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Coffee Meets Alcohol: The Best Of Both Worlds

There’s something civilised about drinking a cocktail. And during the lockdown, we needed it more than ever to distract us from the boredom. Another drink that kept us sane and cheery was coffee. I can’t imagine starting my day without a crisp cup of medium roast, pour-over, that’s preferably from an Indian estate. It wasn’t surprising then that someone had the idea of combining these two lifesavers — coffee and alcohol to make one single drink. The most-consumed cocktail during the pandemic was the Espresso Martini!

Over the last decade, the surging popularity of coffee and cocktails have resulted in innovations among vendors and helped us better our appreciation and understanding of these products. Words like craft roasters, single-lot coffees, grinds, roasts, brewing techniques, nitros, AeroPress and pour-overs, have become a part of our vocabulary and changed the way we consume our favourite beverage. A similar change has been underway in the alcohol and cocktail space as well. Mixers, syrups, tonics, craft beer are now part of everyday conversations. 

The coming together of the two fast-growing craft segments have resulted in a new breed of drinks like the Espresso Martini. And it is just the beginning of what is promising to be an excellent future for coffee-accented tipples.

Nitin Vishwas of Moonshine Meadery breaks this phenomenon down. He says the specialty coffee brands have done a ton to educate the consumer. “They’ve been pushing the envelope and making big waves. So have been the craft alcobev producers. It’s only natural for them to come together,” he explains. 

Aman Thadani of Fullerton Distilleries declares that doing something with coffee was always a part of his plan. He sees an overlap in consumers of the two beverages. “Mixing coffee and craft alcobevs isn’t new, and with the craft spirit movement in India growing in confidence, it is only natural for them to try new things,” he says. 

Here we look at a few exciting new products in the market that do a good job of combining coffee with alcohol. 

Malabar Stout

Bira 91 and Blue Tokai joined hands to put an Indian coffee-accented brew on the world map. The limited-release Malabar Stout is a celebration of the coming together of the Indian craft beer movement and the beautiful coffees of South India. The rich, malty stout with a chocolate flavor that India loves gets a power-packed, aromatic, cold brew boost from select south Indian coffee estates. Bira 91 founder Ankur Jain kept coffee at the centre of the recipe while crafting a beer that accentuates its nuances. The result is an outstanding brew that is robust and impressive. It has a creamy feel and a chewy, malty character. The acidity in the cold brew cleans the palate and makes you return for the next sip. (Mumbai: Rs 170, Bengaluru: Rs 130, Noida: Rs 120)

Coffee Mead and The Collab Project X Subko Specialty Coffee

Mead is not beer. It is largely unknown in India though we created and gifted it to the world; think of soma from the Vedas! Pune-based Moonshine Meadery is the pioneer of modern-day mead in India and probably Asia. Besides their traditional mead, which is a fermented honey drink, they have crafted a coffee mead – a combination of the founders’ two first loves. While Nitin Vishwas is a coffee fanatic, Rohan Rehani is not just an enthusiast but he’s also part of the jury at the Indian Aeropress Championship. 

During their home-brewing days, Nitin threw a handful of coffee beans in his traditional mead, and the result was an instant wow! Their friends loved it, and the founders knew they were on to something. The soft, mild taste showed what a good coffee and a well-made mead could do together. Meads are gluten-free, vegan, with honey at its base, and environment friendly — easily amongst the most sustainable drinks. Pair it with coffee, and you have a morally conscious morning in a glass!

Later, when Rahul Reddy of Mumbai-based Subko Specialised Coffee Roasters reached out to them to get one a project together, it led to a ‘collab series’, the results of which are now sold under the brand name ‘The Collab Project X Subko Specialty Coffee’. It was done in a true spirit of cooperation. Rohan’s company aged the raw green coffee beans in a traditional mead and sent it back to Subko. It was dried and roasted there (they even turned part of it into a coffee, which was on the Subko menu for a few days. I was lucky to be in Mumbai at that time and I loved it). The coffee beans were coarse-ground by Subko and returned to Moonshine to be turned into a specialty mead! The result? A concoction with a boastful coffee character and nuanced notes, one that needs time to open up and patience to appreciate. If it were a wine, I would’ve decanted and let it breathe before sipping — not straight from the bottle, but in a wine glass, at room temperature, like how a fine tipple deserves to be had. The current lot is a limited edition of 1000 bottles. But I am told new coffee meads are on their way. (Coffee Mead, Mumbai: Rs 185, Goa: Rs 140; The Collab Project X Subko Specialty Coffee, Mumbai: Rs 240)

Greater Than Coffee Negroni/Gin

No craft spirit wave has been as impressive as the gin revolution in India. Greater Than, from Goa-based Nao Spirits, was among the earliest to innovate in the game with their limited-release Juniper Bomb. Launched in 2017, Greater Than was India’s first craft London Dry Gin, and there is always an expectation from the founders of the company to up their game. With the pandemic pushing everyone indoors, it allowed them to go loco with experiments.

Co-founder Anand Virmani remembers his distillers bringing him a carton of experimental distils, of which coffee-infused ones instantly stood out. Having experimented with pink gins, juniper styles, citruses, and spices, coffee was a no-brainer for Virmani. At their `bar-takeovers’ across the country, during the early marketing days of Greater Than, he had served a signature cocktail of gin, tonic water, and a cold-brew float called ‘No Sleep G&T’. To create a Coffee Negroni, they reached out to coffee maker Sleepy Owl to source medium roast beans from Chikamagalur. The beans were steeped in water for about two days to create a sturdy cold brew, and then, instead of cutting the distillates with demineralised water as is the norm, it was cut with this strong cold brew. The result is a gin mix with no added sugars, colours, or flavours, except for the crisp and bold coffee expression and fruitiness. It can be drunk with a splash of tonic, an espresso martini, or as a cool coffee Negroni. (Goa: Rs 1,000, Bengaluru Rs 2,400, Mumbai Rs 1,850)

Segredo Aldeia Cafe Rum

Gin may have got all the attention these days, but there is as much action on the rum front too. And among the more popular recent launches has been Segredo Aldeia cafe and white rums from Aman Thadani’s Goa-based Fullarton Distilleries, which also makes the Pumori gin. Aman is also a coffee enthusiast, so it was only a matter of time before he began experimenting with a coffee-rum combination. 

Single-origin coffee beans were sourced from South India, dark roasted, and later infused and sweetened with cane sugar. This jaggery spirit was aged in ex-Bourbon casks and mixed with unaged cane spirit made in a rustic Rhum Agricole style. The process gives the resulting alcohol a ton of complexity, making it a fun yet serious spirit. Infusing whole beans provides a mix of coffee, cocoa, and rustic savoury characters. The sweetness makes it easy on the palate. Keep it in the freezer and pour a dram for yourself from time to time. A splash of water unfolds the spirit, opening it to full bloom. Cafe Rum is like a breath of fresh air on the Indian alcohol shelves, boasting of a new age craft distillers’ sense of confidence and the gentle push to the consumers to try something out of the box.  (Goa: Rs 1,650)

All things said, there is no saying how long this coffee-infused alcohol trend will last. According to Vishwas, overcomplicating the drink might cause the consumers to shy away from trying them. The aim should be to bring the nuances of the two craft beverages together in a way that is simple and easy to decipher.

First Published in Mans World India ,2022

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Blog Conversations

Conversations with Indulge – Thomas William Hartman

At first glance the lean and rather sporty frame of Thomas belies his beer credentials; one’d expect a brewer to be less, sinewy! But a few minutes into the conversation and one soon begins to understand the vast expanse of knowledge that Mr. Hartman is and the richness of the experience he brings to the beer table. Bira91‘s head brewer is a treasure trove of beer facts and stories and his presence has changed the brands’ perceived image drastically in a short time. We got to share a few pints with him and the talk just flowed. From the beers Thomas made us try, one can easily say that Bira91’s brews are in safe hands for the moment. Here’s how it went.

Thomas started as a homebrewer before deciding to go to school. He earned the Siebel Institute Master Brewer certification, and went on to work in craft breweries of different sizes in Sweden and the US before joining AB-InBev’s ZX Ventures as global innovation brewer, working with their craft and specialty brewers around the globe. Thomas joined Bira 91 in the beginning of 2019 as VP of Brewing and Innovation.

What inspired you to become a brewer?

When I was growing up I was always into cooking and making little packaged goods like soaps or shampoos or sauces. My mom is a great cook and I was always learning from her. When I graduated from high school she actually got me a homebrewing kit. I think she just knew I would like it, and she was right. I got more and more sucked in until I figured I would go to school and become a professional.

Which is the one language you wanted to learn and one you have never wished to?

Right about now I really wish I spoke Hindi. I’ve learned two other languages, but they were more or less similar to my native tongue. Hindi is on a whole different level of difficulty for me. I love languages. You can tell so much about a culture by how they speak, so there was never one I didn’t want to learn.

What is unique about your style of making beers?

The more experience I’ve gained the more and more simple my approach has become. I try to keep the raw materials simple and good, and get the complexity from the process. I played a few instruments when I was growing up and I remember my teacher once told me “silence is a note.” Sometimes what isn’t there says as much as what is.

How would you describe your job to a child?

I’d probably say, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Which is the most unique beer you have tasted?

I’ve tasted a lot of “unique” mistakes I’ve made over the years, but those always end up in the drain. I once had a beer that was brewed with frozen pizza and money. Not sure why.

What are the biggest hurdles you face while making beers in India?

You said to keep it short, but I could write a book here. I’d say the biggest issue for all brewers in India is the Government. There is so much regulation, so much tax throughout the entire supply chain, so much red tape. The alcohol industry is one of the biggest revenue sources for the states that allow sale, but the policies in place make it very challenging for us to run our operations and make a sustainable level of profit.

What style(s) of brew do you think India should opt in near future?

I think fruited sour beer has potential to be big here. There are so many unique fruits with amazing aromas and flavors. Making sour beer that is drinkable and balanced is not easy, so I think the focus needs to be on ensuring these beers are done really well, especially at first, to convince people they’re worth drinking. When its 45° out a sour beer hits the spot.

If there were a beer that you could brew with no regards to cost of production or sales targets, what would it be and why?

One day when I am old I would like to open up a little brewery in the woods in my home state and make traditional open fermented Bavarian Weissbier and classic German Pilsener.

What’s your favourite tipple at the end of a busy day?

A pint of Guinness and a short glass of Irish, usually Teeling.

What is your advice to young professionals seeking a career in this field? 

First I’d say really examine why you want to get into the beer industry, and pick the right avenue for you based on what you want to do, but more importantly what you’re good at. Then I’d say get an education, either formal or on the job. Don’t try to start a brewery until you’ve worked in one.

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Blog Videos

#52Drinks52Weeks – Wheat Beer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B4Ckf4b5uY

THE BEGINNING

Beer has been around for over 6000 years. Mahabharata is said to have taken place after that. And imagine the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, came in even later. It was the rule then to drink 5 litres of beer per day as a part of your job. Not just there, beer was often used as a currency to pay salaries or trade with, and was an essential part of the diet, not just as a medicine or to gain nutritional values, but just to stay alive.

Well, Ancient Egyptian found in several Egyptian tombs illustrate two different grains. One is believed to be wheat. Now, did bread come first or beer, is an argument we won’t get in to. But we do know beer is after all a sort of a liquid bread. And, it was used for religious purposes too, see the Pharaohs or even the modern monks at churches and Abbeys across Europe. 

Wheat is one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world. But since wheat could be used as a primary food grain, brewers shifted their attention to barley which was in fact even better suited for their brew recipes. 

LET’S PLAY BY THE RULES

And there comes in The Rheinheitsgebot or the German Purity Law of 1516, was established to ensure that people didn’t use up the food grain for making beer and that brewing was key as basic and standardised as possible using only water, malt, yeasts and hops. Hops came in much later.

Then can it be said that probably this is what brought systematic agriculture in to our civilisation? Thanks to beer, or bread!! Food for thought…

Weizenbiers have been brewed for over 600 years. The first true weissebier brewery was built in the 15th century in Bavaria that reserved the exclusive rights to brew the style for decades.

It was in the 15th century in the Bavarian village of Schwarzach by the noble family, the Degenbergers. This exclusive privilege was then passed on to the Bavarian Dukes. In 1589, Bavarian Duke Maximillian I built the “Hofbräuhaus am Platzl” which to this day still occupies the location of the Ducal Weissbier brewery. 

It wasn’t a popular style then. 

That’s when George Schneider released the Weissbier rights to the public. By 1872, Weizenbiers could be brewed by anyone and production was no longer controlled by the royal government. 

DEFINING WHEAT BEER

Ideally they are about 30% wheat, and the rest is Malt. Wheat beers are brewed with or without hops depending on the variety and tend to lack bitterness, usually settling at 10-30 IBU. Inspite of the lightness of taste, all wheat beers are ales as they are made using top fermenting yeast. So what we’re saying is they are Ales, and not Lagers. And, aren’t completely wheat-based

It’s near impossible to have complete wheat beer, since they are high in protein that don’t let the yeast work well, thus needing addition of malted barley to provide sugars and enzymes to ferment. Even if you do make a 100% wheat based brew, you wouldn’t want to drink it. It’ll be gummy, sticky, and a mush. And what about the addition of oranges, coriander, and other such flavours in the beer?

GRUIT

Earlier, a mix of spices, herbs, citrus peels were used untill hops were found. They acted as a preservative and the secret mix added further style and character to the drink. Its style just stayed. And we guess people love that too. Ketan Sing from Brewbot + Navin from Gateway Brewery say wheat beers sell the most at their microbreweries and taprooms. BIRA91, White Rhino, Hopper, Arbour, GBC, Simba, even Kingfisher has one.

STYLES AND SERVICE

Wheat beers tend to be highly carbonated, so the pouring is key – slower the better. Flute styled glass is the best suited and the beer must be utterly chilled.

Witbier – is Flemish for “white beer”. Belgian-style witbier is a variety of beer all its own. The pale beer is brewed using unmalted wheat and is spiced with coriander and orange peel, something that was used traditionally to preserve beer before hops were discovered. It’s refreshing with subtle spicy notes. It is most often cloudy as it come with yeast suspended in the bottle so yes, witbiers are very often bottle conditioned meaning there may be some fermentation even after bottling. 

Hefeweizen – “Hefe” is the German word for yeast. Banana + cloves are commonly found in the beer. It’s low on bitterness (say 15 IBU) and high on the fizz, something that helps offset the malt-induced sweetness.

Then there is the Dunkel which is a dark wheat beer made using highly kilned grains. And also the Weizenbock which is a strong wheat beer. Others like Goes and lambic also use significant proportion of wheat but aren’t necessarily classified as wheat beers.