To kick off Sweet Brews, let us set two bars. A large part of this blog's purpose is to discover new coffees and beers, and find the best flavors ever tasted. We'll keep a running list of what I would consider to be the best of both worlds - coffee & beer - and to see if over time, a new brew can topple the current kings. And of course, we always want to hear your thoughts on your favorites. As of site launch, here are our current picks for Best Beer and Best Coffee, and the how, when, and where behind the discovery of each.
Coffee
Between August 1998 and May 2005, I lived, learned, and worked in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is an absolutely beautiful town, and home to my alma mater, Ithaca College, and the slightly more well-known institution, Cornell University. Ithaca is not only gorgeous (or Gorges), it's very progressive and home to dozens of socially- and environmentally-conscious companies and organizations.
One such company is Gimme! Coffee. Started in 2000, Gimme! showed up quietly somewhere during my undergrad years. It wasn't until 2002 did I discover it, when I graduated and began working full-time, in that pre-Starbucks Era point in a person's life when they really start to drink coffee. The now-defunct-but-infinitely-awesome Wownet Cafe, directly across the street from our office, was one of Gimme!'s first early suppliers. I like to think that I was one of Gimme!'s first real lovers.
The cafe cycled through serving a number of Gimme!'s wide variety of brews over the years. But I always went back to the Deep Disco blend more than any others. Since moving from Ithaca in 2005 (indirectly) to New York City, I've gotten by on other brews. But thankfully, Gimme! moved into Williamsburg in Brooklyn somewhere around the same time, so I've had a direct, in-person supply line. (As a socially-responsible company, I've never liked the idea of shipping their coffee.) And, as a fantastic twist of fate, they've since opened another cafe 2 blocks from my current job in Manhattan. Every afternoon a fresh cup, and when needed a resupply for home.
The Deep Disco blend is just as its label describes: a medium-dark blend with a smooth body, though I think tobacco is more prevalent in the aroma than in the aftertaste. The best way I can describe Deep Disco is the way in which I drink it: it's my staple coffee. It's the solid, always dependable brew I would make every single day if I didn't mix half-caffs during the week.
There are other Gimme! Coffee blends I love, which I'll cover here, but none so great as Deep Disco. And as a socially-conscious coffee company who cares about where their beans come from and the people behind them, you can feel good drinking Gimme! in mind, body, and soul.
Beer
The following year after Ithaca, I settled in with my girlfriend in Brooklyn Heights, and discovered a neighborhood blog that mentioned a quaint-sounding local restaurant, Jack the Horse Tavern, with a particularly selective bartender who keeps no more than six hand-selected craft beers on tap at any given time, usually rotating through one or two at a time based on availabilities and general seasonals.
So one night, we moseyed on over and discovered not only the best gourmet cheeseburgers we've ever had, but I found Smuttynose Finestkind IPA, and the greater world of India Pale Ales. When the hoppy flavor hit me, I knew immediately that IPA beers were the kind of beers I had been searching for for years. I've had always loved beer. But until that point, what I would have considered my favorite beers had always left me desiring more in flavor, but never wanting more than two or so.
When I finished that first pint of Smuttynose, I was enlightened and overjoyed. While I drink coffee everyday, and even my favorite coffee blends I would still consider myself passionate about, there is nothing more I would rather drink at just about any given time (under the right circumstances, of course) than a Smuttynose IPA. My deep love of Deep Disco coffee is all about frequency, but my exotic love of Smuttynose India Pale Ale is all about amplitude.
There you have it, my absolute favorite brews on earth: Gimme! Coffee Deep Disco and Smuttynose IPA. Over time, we'll try new and exciting coffees and beers, and really delving into both worlds.
So what is your favorite coffee and favorite beer? And what do you think about Gimme!, and their Deep Disco? What about Smuttynose's brews, and their IPA? Dark and bold? Or light and blonde?
Coffee
Between August 1998 and May 2005, I lived, learned, and worked in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is an absolutely beautiful town, and home to my alma mater, Ithaca College, and the slightly more well-known institution, Cornell University. Ithaca is not only gorgeous (or Gorges), it's very progressive and home to dozens of socially- and environmentally-conscious companies and organizations.
One such company is Gimme! Coffee. Started in 2000, Gimme! showed up quietly somewhere during my undergrad years. It wasn't until 2002 did I discover it, when I graduated and began working full-time, in that pre-Starbucks Era point in a person's life when they really start to drink coffee. The now-defunct-but-infinitely-awesome Wownet Cafe, directly across the street from our office, was one of Gimme!'s first early suppliers. I like to think that I was one of Gimme!'s first real lovers.
The cafe cycled through serving a number of Gimme!'s wide variety of brews over the years. But I always went back to the Deep Disco blend more than any others. Since moving from Ithaca in 2005 (indirectly) to New York City, I've gotten by on other brews. But thankfully, Gimme! moved into Williamsburg in Brooklyn somewhere around the same time, so I've had a direct, in-person supply line. (As a socially-responsible company, I've never liked the idea of shipping their coffee.) And, as a fantastic twist of fate, they've since opened another cafe 2 blocks from my current job in Manhattan. Every afternoon a fresh cup, and when needed a resupply for home.
The Deep Disco blend is just as its label describes: a medium-dark blend with a smooth body, though I think tobacco is more prevalent in the aroma than in the aftertaste. The best way I can describe Deep Disco is the way in which I drink it: it's my staple coffee. It's the solid, always dependable brew I would make every single day if I didn't mix half-caffs during the week.
There are other Gimme! Coffee blends I love, which I'll cover here, but none so great as Deep Disco. And as a socially-conscious coffee company who cares about where their beans come from and the people behind them, you can feel good drinking Gimme! in mind, body, and soul.
BeerThe following year after Ithaca, I settled in with my girlfriend in Brooklyn Heights, and discovered a neighborhood blog that mentioned a quaint-sounding local restaurant, Jack the Horse Tavern, with a particularly selective bartender who keeps no more than six hand-selected craft beers on tap at any given time, usually rotating through one or two at a time based on availabilities and general seasonals.
So one night, we moseyed on over and discovered not only the best gourmet cheeseburgers we've ever had, but I found Smuttynose Finestkind IPA, and the greater world of India Pale Ales. When the hoppy flavor hit me, I knew immediately that IPA beers were the kind of beers I had been searching for for years. I've had always loved beer. But until that point, what I would have considered my favorite beers had always left me desiring more in flavor, but never wanting more than two or so.
When I finished that first pint of Smuttynose, I was enlightened and overjoyed. While I drink coffee everyday, and even my favorite coffee blends I would still consider myself passionate about, there is nothing more I would rather drink at just about any given time (under the right circumstances, of course) than a Smuttynose IPA. My deep love of Deep Disco coffee is all about frequency, but my exotic love of Smuttynose India Pale Ale is all about amplitude.
There you have it, my absolute favorite brews on earth: Gimme! Coffee Deep Disco and Smuttynose IPA. Over time, we'll try new and exciting coffees and beers, and really delving into both worlds.So what is your favorite coffee and favorite beer? And what do you think about Gimme!, and their Deep Disco? What about Smuttynose's brews, and their IPA? Dark and bold? Or light and blonde?
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