Saint Arnold Brewing, the oldest craft brewery in the state, just announced the release of the latest in its Icon beer series. The new beer is Saint Arnold Icon Blue and this time around, the good guys and gals at Saint Arnold have delivered something brand new- a coffee porter, brewed using 45 pounds of espresso beans for a taste that balances out flavors such as roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and mocha.
Another welcome change with this newest in the Icon series is the packaging. In the past, the Icon series beers were sold in four packs. From this day going forward, Saint Arnold Brewing plans to release all of its Icon series beers in six packs.
As most any craft beer fan already knows, porter style beer often features flavors of coffee even though no actual coffee is used in the brewing process. Saint Arnold could have gone the route of a coffee- free beer brewed to taste like coffee, but chose instead to add the real thing. Saint Arnold brewer Eddie Gutierrez says this was the plan from the start.
“We have been working with Houston-based specialty coffee roaster Java Pura for quite a while on various ideas for new beers and this one came together beautifully,” said Gutierrez. “We tried a half-dozen different types of coffee and decided Java Pura’s Espresso Blend really enhanced the beer’s flavor. We also tested different methods of adding the coffee beans and everyone agreed that adding it to the fermenter after the beer is completed – similar to dry hopping or dry spicing – gave us the results we were after.”
Many do not realize this, but Saint Arnold Brewing has enjoyed a solid working relationship with Java Pura for some time. Java Pura, in fact, uses recycled oak barrels from Saint Arnold’s Bishop’s Barrel Series for the purpose of aging green coffee beans before the beans are roasted. The result is a new product known as Java Pura’s Barrel Aged coffee beans, an idea that has proven very popular with gourmet coffee lovers. Java Pura manager Richard Colt sees the working relationship between his company and Saint Arnold as positive and beneficial to each business and their respective customers.
“Saint Arnold is a fantastic brand to be associated with and we are very proud to see our Espresso Blend used to round out the aroma and flavor of Coffee Porter,” said Colt. “It has been a blast to work with the Saint Arnold brewing team because they are so passionate and creative. And they have discerning palates that appreciate really good coffee!”
Saint Arnold Icon Blue is brewed using Two Row, Pale Chocolate, and Crystal 120 L malts as well as oats. The hop bill for this beer calls for Bravo hops for bittering and Willamette hops for finishing, along with, of course, the espresso beans from Java Pura.
Here are the vital statistics for this new Saint Arnold Icon Brew:
– Original Gravity: 1.060
– Final Gravity: 1.015
– Alcohol Content: 6.2% ABV
– Bitterness: 51 IBUs
Saint Arnold Icon Blue – Coffee Porter has already started to make its way into retail stores, restaurants, and bars. It will gradually replace the current Icon series beer, Icon Red – American Roggenbier, as supplies of the latter run out. For more information on Icon Blue and the Icon beer series in general, visit http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/icon.html.
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