It’s not every day that I get excited about a coffee & beer collaboration. Usually because most of these beers are stouts or porters and I’m just not a dark-beer-and-roasty-espresso-flavour kind of guy. I like my IPA’s, Session Ales, and maybe a Pale Ale but nothing much darker than that.
So last week when I heard about a new collaboration between one of my favourite coffee roasters here in Calgary, Monogram, and a newcomer to the craft beer scene here called O.T. Brewing Company, I knew I had to get some. I was lucky enough to be close to Oak & Vine on 16th Ave. last week so I popped in since I heard they were carrying it. I was able to snag the first cans off the shelf!
After chilling it overnight, I was thrilled to crack open a can and try it out…and it’s really really good!
O.T Brewing describes it this way “Coffee is usually an afterthought when added to beer… so instead we brewed a beer with coffee in mind! We designed a very neutral blonde ale and then dosed it with brewhouse-brewed hyper strong coffee after fermentation to lock in the origin of the bean we chose – natural-processed ARDI from Ethiopia.” I would almost describe it as tasting like a boozy cold-brew coffee, but better than many of the cold brews I’ve had before.
The natural fruity/floral notes that you would expect from a naturally processed Ethiopian coffee are certainly present in the cup. It’s crisp, clean, and while the presence of coffee is there, I didn’t find it to be overwhelming.
I know this is usually a coffee blog, and I promise that most of the content that I will post on here will be specifically related to specialty coffee, but I couldn’t pass this one up. So if you get the chance to pick some up I would highly recommend it. Not sure how long this collaboration will be available for. Expect to pay around $13/4pack.
Cheers,
Tyler
commonly coffee 
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