Coffee or Beer? Why not both! Our interview behind the creation of our Coffee Lager
Tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello, I’m Jake. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, but raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. I love watching college basketball and playing soccer on Sundays (and of course craft beer).
I’m currently the lead brewer here at White Labs Brewing Co. since July 2023. I started my brewing journey in Knoxville after graduating from the University of Tennessee.
After that, I got a certification in Brewing and Distilling, moved to Georgia to work for Terrapin Beer Co., and eventually ended up in San Diego. I brewed for Coronado Brewing Co. before moving to White Labs Brewing Co. I have always strived to have more of a hand in the creative process of brewing and White Labs has really allowed me to do just that.
What Inspired this brew?
This recipe is a personal homage to one of the key beers that ignited my love for craft beer.
The beer was a coffee lager, aptly named “Coffee Lager,” brewed by a local company in Knoxville called Elkmont Exchange (now YeeHaw Brewing Co).
After reaching out to the head brewer there Chris Meadows, who helped me immensely during my craft beer infancy, I was given the green light to brew it and some good insight on the original recipe. From there the White Labs Coffee Lager was born.
I was a member of the All-American trap shooting team and my favorite Padres is Ha-seong Kim, of course.
The Coffee Lager
Brewed with
Flavor/Aroma Notes of:
- Coffee Beans
- Biscuit
- Baked Apple
Flavor/Aroma Notes of:
- Dark Roast Coffee
- Cereal
- Caramel Sauce
Did you know?!
- Coffee is a fermented product. Before roasting, coffee beans can be processed in 3 different way: Washed, Honey, and Dry/Natural. All 3 processes have a fermentation stage, while it gets dried to a moisture content of 11%.
- By choosing to remove the skin or pulp can have an impact of the fermentation as well as flavor of the coffee bean.
- Due to the method of coffee extraction for making the beer, we add whole beans to the bright tank. Most Coffee beers have very low amount of caffeine.
Question? Sounds great love to try. Any idea how to get the aroma into the beer without the taste?