In the spirit of collaboration
It seems that recently, everything is focusing on the power of collaboration. Joe Bean is in the midst of several projects geared towards bringing people together and creating something new. I think it’s interesting how quickly inspiration can generate through discussion. Often, it feels like we are trying to do everything in life on our own, but there is something magical that happens when people start to connect with each other. The growth of ideas and energy is exponential, and very satisfying. Here are some of the collaborations we are a part of.
Roc Brewing Co.
Roc Brewing Co. is a local micro-brewer that we met at a farm market last year. They have just recently opened their first location, and are already producing some fantastic beers. We got together with them to work on a coffee beer. However, we didn’t want to do something traditional like a stout or a porter with coffee. While the flavors pair together well, the coffee often becomes one-dimensional and boring (in my opinion). Instead, we wanted a balanced drink, where the coffee helped pull out new flavors in the beer. After tasting different coffees through various brew methods with different beers we have landed on a concept. The vision is to create a bit of a heavier IPA, adding some Kyoto Sumatra or Papua new Guinea during secondary fermentation. I think we will use hops from the northeast, which are woodier and earthier than west coast hops, which are more citrusy. We will start brewing the first batch this Wednesday!
2011 Northeast Roasters Retreat
This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the annual roasters retreat. The roasters retreat is a regional event, for all roasters within the Northeast, and connects people within the industry and sharing ideas and knowledge. I have been to four retreats thus far, and feel like I gain a tremendous amount of information every time. Mocha Joe’s held this year’s retreat up in Brattleboro Vermont. Pierre from Mocha Joe’s was kind enough to let us camp out at his house, which was absolutely beautiful. While at the retreat, we took the following classes:
- Cupping with Atlas Coffee
- After the Harvest: The fight against hunger in the coffee lands
- Organic Acids with Mane Alves
- Processing and Silverskin in the cup with George Howell
- Creating a Production Roast: comparative cupping/discussion
- Cupping with Royal Coffee
- The Future of Coffee Certifications with Jen Gallegos and Al Liu
- Tea Basics with Patrick Patton
