Does Coffee Beer Contain Real Coffee?

Coffee beer is a combination of America's two favorite drinks, and anyone familiar with it will know that the beer part of the concoction is genuine. Can we say the same for coffee? Coffee and beer are the two most drank beverages in America after water and carbonated soft drinks, per Statista. Since being introduced to America in the 19th century, these beverages have enjoyed maximum popularity, per the Economic History Association and Public Broadcasting Service. Bearing the latter in mind, it seems logical that someone, somewhere along the timeline of human endeavor, would try to combine the two. While we may enjoy the taste of both, most people drink coffee and beer for the sensation, per a 2019 report in the Human Molecular Genetics.

Augustino Brewing has found many beer lovers among coffee enthusiasts. The latter was reason enough to address the issue of coming home after a hard day's work to the calming effects of a chilled beer, but because of the beer's alcoholic content, it does more than calm — it creates fatigue. The brewery effectively solved this problem by combining coffee and beer. So if coffee beer mitigates alcohol-induced fatigue, we ask again, does coffee beer contain real coffee?

Coffee beer has a different effect on drinkers, and this influence is not due to beer's standard ingredients (water, grain, hops, or yeast) nor the fermentation process, per Learning to Homebrew. The caffeine in the combination creates a unique experience for the drinker — dispensing a certain degree of alertness. As we now see, the coffee aspect of coffee beer is not only flavor but also caffeine, albeit in small quantities. As such, it makes sense that instead of adding flavorings (artificial or otherwise) or extracts, it is simpler for brewers to add actual coffee.

According to Eldorado Coffee Roasters, coffee beer contains three parts of beer and one part of coffee, so the mixture keeps the profile of a beer. The dark side of this combination, per The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is that the effect of caffeine in beer is the same as that of alcoholic energy drinks. It keeps the drinker alert, creating a false sense of sobriety while masking their inebriation.