Rochester Brewing and Roasting, in collaboration with the Kansas City Whiskey Society, has started aging our first batch of coffee in a bourbon barrel. We have worked with KCWS in the past on some of our charity barrel-aged beers, so this new project made perfect sense. KCWS recently selected and purchased an entire barrel of Four Roses bourbon, and they provided us with the barrel to use for coffee bean aging.
The next step is selecting which coffee to age in the barrel. Rochester’s head roaster, Philip Enloe, hosted a group of KCWS members for a blind cupping of four different bean options, both single origin and blends. KCWS also had some of the bourbon from the barrel on hand to compare alongside each of the coffee options. Not surprisingly, they chose Rochester Original, a blend of washed Guatemala and pulped natural Brazil coffee beans.
The first 35-pound batch of blended beans is currently aging in the Four Roses barrel. It’s sitting next to the roaster at our Crossroads location if you want to take a peek. Philip will periodically test the beans to determine the optimal aging time, at which point he will roast and package this special collaboration. Be on the lookout for another announcement when the coffee is available for purchase!