Worried about how many beans are in your beer? Coffee beans, that is. Not baked. There shouldn't be any baked beans in beer. That would be disgusting. When the weather gets colder and the nights grow longer, it's prime stout season. But how much caffeine is actually in these coffee-flavoured beers? And will it keep you up all night, bouncing off the walls with energy?
The short answer is: no.
Beer, even coffee-flavoured beer, doesn't reallyyyyy have caffeine in it. Unless it's a beer that's been made with real coffee or caffeinated tea leaves. And even then, it's such a small amount that most breweries don't even bother to measure it.
It can be a little confusing, but here, we'll explain how beers can taste like coffee without caffeine.
What is a Coffee Stout?
Oh, we're so glad you asked! No, really, it's one of our favourite questions cause then we can act all knowledgeable and remind you that we do actually know stuff about beer! So, a coffee stout is a dark beer with a strong, bittersweet, roasted, coffee-like flavour. They're usually smooth and creamy and very easy to drink. Unlike porters, the stout's older sibling, they also have extra room to play around with different flavours for the best drinking experience. It's no wonder why they're so popular in pubs!
Have we teased you enough? If you want to know more, check out our blog about the differences between porters and stouts.
How Much Caffeine Is There in a Coffee Stout?
How much caffeine there'll be in a coffee stout will depend on each individual beer. We know that's not the most helpful answer. But it's true! In general, though, in one can of beer, there'll be about 8mg of coffee - this is basically just a couple of sips of your regular brewed coffee. To compare, there's usually 100mg in a cup of coffee. Definitely not enough for you to feel the effects, even if you aren't a caffeine-fuelled gremlin-like we are.
How Do You Add Coffee Flavour to Beer?
So, for the beers that have no caffeine in them, how do they get that classic coffee taste? All the brewers need to do is add additional roasted malts or caramel or even chocolate for the extra coffee flavour (and dark colour). Yep. It's that simple. Some beers do use real coffee beans, though. And those beers are usually the best ones…
Stay Caffeinated with Our New Coffee Beer Spresso
Oh, look, this leads us very nicely into introducing our brand-new coffee beer! Spresso is an amazing coffee stout…that uses real roasted coffee beans (only the best here), along with sweet dark fruit and chocolate malt. Smooth like gliding scissors on wrapping paper, Spresso is just made to be sipped while getting cosy by the fire.
Treat a Coffeeholic to a Climpson & Sons x Beavertown Bundle
Is your mate a coffee lover AND a beer lover? Then we've got just the gift for them! Our Climpson & Sons Beavertown Bundle features 6 of our Spresso beers and a 250g bag of Baron coffee beans. Guaranteed to make anyone happier than a pig in a blanket this festive season.
If coffee isn't their thing, check out the rest of our beer gifts; from socks and slippers to beer glasses and even more beer bundles, there's something for everyone.
