Saint Arnold fuses coffee and beer in new limited edition craft brew

PHOTOS: The best craft beer bars in Houston Saint Arnold's new French Press imperial coffee porter will pack a holiday punch. >>>Check out the best places in Houston to drink craft beer... PHOTOS: The best craft beer bars in Houston Saint Arnold's new French Press imperial coffee porter will pack a holiday punch. >>>Check out the best places in Houston to drink craft beer... Photo: Saint Arnold Photo: Saint Arnold Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Saint Arnold fuses coffee and beer in new limited edition craft brew 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

The fusion of beer and coffee is a very popular one and Houston's oldest craft brewery is getting in on the action.

On Monday, Dec. 3 the Saint Arnold Brewing Company is releasing an Imperial Coffee Porter dubbed French Press. Expect it on store shelves and at most major beer bars around the city. It's a limited release so when it is gone it is gone, according to the brewery.

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According to the brewery it's caffeinated enough that you shouldn't drink one after 4 p.m. if you plan on going to bed at decent hour. It just might be the best beer to get us through the next month of holiday shopping and stress. It's rolling off the line with an ABV of 9.4 percent.

French Press is the offspring of a marriage between local coffee purveyors Java Pura Coffee Roasters and Saint Arnold using the coffee company's espresso blend. That blend was used in Saint Arnold's Icon Blue coffee porter and Bishop's Barrel No. 14 first sold in June 2016.

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It's latest Bishop's Barrel No. 22 release has hints of peach, apricot, honey, and was aged in chardonnay barrels. It's very wine-like and pairs well with rich food.

As for French Press, coffee porters are always heavy but very tasty, especially for hardcore beer snobs. They can be an acquired taste to the mainstream but sometimes the introduction of coffee flavors can make them more palatable to novices. This one has chocolate notes that will also make it more hospitable.

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It's been a busy year for Saint Arnold, which released Daydream -- an American Saison-style beer packaged in a colorful can -- back in early September.

Recent hits from Saint Arnold have included Orange Show, Pub Crawl Pale Ale, Raspberry AF, along with the mysterious double-dry hopped hazy IPA dubbed Not A Collaboration. In early August the brewery discontinued its Weedwacker beer after eight years.

Saint Arnold will enter its 25th year of existence in 2019. Expect a party.

Craig Hlavaty covers Houston history and pop-culture. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | craig.hlavaty@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message...