Homage to Brewing: Burgundian’s Coffee Beer Festival

Is it possible? Could two of my favorite beverages, coffee and beer, share the same glass at the same time, in the same reality? String theory aside, Burgudian’s Coffee Beer Fest last weekend accomplished this very feat, and Sam and I were fortunate enough to attend. With over 20 coffee beers, 5 toddy cocktails and a caffeine-infused food menu to get through, we braced ourselves for the long haul -- thankfully, doors opened at 10am. Here’s a rundown of our favorites from the artfully constructed line-up: Big Time’s Marzen Oktoberfest aged on Stumptown’s Ethiopia Mordecofe: This medium brown combo was light and refreshing, with hints of brown sugar and citrus notes -- a solid standby throughout the afternoon. Fremont Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged on Tony’s Ganesha Espresso: The highest gravity mix at 8% ABV, this beer was big and balanced with a hint of sweetness. It highlighted the espresso’s depth and the stout’s molasses undertones. Elysian’s Split Shot Coffee Milk Stout with Lighthouse Coffee: Velvety, dark and mysterious, this stout was extremely smooth and mellow, reminiscent of Guinness. Straight Bourbon Cold Toddy: Zoka cold toddy, bourbon, vanilla citrus bitters, orange zest. Smooth toddy spiked with citrus made this cocktail refreshing and dangerously sippable. I’m re-creating this next summer. Bacon Dipped in Coffee-Infused Chocolate: Um, this kind of speaks for itself. Fan-freakin'-tastic! It’s Friday, and I wish we could do it all over again tomorrow. Thank you to the Brouwer’s crew and Burgundian for orchestrating a killer event. We just hope that we won’t have to wait a full year to again witness another marriage of beans and hops.