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Although I covered coffee-n-booze drinks in my last post, I thought I’d touch on the topic again (this is Milwaukee, after all, and we like our libations). It hasn’t escaped my attention that more coffee roasters around town are expanding their menus to include alcohol—wine, beer, toddies and coffee drinks—to carry into those in-between hours spanning breakfast/lunch to early evening.
Roasters such as Valentine Coffee, Hawthorne and others have created delightful mash-ups of coffee shop-meets-bar ambiances that are a little quieter and more conducive to meetings and conversation than traditional bars and nightclubs. Some of these roasters are even partnering with craft brewers to create exclusive coffee-infused brews. I reached out to a couple of local coffee roasters to see how the marriage between coffee and alcoholic beverages is going.
Colectivo is a pioneer of Milwaukee’s coffee scene, and the long-time roaster has also been a frontrunner in offering beer. Scott Schwebel, vice president of marketing for Colectivo Coffee, said beer is nothing new for them; their Colectivo Keg Company brew is offered at the Third Ward location and at other cafés that have tap systems for beer, coffee and kombucha. “We have offered it at select cafés for about five years. Every café we have opened since then carries tap systems,” he said, showing that the model has been a hit with customers.
Schwebel said brewing was a basement hobby that grew into an opportunity to expand their café beverage offerings. “We have many beers that are coffee origin inspired, which connects directly back to our farm relationships,” he said, and 3 Sheeps Brewing Company, out of Sheboygan, is their kegging partner. “They brew to our recipes. They have also developed recipes for us. They are a fantastic brewer.”
Colectivo has also introduced beer cocktails at the Lakefront and at their Chicago locations, with offerings like Lemongrass Shandy, Nitro DBL Black, Cascafa-Mosa and Rebel Yell.
Anodyne Coffee first started serving alcoholic beverages upon opening their Walker's Point Roastery. “Beer and wine made for an obvious and natural pairing with the live music that would be regularly featured at the café,” explained Olivia Stemwell, retail liaison for Anodyne.
Once their Bay View café received its wood burning pizza oven, the drink menu was expanded to include Southern Italian wines and local beer offerings, some of which use Anodyne’s coffee during the brewing process. “Finally, our beautiful outdoor patio at our Wauwatosa location makes for the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of wine or local beer on a warm evening,” Stemwell said. She noted the wine and beer has been a hit across all of their locations and gives people plenty of options to choose from while enjoying their cafe environments.
As coffee shops continue to diversify their offerings, there will be no shortage of venues where we can enjoy a latte or a Lemongrass Shandy. What’s your favorite local roaster that’s added alcoholic drinks to the menu, and why are they your favorite?
