While showing Scott and Jimmy from Hobart Brewing Co and Will from Van Diemen Brewing around town, the Wheaty Brewing Corps stumbled across a South Australian favourite, Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee. Well, they stumbled on a version of it – instead of finding the milky beverage in a fridge, the group created a beer in its image. The foursome had been discussing opposites and how a beer that looked like an IPA could taste like a stout; the result was the Ice Coffee White Stout.
Sweet, sweet lactose with a dash of coffee is the first impression – just like a cappuccino in a glass. Some biscuit malt aromas compliment the sweetness as if they've popped a biscuit in your saucer too, while low carbonation adds to the silky, creamy mouthfeel. The flavour is a lot less sweet, however, even as the lactose balances the medium roast Colombian coffee enlisted to do the work dark grains would typically handle in a stout. A splash of Cherrywood smoked malt and vanilla beans help tie everything together in a beer designed to confuse: the body and colour spectrum of an IPA with the flavours and aromas of a dessert stout.
Your morning coffee just got a whole lot more interesting.
Matt King
Published October 4, 2017 2017-10-04 00:00:00