LOUIS CIFER ~ DARK HORSE COFFEE APA

Louis Cifer is a brew pub on the Danforth, which has been there now for several years. Stepping in for dinner I was surprised how full the large space was on a very cold night. The place is set up like a large US brewpub: big, loud, service oriented, with mediocre food. They have about a dozen taps of house beer and about the same of guest taps. Several of my choices were sold out, so the waitress brought over several samples, most of which were nothing special, this interesting brew was the best of the bunch. The brewers, in collaboration with Dark Horse Coffee, have created an America pale ale infused with espresso beans. An odd combination, but I think this one worked. The brewers used a single hop APA (citra hops) to highlight the rich espresso flavours. Sampled on draught the beer poured a rich golden orange colour, with a no head. There was a ton of caffeine on the nose along with citrusy notes from the hops. The taste also had massive coffee flavour with a pleasant, but not overpowering citra hop kick at the end. The combination of bold coffee flavour with a light beer was strange but successful. Reading the reviews this one seems to be the best of the bunch.

5.2% from Toronto, Ontario 35 IBU