Furthermore Oscura
Our coffee beer is more "iced coffee" than "double-mocha-mud", more "summer quencher" than "winter warmer". I start with a brown Mexican lager to compliment the coffee of choice, "Nicaragua" (beans from the La Fem Grower’s Co-operative, roasted by Just Coffee of Madison.) I include flaked maize both for added creaminess and to appease the sun gods. Extra-warm fermentation lets the yeast create more interesting flavors (the California-common effect, or "Vapor Beer", if you speak Beer-Spanglish.) Hop bitterness is increased to offset the sweet flavor of un-brewed coffee. Whole beans are soaked in the beer during cold maturation - the alcohol extracts and retains aromatics that would otherwise be lost to hot water. You want numbers? Well, numbers you shall have: 15 degrees Plato; 37 IBU’s; 5.3% ABV.
3.6
196 reviews
Spring Green, United States
Community reviews
12oz bottle. Medium beige head atop hazy red-brown body. Aroma is moderately sweet, coffee, caramel, some roast/earthy. Taste is moderately sweet, coffee, some caramel, roast, some chocolate, light coffee bitter. Light-medium body, light stickiness, acidity.
Meh, not a huge fan of this one. Light in body, coffee is strong but doesnt mix as well as with stouts. Lots of carmel.
A pretty interesting take on a coffee beer. Very refreshing and light, crisp. Pretty balanced, despite the toffee and smooth nutty undertones, still a cold one. Pretty good.
On tap at the Old Fashioned in Madison, WI., and dispensed to a cold shaker (too crowded to bother sending back) showing a cloudy, amber brown, (less the frost) modest, tan head that quickly diminished to a ring & film, and light, patchy lacing. The nose was very roasted coffee, some baker’s chocolate, and a light malt presence. Medium bodied with good effervescence, my initial impression was "iced coffee" before reading any description. Medium hop bitterness built as the beer warmed. Lightly sweet, but didn’t notice much flake/creaminess. Finished with a decent astringency and dryness. Not on the steady diet list, but interesting.
First off, kudos to Furthermore for their uniquely named beers as this one certainly caught my eye in the mix and match section. This is a beer with 100% fair trade coffee, or as the bottom of the bottle reads “A Nicaraguan all-female growers co-op (stop) A lusciously aromatic just coffee roast (stop) Our warm-fermented, cold-lagered cerveza oscura (huh?)” Did you understand all that?
It pours a medium brown color with a light brown head. The aroma is mostly coffee to the degree that if we did a blind smell test, you would never guess this was a beer. Overall it is very inviting for the coffee beer lovers. This just might rival some of the best coffee beers that Wisconsin has to offer.
The taste is smooth yet quite bold. Once again is this beer of coffee? The texture is very much like a beer but the coffee flavoring overpowers the malts and hops. It is quite unique as you usually only see coffee used in stouts and porters instead of an American lager. It leaves behind a mild coffee after taste.
This was a pretty interesting find. It’s not something I am going to want all the time, but it is certainly a well made, good tasting brew. The creativity to put coffee into a lager was a good choice as this turned out to be a pretty damn good coffee beer especially since I’m not a coffee drinker. Keep up the good work Furthermore.
-Chris Lemke of WisconsinBrewReview.com
A dark hazy amber, small creamy tan head. Aroma is coffee, some milk chocolaty sweetness, some nuttiness. Creamy medium body, very clean and smooth. Flavor is just delicious. Creamy nutty coffee, light milk chocolate, slightly bitter hop finish. Very enjoyable.
auburn color. scents of chocolate and coffee. smooth, strong coffee flavor. hints of chocolate
Aroma starts and finishes with coffee beans. Appearance is lighter than I expected in a burnt orange variant with a white head that lingers in wisps. Taste starts with a mild sourness and subtly coffee flavors. Overall, this is a pleasant beer but not one I want a 6-er of.
Bottle. Dark but see thru pour. Very thin. No head. Not much aroma. Big taste. Coffee upfront but a smooth bourbon like sweet finish. Good beer
Excellent overall beer - the coffee flavor is noticeable but does not take on the bitter flavor of many coffee stouts. It’s a refreshing beer for such a complex profile. Good toasty caramel flavor, nice bitterness that falls off at the finish, and a clean creamy pour.
This beer is all coffee. Great coffee nose on a dark brown lager. Very coffee in flavor as close as a beer could be to an iced coffee. Really cool.
Interesting take on the coffee beer: a Coffee Mexican Dark Lager. Modest coffee on the nose, coupled with a definite lager aroma. Not too pretty either. Tastes good, not great, with a very brisk coffee flavor that moves along a little too quickly to benefit the dark lager. Mild bitterness on the finish, but the lagery-sweet fade isn’t very pleasant, showing off why corn should never be used in beer. The texture comes off thin and undercarbonated; I can see this as a summer beer, quick and easy and forgettable.
Very much like a coffee stout but without the thickness and creaminess. Refreshing light coffee flavor draws you in, tasting very much of coffee infused/blended ales, not two separate favors . Golden red color with short head. Palate wasn’t perfect as a bit watery around the front end, but finished with a solid coffee.
A new personal favorite.
Pours dark, slightly hazy amber with a 2 finger, creamy beige head. Aroma is nutty coffee, floral hops, toast, cereal grain, malt sweetness and a touch of dry straw. Flavor is big on very mild, nutty coffee, floral hops, earthy malt, a touch of spice and a light, sort of stale toffee note. Palate is light to medium bodied, with a creamy entry, moderate carbonation and creamy, but slightly chalky finish. Pretty good, not really what I’d expected. Like using a nutty coffee to bridge the gap between a mild and brown ale, but you know, it’s a lager. The mouthfeel fits the flavor profile very well.
Pours deep brown, very little head. Aromas of a fresh pot of coffee. A big roasted coffee flavor with some chocolate. Some malts, but mainly strong coffee. If you like coffee, then you’ll love this beer.
Bottle pours brown with a tan head. Aroma shows notes of light roast, heavy coffee, and an underlying hint of cocoa. Flavor shows the same with additional notes of caramel and earth. Overall body is moderate and finishes with some nice roasted bitterness.
bottle from Zipp’s, pours light reddish brown with a medium creamy tan head that lasts the length of the glass. Aroma is big coffee beans and mild roast. Flavor is creamy oats and toast with big flows of coffee, semi-sweet mild roast, bold heavy roast, all very fresh and clean in the finish. Sublime!
light tan colour, with an eighth inch of head. Distinct coffee aroma.A little lace. Average mouthfeel, good drinkability, with good bitterness and secondary malting. Coffee very distinct. Gets bitterer towards the end, but tolerable. Fast dissipitating head.
Sampled @ GLBF 2011. Poured a thin blackish brown with minimal head. Smells like coffee grains and toasted malts. taste is similar with a nice bitter finish. Not bad but too thin.
/hinting towards coffee. It is a lighter beer though, just seems like a mish-mash of a beer.
12 oz bottle thanks to 17thfloor. Pours a deep amber brown with a small creamy light beige head. Aroma is very much like a slightly weak brewed coffee. A bit of a roastiness and a hint of dark cocoa. Flavor has a very strong iced coffee character, touches of dark fruit and a crisp clean finish. Medium body and a moderate carbonation. Interesting beer, not bad, nothing crazy good but very drinkable.
An interesting color, like an amber brown, beige cover. The aroma is lots of earthy coffee, cocoa, caramel. Taste is again very earthy, green coffee beans the roast is there but light unlike in coffee stouts where the roasted malt enhances the coffee flavor. This is actually very nice, clean caramel sweet malt with the true earthy nature of coffee beans.
This beer is really pretty decent, but still nothing much to it. I like some more complexity.
Bottle. Pours a clear amber color with a small off-white head. Has a roasted malty coffee and caramel aroma. Roasted malty coffee flavor with hints of caramel. Has a roasted malty coffee finish.
12 oz. bottle via recent BA trade. Pours a cloudy amber color with a small eggshell white head. Aroma of coffee beans, peppers, caramel malts, and toast. Flavor of coffee, caramel malts, roast, toast, nuts, earth, and sugar. Light-medium bodied, with a roasty mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Very, very good.
Thanks to J and R for this one. Quite tasty beer. A very ale tasting lager. Coffee and roasted flavors but not over heavy. Very nice. Serving: Bottle
Thanks to BA tenderbranson69 for sharing this beer, poured chilled into my DFH signature glass.
A - A lightly hazed dark crimson, very good clarity considering the coffee and 2 fingers of light cream -again nice considering the oils of the beans. Streams of lace collect and hold well.
S - The beer is redolent of cold brewed coffee which is pleasant w/ a malty caramel note and light chalky nose
M - A mild malt texture w/ moderate effervescent feel. A nice spice note is felt w/ slightly creamy feel and mild sweet finish
T - The taste is mild w/ coffee at first w/ more nutty coffee mixed w/ an earthy toast taste and light hop flavor. There is a subtle fruit element similar to apple w/ a yeast taste in the finish
D - This is a fine Cali Common. I once brewed a Steam beer based on an Anchor clone recipe w/ cold brewed Panamanian coffee, but this is more seemless in flavor, which is good. The base beer isn’t overwhelmend by the beans-well done!
Bottle from CanIHave4Beers. Great label and an apt description of the beer. It’s more of a refreshing coffee beverage than a big coffee stout bruiser. Great idea, and it works. Pours a light brown with a persistent fluffy beige head. Nose of of mild coffee grounds, sweet malts, and even a sort of herbal/earthy, tea-like note. Some toast. Taste adds a bit more bread. Coffee is more on the nose than the taste, but the taste balances the malts, hops and coffee well. Solid and refreshing beer.
A rarity among the coffee-infused brews offered up in the great state of Wisconsin because it is part of a lager rather than a stout. Looks great (mounds of creamy head) and smells better (coffee, coffee, coffee). Smooth going across the tongue, even body, not the least bit heavy and truly drinkable. My favorite among the Furthermore offerings I’ve tried.
Aroma - coffee, nuts, toast, roasty,
Appearance - red, brown, clear,
Taste - light sweetness, lightly bitter,