This Valentine's Day, make it a threesome. We're of course talking about the new Sixpoint beer, 3Beans, infused with coffee, cacao, and Romano beans. Infusing coffee and chocolate into beer isn't new, so we asked the Brooklyn brewery's founder, Shane Welch, what makes their latest collaboration beer different."It's the methodology and technique as to how they were integrated and applied," Welch says. For the coffee, Sixpoint used fresh cold-brewed coffee concentrate from Stumptown. "We blended this nectar post-fermentation to ensure a smoothness of flavor, low acidity, and no oxidation."
For the cacao, they used fermented husks sourced by Mast Brothers Chocolate. "This is actually better for the beer, as the cacao butter is insoluble in water and would disrupt the head retention of the beer," Welch says. Both processes captured the essence the beans, without any of the harsh unpleasantries.
The third bean was infused in the mash, where high temperatures pulled out the starches, which were then converted to fermentable sugars thanks to enzymes in the barley malt. Why Romano beans? "We found that the Celts and Slavic tribes of Scandinavia and the Baltic regions used to make fermented beverages using beans as a portion of the mash," Welch explains. "Since the northern latitudes did not ensure a consistent, ample supply of barley, the inhabitants there used alternative starchy grains and legumes to boost the fermentability of the mash when making beer."
Sixpoint then aged 3Beans on toasted American oak, creating a complex 10 percent ABV beer available on draft and in 12-ounce cans. Welch describes it as "deliciously decadent." We agree.
Find 3Beans at local spots like Canary Square, Central Bottle, and Downtown Wine & Spirits. For a full list of bars and stores, go to sixpoint.com.
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Topics:
Liquid
, Beer, Beer Advocate, Sixpoint
