You may remember a couple of weeks ago that we mentioned that our annual Project Barista festival is back. Well, it’s this weekend so we just wanted to bring you a last-minute update on proceedings.
We couldn’t be more excited to finally be inviting you all back down to the brewery to enjoy a great beer together in person. Project Barista takes the relationship between beer and coffee to the next level, with four very different beers, all using coffee in unique ways. Here’s what we’ve come up with this year!
Press to Zest – 4.5% Lemon & Coffee Gose
An adventure in acidity, with coffee and sharp sour lemon competing for attention. Lemon is no stranger to espresso, with drinks like Mazagran and Iced Coffee Lemonade providing some early inspiration, along with its resurgence in recent times as a popular feel-good combination.
Press to Zest is made with sea salt, which is often used to soften bitterness in coffee. The result is a clean, balanced and refreshing drink with plenty of nuances to keep you guessing.
Extra Special Beans – 5.8% Nitro Coffee Extra Special Bitter
As a general rule, Project Barista beers tend to play fast and loose with beer style definitions. This beer is a little different, as we take on a very well versed style of beer and give it a Project Barista spin.
We’ve used a yeast strain that epitomises the style and made the beer with a more traditional fermentation profile than usual, helping to extract those delicious, delicate esters. We’re looking to exaggerate existing flavours and aromas of an ESB, so our coffee is selected for its apricot, light chocolate and nutty notes, infused slowly to make sure it remains balanced and not overpowering.
Caffè Lungo – 7.4% Dobbelbock
Doppelbocks are big, strong, hearty lagers and we’re delighted to have an excuse to make one for the first time. Caffè Lungo has spent a long time conditioning cold, so we followed that theme by spinning the coffee at just 1°C. Working this way gives us a very accurate idea of how the coffee will present after packaging, which is not always the easiest to judge. This beer is full-bodied, packed with plenty of rich dark fruit notes and is remarkably drinkable. Meanwhile, the clean, direct espresso hit means it truly is one for coffee lovers.
Mucha Mocha – 10% Imperial Coffee Stout
Project Barista wouldn’t be complete without a showstopper. Although it’s fun to experiment with using coffee across all styles, it would be silly to try and deny it’s amazing in big stouts. As the name might suggest, cacao is making an appearance here in this indulgent beer, along with a generous pinch of vanilla. Undoubtedly though, this is a coffee beer.
Mucha Mocha is rich, with a slick sweetness and thick mouthfeel. There’s an intense depth of flavour and complexity, with something different coming out of every sip, especially as it begins to warm in the glass. It’s everything we look for in a Project Barista stout, and we hope you love it.
Check out our blog sirencraftbrew.com/baristablog for the full details. Our first-ever ALL IN ticket includes travel from Wokingham, glass, brochure, live talks and all the beer, wine or soft drinks you can enjoy. See you here on Saturday!
