With a combination of local, sustainable and artisanal ingredients that includes Italian espresso and Tanzanian cacao, Zupan’s Markets and Coalition Brewing’s imperial coffee chocolate stout collaboration fits in a category of what might be termed “breakfast beer”—thick, sweet, caffeinated concoctions that go well with donuts and hangovers.
But this beer from the Portland duo is a reminder that the above-mentioned ingredients don’t have to be so syrupy and saccharine. The beer opens with roasty, smoky notes from the black malt, cacao and espresso, and a rich, silky, full-bodied mouthfeel. After a big first impression, it then tapers off to a lingering sweetness from the Chilean caramel malt. Striking and hearty, with a 7.5 percent ABV, this is a beer to be savored.
Follow on Facebook: Zupan’s Markets Portland | Coalition Brewing
Track on Twitter: @zupans | @coalitionbrewin
