Try an ale that will keep you awake

The idea of a beer tasting like coffee isn’t unusual. If you’ve ever drunk a pint of stout you may have noticed some coffee-like flavours.

While most brewers are happy with these subtle coffee flavours in their dark beers, there is a minority who are determined to push the limits of the coffee and beer relationship.  These brewers ask the question: if we are trying to get coffee flavours in our beers why don’t we just add coffee?

The results range from well-balanced easy drinking styles through to those that make you wonder who the hell just tipped a double shot of espresso into your beer.

Two Australian breweries have recently developed their own take on the more subtle style. The Foster’s-owned Matilda Bay Brewing Company have developed the Longshot in conjunction with coffee merchant Toby Smith of Toby’s Estate.  Like most great ideas, it was born out of a conversation over beers between Smith and Matilda Bay head brewer Scott Vincent.

A highly aromatic Ethiopian blend of coffee, Yirgacheffe, was combined with a base of robust porter to produce the Longshot. Its coffee flavours are obvious but it’s a balanced, easy drinking beer. Longshot is only being sold at Dan Murphy’s.

The Burleigh Brewing Company, a Gold Coast microbrewery, will soon be releasing the Black Giraffe.  This dark lager is again a co-production with a coffee company, the Gold Coast’s Zarraffa’s Coffee, and uses a Mexican organic blend. This should be available in good bottle shops later in the month.

When you visit those better bottleshops perhaps you should check out some of the more challenging coffee beers? Some of the better options are the UK’s Meantime Coffee Porter, Japan’s Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout and, my favourite, the Peche Mortel which is made in Canada by Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel.

The ultimate in coffee beers is quite possibly the Beer Geek Brunch (Weasel). Made by innovative Danish brewer Mikkellar, it uses Vietnamese ca phe chon coffee — the product of beans salvaged from the poo of the civet, a weasel-like animal. Yum! At about $40 for a 500ml bottle this interesting brew is one for the committed.