Abolish buzz kills. Drink Heine Brothers' Coffee Stout at BBC's "Up All Night" bash tomorrow.

The Curmudgeon has been down this path before, but this year's rollout of Heine Brothers' Coffee Stout is being accompanied by a great afternoon party idea tomorrow at BBC on Shelbyville Road.

As one who is growing ever fonder of the mixture of coffee and stout, I'll try to make this one. If so, I hope to see some of you there. Here's the press release from Mike Mays.

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BBC and Heine Brothers’ Coffee tap coffee stout at
Up All Night party August 15

Louisville, Kentucky: Local brewpub Bluegrass Brewing Company and coffee shop Heine Brothers’ Coffee have collaborated on a product blending the best of both worlds: an oatmeal stout brewed with a touch of fair-trade, organic coffee.

Their worlds collide in an Up All Night celebration August 15 at BBC’s St. Matthews store, 3929 Shelbyville Road, beginning at 3 p.m. Employees dressed in their pajamas will serve breakfast for dinner, including fried eggs; country ham and biscuits with red-eye gravy, and coffee stout cheesecake.

Carnival games like corn hole, ring toss, and a Wheel of Fortune knock-off will allow partiers to compete for t-shirts, coffee, gift cards, and more. One lucky person will win a growler of beer each month for a year.

Acoustic musician Tamara Dearing will perform beginning at 7 p.m.

BBC has twice before experimented with brewing stout flavored with Heine Brothers’ Coffee. The result: a full-flavored but light-bodied, lightly carbonated brew that sold quickly.

For the Up All Night celebration, Heine Brothers’ Coffee Stout will be poured through a special tap – often called a “Guinness” tap – so that it foams, forms cascading bubbles, and produces a creamy head.

“It seems natural to start a series of monthly celebrations with Heine Brothers’ Coffee Stout,” says BBC owner Pat Hagan. “It’s the fastest-selling seasonal brew we’ve ever made.”

Heine Brothers’ Coffee opened in 1994 and is the oldest locally-owned coffee shop in Louisville. Seven stores and a roastery employ more than 100 people. BBC opened in 1993. It has two restaurants employing about 80 people.

For more information go to www.bbcbrew.com or www.heinebroscoffee.com.

Coffee stout and a Gravity Head starter from BBC (St. Matthews location).

It’s time for news from Bluegrass Brewing Company’s original Shelbyville Road location. First, a press release describes a new "cooperative" brewing venture, and then Brewmaster Jerry "Cut 'n' Run" Gnagy provides a heartfelt preview of the latest listed Gravity Head 2007 selection, BBC Leah's Etrange.

Bluegrass Brewing Company in St. Matthews and Heine Brothers' Coffee have teamed up to make a Coffee Stout. Heine Brothers' Coffee is roasting a special “custom” roast for Bluegrass Brewing Company using organic, fair trade, coffee beans from Mexico. This special coffee roast that we are using will bring out smooth, mellow flavors that complement the characteristics of an “oatmeal stout”.

There are many ways to add coffee to beer, and with the help and advice from the Heine Brothers roaster, Todd Stanis, and co-owner Mike Mays, we determined that adding ground coffee to our hot wort (unfermented beer) after boiling would extract good flavor without adding bitterness or burnt flavors. We will also add freshly brewed coffee after fermentation is completed and the beer is ready to be served, to give the absolute freshest coffee flavor and aroma.

We will be serving the stout at Bluegrass Brewing Company around February 9th in 20 oz Imperial pints with a Heine Brothers sleeve around the glass. If the brew is as successful as we anticipate, there is a possibility we will be offering this coffee stout in 750ml bottles at liquor stores though out the state.

BBC’s Oatmeal stouts was brewed with English roasted barley and caramunich malt, to give a roasted and slightly sweet malt flavor. The addition of flaked oats lends creaminess and body to this pitch black ale.

Alcohol by Volume = 6.8%
International Bittering Units = 25.0
Original Gravity = 15.5
Brewed on 1-19-07

When asked what he wanted to showcase at Gravity Head 2007, Jerry offered several possibilities, but this one intrigued me the most. Perhaps he can yet be persuaded to part with a keg of the classic Mephistopheles Metamorphosis ...

Leah's Etrange ... the original name was La Biere Foncee Etrange, but that's too much French for me, so we named it after one of the longtime servers here.

It is strong Belgian dark ale brewed with a bunch of Belgian malts, Amber candi sugar and pureed raisins, then fermented with Trappist high-gravity yeast and Berliner Weisse wheat yeast, which really gives it a tart and fruity finish. I would liken it to a sour Belgian red or an old bruin, but without the bacteria. I think it is one of the most off-the-wall, complex and interesting beers I've ever made.

We are going to put some in a couple side bung kegs with some oak or fruit if that interests you, but it's good just the way it is, too.

ABV 9.2%
OG 20.0
IBU 16.0
Brewed on 8-10-06