Two local and proud brands, one brilliant cold brew coffee stout beer!
Only some of the finest things in life are an instant, organic fit. Like butter and bread, or popcorn and movies. The blend of coffee and beer is one of those simply magical combinations. There’s something so refreshingly wholesome about a cold pint of beer that sings of coffee on the palette. Who wouldn’t go for a pint just thinking about it?
Just like we at BONOMI would like to be synonymous with achieving the desire to drink better, and spreading joy with our cold brew coffees, Gaurav Sikka and the team at Arbor Brewing Company have been doing just that for 10 years, and counting!
With their brewery in the heart of Bangalore, Arbor has been bringing some of the best of craft beer to anyone that walks in, and frankly, it’s one of the finest in the business, with memorable brews for the ages.
As a 100% local business, we pride ourselves on our constant effort to be the best cold brew coffee that Bangalore has to offer, with a fully in-house brewing operation. And we’ve been fortunate enough to be championed in this effort by a number of bars and restaurants across the city, Arbor being chief among them.
Armaan and Gaurav have known each other since the early days of Arbor, and Vardhman and Gaurav have known each other from the early days of their Twitter stints. So, a collaboration was only imminent. And when Armaan and Vardhman came together for BONOMI, and brought cold brew coffee to the table, Gaurav saw an exciting opportunity to create something together. As Gaurav puts it, “Doing stuff with the community and for the community is something we believe in.”
And so it was. Having done a coffee based beer every year since 2012, with multiple collaborators, Gaurav, Armaan, and Vardhman decided to continue the tradition for the 2022 edition. After working with Blue Tokai and Third Wave Coffee in the past, BONOMI was a natural fit for the Espresso Love stout for the year, which is Arbor’s way of platforming new and interesting coffee-led brands, and celebrating them in the way they know best.
And that’s what led to the birth of BONOMI x Arbor for the 2022 edition of Espresso Love Stout!
Vardhman was most kicked with the idea, having had a lifelong dream to combine his two loves, beer and coffee, in a heady blend that he would enjoy, and help others enjoy as well. His sessions with Hollis Coats, the chief brewer at Arbor Brewing Company, were not just fruitful and exciting, but also ones filled with incredibly synchronicity, because they were on the same page about the part BONOMI cold brew coffees were meant to play in the recipe. Speaking about his experience, Hollis said, “it was pretty straightforward, and there wasn’t a whole lot of science to it! It was more about just getting together and talking about coffees and beers.” We reckon sometimes, good things do come easy!
While a stout typically doesn’t contain coffee in it, the beer itself has always brought forward the same flavour profile as a coffee. But adding real cold brew coffee to the stout, to intentionally elevate the nuances and taste of a regular stout, and allow folks to explore and discover different kinds of stouts. While a stout is an acquired taste, Gaurav, Hollis, Vardhman, and Armaan hope that the new edition stout is an instant favourite for everyone who tries it!
And here’s hoping that this collaboration of two local and proud brands, dedicated to helping you drink better, is only the beginning of a much longer line of celebrations to come!
Cheers,
BONOMI x Arbor
The Espresso Love Stout is available on tap at Arbor Brewing Company till stocks last. Map your route to ABC here.