PicoBlog

I’ve been on a caffeine trip lately. Between business travel to other time zones, a more demanding work load, and a record-snow year here in Utah —that makes me want to rise and ski early on the weekends — I’ve benefitted from having a little help to stay alert in the afternoons.

Instead of brewing another cup of coffee or steeping some black or green tea, I’ll often reach for a cold one after lunch. Turning 6pm ‘laptop shut & relax’ brews into 2pm ‘let’s keep going’ pick-me-ups.

Only in the nonalcoholic brew world does having a weekday lunch beer make sense. Especially when you’ve still got a pile of work to get done. I am here for it!

Among the most novel of finds is Suped Up, a protein-enriched, caffeinated energy brew by Athletic Brewing. It’s a coffee-infused, extra dark brew featuring Super Coffee—a bottled protein coffee company that was featured on Shark Tank.

Suped Up pours a dark, thick pint that smells of chocolate, dark stone fruit, and espresso beans. Flavors include hints of oak and wood, coffee roastiness, chocolate creaminess, tobacco leaf, and dark fruit aromas. The brew drinks with a medium body that starts off light before transitioning into a light acidity followed by a thick creaminess.

Drinking this before a rock climbing session, I was pleased to note that Suped Up made be feel more alert and energized without giving me the jitters.

Skip the Snooze is your more typical dark coffee brew by Athletic Brewing Co. This brew tastes like cold brew black coffee in a lightly carbonated beer body. Featuring two varieties of coffee, it tastes mild like a medium to dark roast. It also contains oats which are known to enhance brew body and creaminess. A good choice when you need a little pick-me-up that’s carbonated, neither sweet nor bitter, and refreshing.

Tornado Joe was a coffee cream ale by BrewDog that tastes of vanilla and coffee with a very low hop profile and slight acidity. It pours a gorgeous golden color with a big pearly head that rises boldly and recedes nearly as quickly. I get a kick out of watching the pearly bubbles rise up to the surface.

Unfortunately BrewDog seems to have discontinued this one, which is unfortunate. I am not aware of very many NA cream ales and no other coffee cream ale and I really liked this one. One downside of the exciting launch of pilot brews in the NA scene is that they often vanish as quickly as they emerged. It pays to buy a little extra when you can, as you may not be able to get that brew that really spoke to you again.

Another exciting caffeinated brew by Athletic Brewing is this Yerba Mate IPA. Who knew tea and beer would dance so well together?

I have fond memories of drinking yerba mate when I used to practice capoeira — an Afro-Brazilian martial art. Practice would usually take place in the evenings after work. And at an intensity that benefited from a little caffeine to keep you moving and kicking for 2 hours straight. On a training trip to Hawaii, I once had a dirty mate which we called a Martelo—named after a hammer-like kick, designed to knock out your opponent. It was yerba mate with a shot of espresso and condensed milk as sweetener. Good luck falling asleep after that kick to the head!

Far from a kick to the head, Athletic Brewing’s Yerba Mate IPA is delightful, boosting my energy and mood. It pours a gorgeous copper color with a beautiful 2+inch foamy head. It smells of honey and citrusy hops. It tastes immensely refreshing: it’s crisp and tangy on the tongue with flavors of lime zest and passionfruit followed by an earthy middle where the Yerba mate shines through. This flavor experience is rounded out by some honey sweetness and finishes dry and hoppy, as you’d expect from an IPA.

If you’d like to order some of these caffeinated Athletic Brews, the Yerba Mate IPA and Suped Up coffee brew are still available. Grab a few before they’re gone and use my referral link to help support this blog.

If this is your first time ordering from Athletic Brewing, use promo code BUZZFREEBREWS20 for 20% off.

Keep sending it!

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