review column, where I’ll be talking about what new seasonal, one-off, or any other Indiana craft beer I bring home to my fridge during the week . Hopefully what I say here gives you, the reader, a good picture of a beer on the store shelf that maybe you haven’t tried yet. And, if there’s something you think I need to try, or you have insider tips on a beer I need to get my hands on, shoot me an email through the link above! Now, on to the beer… 

I have to apologize to winter. I commented in an recent story of mine about how insufferable these blustery months can be for us, and that we need just close our eyes and push through to warmer days. Really, I’ve always been a bit rude to the Time of Ice and Snow. 4:45 AM walks to swim practice in 10 inches of snow three times a week for three months a year might do that to a man, you see. And I never quite liked “White Christmas” because, more often than not, Christmases in southern Indiana looked anything but (eat my shorts, Irving Berlin). Then there’s the sunshine, or lack thereof. And it only gets worse living in an apartment: no car coverage and no strong-backed dad to clear out a parking spot for you.   

But no! I need to apologize to winter because it can be an absolute awesome time for beer drinkers. As the months turn colder, the beers get darker, fuller, and often more boozy. Flavors of coffee, nuts, chocolates, and spices become more pronounced. Beers are designed specifically to warm you from the inside out. Less hops, more body. And Tin Man Brewing Company’s new winter seasonal, Cafe Leche Milk and Coffee Porter, is a great beer to stock up on in the winter.

Once a sought-after one off from the Evansville brewery, popular demand spurned Tin Man to bring Cafe Leche into seasonal rotation this year. Utilizing Guatemalan coffee beans from Evansville-based TJ’s Roaster, the coffee flavors in this beer are robust and floral, like you would expect from a cup of coffee at your local shop, and those notes become more pronounced as you let the beer warm for a few minutes after pouring. 

Tin Man makes some other awesome beers as well: Overlord Imperial IPA is one of my absolute favorites in that style, and though I’ve yet to try it, everyone that has had the Damascene Apricot Sour Ale has raved about it.

Starting recently, you can find Cafe Leche (and the rest of Tin Man’s seasonals throughout the year) at liquor stores throughout most of Indiana, and even in the larger Kentucky cities. If you’re looking for a beer while trying learn to embrace these darker days, you can’t go wrong with Tin Man’s Cafe Leche Milk and Coffee Porter. 

Cheers.