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Coffee beers may not be as sweet and chocolatey as the mochas and iced lattes we sometimes love. But, their coffee notes can still feel rich, roasted, and choc full of malted flavor. When customers feel they’ve seen and tasted it all, a limited release, highly rated, and curious-little coffee stout may pique their interest.
Whatever zone of ideas coffee beer makes its own, this interesting melange of beer, coffee, and dessert-life toffee flavors can enhance the menu and raise eyebrows of interest.
Learn what makes a good coffee stout below. Then, review our top 5 picks for the best craft brewery coffee stouts to choose as inventory.
Key Takeaway: Curating coffee stouts on your menu can boost the appeal beer drinkers find in their limited releases, unique flavors, and local collabs.
Coffee Stouts in the Craft Beer Boom
Coffee is no stranger to alcohol. Before craft coffee beers, we were all familiar with liqueurs including flavors from the morning grind.
Over the last 30 years, the craft beer brewing boom has made a household name and understanding for flavors like coffee in the time-tested stout. Their complexity has advanced as well.
Coffee Beer Flavors: Bitter Espresso to Mocha Sweetness
Today, craft breweries like Firestone and Alesmith layer their work with decadent range. A single brew can bridge the initial bite and bitterness of an espresso shot before with a sweet, caramel-like finish.
Consider these attributes when choosing a coffee beer for your next menu update, and align with the needs of your ideal customer:
- Brewing options—Makers of craft “cold-toddy” and “barrel-aged” coffee beer have tested countless approaches to this hybrid. Brewed cold, made hot, nitro-infused, or classically aged—coffee beer presents a challenge to brewer skill and technical care.
- Bean region—Coffee beer, like craft lattes and cortados themselves, must mind their beginnings. These beers are not shy about the Ethiopian or Guatemalan beans that give them zing and zip.
- Niche collabs—When beer brewers and coffee roasters team up to create new styles and limited brews, your bar inventory orders should take note. Customers are more interested in local options and excellence.
5 Best Coffee Stout Beers for Your Bar Menu
Choose coffee beer and stouts that offer roast flavors, bean origins, and beer styles that match the bar’s needs or fill flavor gaps in the menu.
Partnerships and collaborations also have a magnetism for satisfaction and sales. Their local draw and charm is not easy for larger beer brands and more generic drafts to replicate.
For each of our five favorite coffee beers below, take a look at their flavors, coffee, brewer, and praise.
Firestone Walker’s Vanilla Coffee Stout
This coffee stout is known to collectors because of its barrel-aged production which takes a page from whiskey.
- Location: California
- Flavors: Dark, moody notes, similar to complex whiskeys
- Ingredients: Ethiopian Kayon Mountain coffee, vanilla, cacao
- Use: Premium-priced beers aimed at collectors and beer connoisseurs
Mother’s Cold-Extracted Coffee Stout
Reviews have called the Mother’s Brewing approach to coffee stout one of the most decadent options for beer lovers.
- Location: Missouri
- Flavors: Roasted malt, cold-brew bite
- Ingredients: Mud House’s local coffee beans
- Use: Late night sipping for java lovers
Alesmith Brewery’s Speedway Stout
This incredible brew stands out among the heaviest of imperial stouts, taking the gold medal in 2012 and 2014 at San Diego’s International Beer Competition. BeerAdvocate calls it “a world-class brew”
- Location: California
- Flavors: Thick, heavy, richly textured
- Ingredients: Sumatra and Kona coffee, flaked oats
- Use: Good recommendation for imperial stout fans
Ozark Beer’s Onyx Coffee Stout
This favorite for newcomers isn’t popular because its plain and simple. Instead, the Onyx coffee stout boasts the 2024 gold medal from the Untapped Community Awards.
- Location: Arkansas
- Flavors: Smooth and creamy with a balance of bitter coffee
- Ingredients: Monarch-blend French roast, milk stout
- Use: Smart choice for beer taps and local specialty menus
Schlafly’s French Roast Stout
This coffee stout holds acclaim for its balanced, brilliant use of coffee as an ingredient and flavor, gaining it the 2010 World Beer Cup gold medal.
- Location: Missouri
- Flavors: Delicately sweet, cacao rich
- Ingredients: Kaldi’s French roast, barley oats, chocolate beer malt
- Use: Great pick for new stout drinkers and sweeter, dessert-like beer pairings
Frequently Asked Questions on Coffee Beers
Explore the amount of caffeine, best craft beer food pairings, and storage needs that bar managers wonder about coffee beers. Get the answers to common coffee stout questions now.
Is there caffeine in coffee stout beers?
Coffee beer often contains caffeine between 30 to 50 mg in every 12 ounces.
This amount of caffeine should be considered, but it equals ⅓ of the usual cup of coffee (140 mg, on average).
What should restaurants pair with coffee beers?
Coffee beers pair with restaurant food like coffee in general:
- Rich, chocolatey desserts
- Smokey, cured meats
- Sharp cheese plates
- Sweet pastries
Do you store coffee stouts differently from plain beer?
All coffee stouts should be kept, ready to serve, in refrigeration.
By comparison, barrel-aged variants still being brewed can keep in cool cellars for 2 to 3 years—not yet needing extremely low temperatures to preserve quality.
Do specialty beers need advanced inventory software?
Traditional alcohol, unique drafts, and coffee stouts can all benefit from advanced inventory software. It brings the ability to keep precise stock levels through precise alcohol stock tracking and beverage inventory solutions.
Technology like BinWise offers the ability to highlight the top beverage performers and automate the reordering needed to protect business.
