Rating: 5/5

Homebrew Project #33 6 To Midnight Coffee & Cream by Nubis Sanctum Ales is a 10% ABV Imperial Cream Ale brewed with Blood Lord Coffee Beans by Dark Matter Coffee, Vanilla Beans and Lactose. 

Homebrewed for my friends Cesar Molina & Jeanette De La Luz wedding on 9/3/2017.

The special project was brewed in collaboration with my friend Oscar Pacheco and Cesar Molina with an inspiration to the Coffee and Cream Ale we had tried on our many trips to the Tijuana B.C. Craft Beer Scene in Mexico. For the special occasion of his wedding, Julio/Cesar entrusted me to come up with an original recipe that would be a cream ale with coffee similar the Coffee and Cream. The recipe was something I had not brewed before and would become one that was created by us. Starting with an Imperial Cream Ale recipe, I started by envisioning what would be the cream side or additional cream. That’s when I brought up the lactose addition. Vanilla would add an enticing sweetness which was provided by Oscar in which we aged in Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon for a month before added to the finished product. We also went through a collection of many of my favorite Dark Matter Coffee beans like the Big Hugs and Unicorn Blood Coffees until Julio decided to use the Blood Lord coffee. It was the same coffee they made by aging the beans in Barrels that once contained 3 Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout. The very same bourbon barrel aged coffee I used in my previous iteration (Home brew Project #29 SangriLeche Chapter: 2 – Hey You, Wanna Buy Some ChocoW00tCherries?!!?) which used w00tstout as the inspiration. 

Moving on, the beer was a major success showcasing many of the rich flavors from the original Coffee and Cream Ale, but at a higher ABV and more flavor intense profile ranging from Coffee, Vanilla, sugar cream, oak notes, stone fruit, dark fruits, creme brulee, flan, tiramsu and much much more. The beer was such as hit that it was the first to run out at the wedding despite being the higher in alcohol content. It was definitely a victorious moment in homebrewing collaboration for me and my friends and something that I’m sure Julio and Janette will never forget. Surely though, I will have to brew it again!