ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 30

I look forward to a steaming mug of black coffee in the morning almost as much I do a cold beer on a Friday night. And let’s be honest, stout combined with coffee is the peanut butter and chocolate of the beer world. So, Schlafly Coffee Stout, which combines two of my favorite beverages into 12 ounces of liquid delight was a no brainer. I also appreciate that Schlafly collaborates with a local coffee roaster, Kaldi’s, to produce this brew.

It pours black and has a distinct coffee aroma, exactly what you might expect. It tastes almost like a cup of iced coffee was stirred into a traditional stout. Schlafly uses a “unique cold toddy extraction process” to keep the acidity down. From what I gathered on the 100% accurate internet, this process will give you a concentrated coffee flavor that is up to 70% less acidic than normal. I happen to like the bitterness of black coffee but can imagine it could be a big turn off in a beer like this. So, this low-acid version coffee combined with that natural nutty, malty sweetness you get from a stout is a perfect match.

Though coffee is typically a morning beverage and beer falls into the evening category, I think it might be time to experiment. Considering this coffee stout is basically a blend of Schlafly’s Oatmeal Stout with cold brewed Kaldi’s Coffee – perhaps I’ll mix the two at home – with a whisk and no science. Or maybe I’ll just buy it off the shelf and trust the experts on this one.

Follow Niel on Twitter @WaveTrainLLC