ESCONDIDO, CA — On March 18, Stone Brewing Co. will release its first collaboration beer of 2013: Aleman/Two Brothers/Stone DayMan Coffee IPA. Conceptualized by Jim Moorehouse, Brad Zeller, and Nate Albrecht of Aleman, the recipe formulation and brewing also featured collaborators Greg Koch and Mitch Steele of Stone, as well as Jason and Jim Ebel, co-founders of Chicago’s Two Brothers Brewing Company. The resulting beer marries the unique fruity botanical taste of a hoppy IPA, with the roasted flavor and aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

DayMan was the winning beer at Iron Brew held last August in Chicago, as decided by judges Stone CEO and co-founder Greg Koch, author and beer expert Randy Mosher, and Two Brothers co-founder Jason Ebel. Chicago chef, Won Kim, and Stone Illinois Regional Brewery Representative Aaron Tyrell organized the competition to highlight the exciting and creative homebrewing talent being fostered in the Windy City. Aleman, a trio of homebrewers who are in the process of opening a Chicago brewpub, entered DayMan in the competition, vying for the opportunity to brew the beer at Stone and have it bottled and distributed in 21 states.

According to the judging panel, Aleman’s IPA was the clear winner because of its innovation and intriguing flavor combinations. When asked how a coffee IPA stood out despite a highly competitive field of entrants, Jason Ebel said, “The big thing was that when you think of coffee beer, you think of dark beer. The light color and hoppy flavor intrigued us — it was very exciting to see something different.”

From the start, Aleman’s inspiration was to make a beer that was not an everyday style. “Hops and coffee can play the same role in beer. They add bitterness. We’d sampled one other coffee IPA, but it wasn’t what we wanted out of a beer like that. What we were looking to create was something light, refreshing and crisp—the perfect brunch beer,” said Jim Moorehouse of Aleman.

To achieve the perfect flavor combination, they used a lightly roasted yet immensely flavorful blend of coffee. “Aleman wanted a lighter roast, so we knew our Two Brothers Coffee Roasters Brew House Blend of Ethiopian, Guatemalan and Sumatran coffee would work best,” said Jason Ebel. “The coffee is roasted lighter and we get deep stone fruit and a nutty character from the beans. The latter brings on subtle coffee flavors while the former works well with the hops.”

The brewers who collaborated to create Aleman/Two Brothers/Stone DayMan Coffee IPA will participate in both pre- and public release celebrations in the Chicagoland area:

March 17 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Two Brothers Brewery Tap Room — 30W315 Calumet Avenue, Warrenville, IL 60555

Jason and Jim Ebel, Greg Koch, Two Brothers Coffee Roasters’ Master Coffee Roaster Mason Brown, and the brewers of Aleman will participate in a bottle signing event. Guests will have the opportunity to try the beer before it’s released nationally.

March 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Hopleaf Bar — 5148 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640

Jason and Jim Ebel, Greg Koch, Two Brothers Coffee Roasters’ Master Coffee Roaster Mason Brown, and the Aleman brewers will celebrate the national release of the beer. Aleman/Two Brothers/Stone DayMan Coffee IPA and Stone Brewing Co. year-round release beers will be on tap.

Name: Aleman/Two Brothers/Stone DayMan Coffee IPA

URL: http://www.stonebrewing.com/collab/

Stats: 8.7% ABV, 42 IBUs

Availability: Limited 22-ounce bottles and draft, beginning March 18

Hops bill: Cascade and Citra

Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, IN, MD, MA, MO, NC, NM, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT, and WA

Tasting notes, provided by Brewmaster Mitch Steele

Appearance: Clear amber with a tan head.

Aroma: It’s difficult to discern which aroma hits first—the wonderful, citrusy tropical fruitiness of the Citra hops or the deep-roasted elegance of the coffee roasted especially for this brew.

Taste: The taste of this beer follows right along with the aromatics. Roasted coffee and citrusy hops play well together as the beer flows across the palate along with hints of toasted malt and a wonderful lingering bitterness.

Palate: Dry with a nice lingering bitterness. The coffee flavors hang on pleasantly after the hop bitterness recedes.

Overall: The Aleman guys developed a wonderful IPA recipe. The addition of coffee brings wonderful layers of totally unexpected roast components that make this beer truly unique. I’ve never had anything like it and I look forward to enjoying it. It’s been a pleasure to put this brew together with Aleman and Two Brothers.

About Stone Brewing Co.

Twice named “All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine, Stone Brewing Co. was founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner and is the 11th largest craft brewer in the U.S. Headquartered in Escondido, CA, Stone owns and operates the farm-to-table restaurant Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Escondido, as well as Stone Catering, Stone Distributing, and Stone Farms. Other lofty ventures include construction of Stone Packaging Hall and a second restaurant with an on-site brewhouse, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station, both with an estimated completion of first quarter 2013, and Stone Hotel & Headquarters with an estimated completion end of 2014. For more information, please visit stonebrewing.com or on social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, and The Stone Blog.