Mike's Brews: May 2012

Last December (2011) I did my first themed beer list, 12 Beers of Christmas. Since then, I've been wanting to do another themed list and had come up with a couple ideas. Deciding on a themed list can be both fun and frustrating, especially if you are concentrating on limited release seasonals. I was fortunate to be able to pull together twelve Christmas beers. This time around, my theme is 'breakfast beers'. What's my criteria? The beer had to either have the word 'breakfast' or some variation of 'coffee' in the name and/or be brewed with coffee. I could have included oatmeal beers, but decided there were enough coffee beers out there that I could put together a good list. I love coffee and I love beer, so it works. I also wanted to make sure I had twelve. For this 'breakfast beers' list, I had more than enough options. Before I introduce my '12 Breakfast Beers' (in random order), please let me state that I am not saying that these beers are intended to be consumed at breakfast nor do I condone drinking beer at breakfast time on workdays. Please drink responsibly.

The Twelve Breakfast Beers

Fuel Cafe

Fuel Cafe, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

A sweet stout that combines roasted malts and Milwaukee's reknown FUEL CAFE coffee. Strong coffee aroma and smooth, sweet taste.

Milk Stout

Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO

(Sweet Stout, Rated 96)

A really great sweet stout. Notes of chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts. The milk sugar adds a well rounded sweetness.

Fast fact: Milk Stout is Left Hand Brewing Company's best selling beer. The fact that a stout is a brewery's best selling beer is quite impressive!

2X Stout

2X Stout, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY

(Sweet Stout, Rated 95)

Sweet stouts are also called milk stouts or cream stouts because of the added lactose which adds sweetness and body to the beer. Not as much of the coffee aromas as in others. More like cold coffee with a bit of chocolate and cream. Very smooth drinker.

Polish Moon

Polish Moon, Milwaukee Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI

Very dark sweet stout with roasted malts and coffee flavors.

Luna Coffee Stout

Luna Coffee Stout, Hinterland Brewery, Green Bay, WI

(Stout, Rated 93)

A stout as opposed to sweet stouts, this one lacks the added lactose. The nose detects dark coffee and malts. The taste is smooth with lots of coffee flavor. Ever have really strong black coffee? Take that and add malts and a bit of chocolate to it.

Oscura

Oscura, Furthermore Brewing, Black River Falls, WI

(American Dark Lager, Rated 93)

Seems most beers brewed with coffee are stouts, this one is an American Dark Lager. A pleasant surprise to find this one from Furthermore. The aroma is of freshly brewed coffee grounds that have cooled. Not as heavy on the palate as stouts can be. Light and airy with notes of toasted oats and sweet creamy coffee.

Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock, Dark Horse Brewing Company, Marshall, MI

(Doppelbock, Rated 91)

Caramel and coffee aromas waft the nose. A nice balance of hops and malts infused with coffee finish.

Java Stout

Java Stout, Bells Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI

(Stout, Rated 99)

Stout meets coffee. A very smooth stout with rich chocolate and roasted malt flavors. Nice coffee aroma. The chocolate adds a sweetness to the palate.

Breakfast Stout

Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI

(Imperial Stout, Rated 100)

Founders makes some amazing beer and this imperial stout is one of their best. This coming from a guy who took a while to get into stouts. Imperial stouts normally have more alcohol content than stouts or sweet stouts, but you really can't tell with this beer. An intense fresh coffee aroma. The taste is a blend of roasted bitterness and sweet chocolate that is silky smooth. A great breakfast beer!

Peruvian Morning Imperial Stout

Peruvian Morning Imperial Stout, Central Waters Brewing Company, Amherst, WI

(Imperial Stout, Rated 99)

Another amazing beer! This imperial stout is infused with Peruvian coffee and aged in bourbon barrels. Aroma is of coffee, chocolate, and bourbon. Coffee and toasted malts are apparent in the flavor and your throat is warmed by the bourbon.

Espresso Amber Ale

Espresso Amber Ale, Peak Organic Brewing Company, Portland, ME

(Amber Ale, Rated 92)

A robust amber ale brewed with fair trade espresso. Sweet caramel, coffee aroma matches well with the sweet malty flavors. Very balanced with mild carbonation.

Mokah

Mokah, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY

(Imperial Stout, Rated 99)

I never expected each beer to be better than the last, but that's what it's turning out to be. Amazing imperial stout! Yeah, it's called Mokah and the theme is breakfast, but this incredibly smooth imperial stout is what the brewers got when they combined two of their signature Blackwater Series Imperial Stouts (Choklat and Jahva). Chocolate aroma is strong through the nose with hints of coffee. Flavor is amazing (I know I've said that a few times already) blend of creamy chocolate, malts, and roasted coffee. Reminds me of malted milk balls with an alcohol kicker (10.9% abv).

Well, that was twelve, but I said that there were plenty of options for this breakfast category. So here are four bonus beers...

Cappuccino Stout

Cappuccino Stout, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA

(Stout, Rated 96)

I love this brewery and everything they produce! No surprise that I'd love their stout too. Nice coffee and caramel malt aroma. Lots of coffee flavor in this one. Strong coffee malts and hints of chocolate. The coffee flavor lasts.

Mikkeller Koppi Tomahawk x Guji Natural Coffee IPA

Mikkeller Koppi Tomahawk x Guji Natural Coffee IPA, Mikkeller De Proef Brouwerij,
Lochtisti-Hijfte, Belgium

(IPA, Rated 96)

For breakfast beers so far, there have been amber ale, American dark lager, doppelbock, imperial stouts, stouts, and sweet stouts...why not an IPA? As one who really enjoys a good hoppy IPA, the name alone gave this breakfast beer promise in this themed series. Alas I was disappointed. The hops were the best part of this beer. The aroma was all hops. The taste was of hops and more hops. Where's the coffee?! This is one very good IPA however.

Beer Geek Breakfast

Beer Geek Breakfast, Mikkeller De Proef Brouwerij, Lochtisti-Hijfte, Belgium

(Stout, Rated 100)

This amazing stout is more oatmeal with a touch of coffee. Light coffee and malts on the nose. A definite smoky roasted malt flavor with notes of oatmeal, chocolate, and coffee. The smokiness almost makes me think I taste a little bacon...but maybe I'm just wishing it really was breakfast time.

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout, Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan

(Stout, Rated 99)

I was quite surprised by this stout from Japan. Slightly bitter chocolate aroma. Caramel, chocolate, roasted malts and a pretty intense coffee flavor. Kampai!

Even before I decided to do this themed beer list, it had taken me a little while to really get into stouts and really enjoy them. All it really took was for me to have one of the finer, higher quality, stouts to get me going. (I kind of feel like Guinness is a poor man's stout) I did find the other coffee flavored styles to be very interesting though. If I was forced to pick a favorite from this list, I believe I'd have to go with Southern Tier's Mokah. This was fun. Now on to my next themed list. Considering it's nearly Summer out, perhaps a themed list around Summertime or fruit beer. Stay tuned...

Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Barleywine, Delafield Brewhaus, Delafield, WI

"Dark brown, full bodied, and very malty with warming alcoholic notes. Aged for 18 months in a rye whiskey barrel. (12.5% A.B.V.)"

Went to Delafield Brewhaus last night specifically to try this one. It's their 13th Anniversary beer. Barley wines are often strong and intense anyways. Soak them in rye whiskey barrels and you add a new level of intensity. The whiskey aroma is apparent when you raise the glass to your nose. The initial taste is a fantastic combination of sweet, bitter, and malty. Even a note of a maple syrup flavor near the finish. But the strong, warming effects of the whiskey are apparent throughout. Simply Amazing!