Beer, Wine, and Coffee? When I first heard that these 3 were being put together to create a drink, it made me wonder what it would taste like. I also asked myself, who in their right mind would try Vinobrew. Well, I did, and here’s what I think about it.
Goathouse Brewing and Wise Villa Winery collaborated together to create this interesting combination a few years back. They have been featured on the show How it’s Made.
Vinobrew is craft beer, wine, and cold brew coffee combined. It’s a hybrid concoction that will let you enjoy all three flavors in one sip. I have experimented with it twice and I used stout beer both times, so this is mostly what I tasted but I had hints of coffee and red wine as well.
I enjoyed the one I created with Yenguling’s Hershey Porter the best. But, I love stouts and chocolate. I also love stouts with coffee, so this was right up my ally.
You can experiment by trial and error to create your own combination. All you need is your favorites of each. You see, not everyone is going to love the same thing, and like I have said before, that’s what I love about coffee and craft beer…there is something for every taste bud.
Cold Brew Coffee
I started with Cold Brew Coffee.
The reason I started here is that cold brew has to steep for 16 hours to ensure all the flavors have been extracted from the beans. So, naturally, I would start with it so that my coffee has time to brew.
Cold Brew is easy to make, all you need is a French Press and a mason jar.
Cold brew coffee has so many benefits. Mood boosting, metabolism raising, easier on your stomach, could help you live longer…sign me up. Especially if you are mixing it with beer.
Making Cold Brew
To make your cold brew, you start with fresh, coarsely ground beans. This allows all the flavors to be extracted from your bean. You want to always use room temperature water and let it steep for 16 hours.
I combine my water and grinds in my French Press, then let them steep on the counter. When it’s finished, I filter it with the mesh filter on my French Press and pour it into a mason jar. Then, I store it in the fridge.
You can keep it for 5 days.
Pick Your Beer
Picking a beer for your concoction is the next step. Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer a stout or dark ale. If you want a cup full of flavor, this is what you will need to choose.
Personal preference is key here. If you like sweeter beers, then choose one. Or, if you prefer a hoppy brew, go with that. It’s going to take some experimenting to get your perfect recipe.
Stout beer is just simply dark beer brewed with roasted malt or roasted barley or hops.
My all-time favorite stout is featured in the blog post written by KissMyBrew.com. The #13 pick called Mexican Cake by Westbrook Brewing is a must try if you never have before.
They have been brewing Mexican Cake since 2011. It is aged on cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and fresh habanero peppers. Trust me when I say, it’s delicious.
Picking a Wine
Finally, you need to add wine. Red wine is recommended and I would stick with this. I chose the Apothic Red Wine.
It’s bold and intriguing. It’s a mix of merlot, cabernet, sauvignon, syrah, and zinfandel wine grapes. The black cherry, vanilla, and mocha notes pair perfectly with a coffee brew.
A full-bodied wine with rich flavors is perfect.
How my VinoBrew turned out?
At first, I went with Guinness. It was ok, but not my favorite so I didn’t give up. Next, I tried the Hershey Porter from Yenguling and it was a pass. My taste buds prefer the chocolate stouts over any other.
My recipe is mostly beer, with a little wine and a shot of coffee.
The coffee complimented the beer and the red wine gave it a slight tart taste that I thought was great.
You don’t want to use too much coffee because it will overpower the entire drink. Plus, I’m a little sensitive to caffeine so I didn’t want to have the shakes at 7:00 at night.
Create Your Own
You don’t have to mix all three together. You can do coffee and wine or coffee and beer. It’s totally up to you. Heck, why do you think they already brew beer with coffee? Because it’s good!
Wine Brewed with Coffee
Apothic also has a wine that’s brewed with coffee. Its tasting notes are coffee, red fruit, and toasted oak.
Coffee Infused with Wine
You can also get coffee that has been infused with wine. King of Clubs Coffee has one that is wine barrel aged. Or, Vera Roasting has a french roast coffee that’s infused with red wine antioxidants.
Conclusion
If this mix sounds interesting to you, I strongly advise you to give it a chance. If you already love coffee, beer, and wine, why not mix them all together and enjoy. I did and I didn’t regret it. Vinobrew is a refreshing drink that you can relax and sip on any time of the year.
Figure out your mix with a little trial and error, then comment below what you did. I’d love to hear what you decided to mix together.
VinoBrew
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Stout Beer of Choice
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine of Choice
- 1 Shot Cold Brew Coffee
Instructions
- Brew your Cold Brew Coffee First
- Mix all ingridients together and stir gently
Notes
