civet_coffee.jpg

An Indonesian civet eating coffee berries. Civet coffee, or "Kopi Luwak," is made from coffee berry seeds that were eaten, digested and defecated by the cat-like animal whose digestive tract partially ferments the beans.

(Wikimedia Commons | Leendertz)

COMSTOCK PARK, MI -- Believe it or not, the world's most expensive coffee is made with Indonesian cat poop. Now, you can drink it in a Michigan beer.

In February, Perrin Brewing Co. in Comstock Park released an imperial brown ale called Big Konas, a 7.4 percent alcohol-by-volume beer made with Indonesian civet coffee and cacao nibs from Equador and Ghana.

Civet coffee, or "Kopi Luwak," is made from coffee cherries that were eaten, digested and defecated by the Asian palm civet, a cat-like tree-dweller whose digestive tract partially ferments the beans. The result is a smooth, sought-after taste.

Collected seeds are washed, roasted and sold for top dollar around the world. Perrin made a 30-barrel batch of Big Konas using civet beans from California importer Luwak Cafe as a fourth installment in its "Killing Craft" series of specialty beers.

Big Konas, a Perrin Brewing Co. beer made with civet coffee.

Due to the expense of raw materials -- imported civet coffee sells for between $100 and $600 per pound in the U.S. -- the beer is a loss leader for the brewery, which made Big Konas partially as reward for top-selling accounts.

All told, it's a beer six months in the making.

"This beer has probably the most sourcing and recipe design" of any Perrin beer, said head brewer John Stewart.

"Usually, you don't go through an interview process with the raw materials people to see if they will even source it to you."

Stewart said Perrin was careful to source free-range civet beans. The strange brew has become controversial because the commercial viability of the odd crop has led to civet capture and caging in order to meet demand.

Big Konas has a smooth, balanced flavor with a hint of sweetness and a noticeable lack of astringency sometimes found in coffee beers, said Stewart. The beer was rounded-out with award-winning Pacari chocolate. An 8-ounce pour at the pub is $6.

The Perrin pub at 5910 Comstock Park Drive NW should have the beer on tap for another month. Stewart said the brewery's popular Grapefruit IPA will be released next week. The hopped-up version of Grapefruit IPA, Juicy, another Killing Craft series beer, will be released later in the year.

Garret Ellison covers business, government, environment and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram