Collaboration Brew

Long time in the making, this stout has its roots in one of my first homebrewed beers, the "Darkest Days" Mocha Stout, brewed for the first time back in November 2017 as my first attempt at blending coffee and chocolate within the same beer. Since then, "Darkest Days" has been brewed several more times, each with different coffee beans and cacao nibs, with the last batch specifically using beans from Café Blá together with nibs from Truly Craft Chocolate. Even though originally intended as a big stout, that particular batch was tweaked for lower alcohol to improve drinkability for the "Groundwork" fundraiser, where it was served back in 2023. It was at that event that Jacob from Café Blá asked if we could do a commercial version of that stout, but since that wasn't something I could do as a homebrewer, I let that idea simmer until finally pitching it to my friends and local brewing legends, Higgins Ale Works, who were immediately on board, as were our friends Davina and Rony from Truly Craft Chocolate. The vision was for this to be unapologetically heavy, thick, and as dark as possible without tipping the flavor to an overly roasty profile. I wanted it full bodied, with velvet-soft mouthfeel, and just a slight residual sweetness. Together with Paul and Bob from Higgins Ale Works, we went through each of our brewing notes for anything we had made with coffee and/or chocolate, and started crafting our recipe.

We brewed "Midnight Mantra" over the course of two days back in February 2025, then a month later we infused it with Maya Mountain cacao nibs from Belize, sourced by Truly Craft Chocolate, who roasted, cracked, and winnowed the beans right here in Munich. Their 70% Maya Mountain bar has won two awards and is my all-time favorite from their line-up, not to mention an origin that I've already used in several of my homebrewed beers. With chocolate sorted, Jacob invited us all at Café Blá for a cupping session to decide on which coffee beans to use. Out of a line-up of expertly selected coffees, ranging from funky to fruity to roasty, we unanimously decided on the Ethiopian origin from the Sidama Region, which would perfectly complement the chocolate. Adding the coffee beans directly to the fermenter, we regularly tasted our concoction until the flavour profile was just right, reminiscent of the mochaccino that inspired it. Once satisfied with the flavor, we set the beer aside in the cellar for long-term maturation until the following winter at the end of 2025. Ten months since brewing, but years in the making, this collaboration is so much more than what fills a glass, it's about the coming together of those who are truly pasionate about their craft, those who are curious enough to ask questions, but also patient enough to walk the long flavor trail, it's about those mavericks who understand that flavor lives in the slow work.