By 
Coffee and beer go together like chicken and waffles, separately they are delicious but combined they become a unique duo that gives your taste buds a soothing jolt of happiness. Ahhhhh….coffee…ohhhhh……beer……
They have much in common, both are brewed, they both have different levels of satisfaction, roasted coffee beans, roasted oats, so it was just a matter of time before someone combined the two. The first commercially brewed coffee beers were brewed in the mid 1990’s when three breweries, Seattle’s Red Hook Brewing, Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing all brewed a coffee stout. These days it’s not just coffee stouts that are being brewed but coffee IPA’s, Saisons, sours, red ales, it’s all about the coffee! Earlier this year at the World Beer Cup, Tustin Brewing won a Gold medal for their Portola Breakfast Stout using beans from local roaster Portola Coffee Labs. Orange County breweries have been collaborating with local coffee roasters to brew up some great tasting coffee beers, along with Portola there is Bodhi Leaf, Hidden House and Bangarang to name a few. But there is one roaster, not local, but none the less prolific in the coffee and craft beer game, Mostra Coffee from San Diego.
In 2013 five friends, Mike Arquines, RJ Ocubillo, Beverly and Sam Magtanong and Jelynn Malone were looking to start a business, they all come from different backgrounds in business and the arts, they wanted to also give back to the community here and in the Philippines. After dabbling in a few different ventures they found that specialty coffee roasting would be their niche, they would use beans from the Philippines and from all over the world. While they were concentrating on roasting and brewing specialty beans, they started to collab with breweries in San Diego one of the most craft beer centric cities in the United States. Karl Strauss came knocking on the door, then Stone-ever had a Xocoveza?-one after another they came for the beans but also for the customer service.
Mike Arquines is the Head Roaster at Mostra and he will sit all day with the brewer to make sure they get exactly what flavor profile the brewery is looking for. On my visit to Mostra I was fortunate to meet Mike, I went to pick up some beans I had ordered, take some pictures, drink a cup of coffee, I didn’t have an appointment- he was so cordial and we talked for a few minutes but I could tell that he really enjoyed his craft and was a very friendly guy. I had read that they had collaborated on anywhere from 200 to 400 different craft beers so I had to ask him for the most recent number. Now, at 200 collabs they were already considered the world’s most collaborated coffee roaster with craft beer, so when he told me the number was now over 500! WOWEE! You can go to their website for the list of breweries, here in Orange County there are 4 breweries that have worked with Mostra Coffee, The Bruery, Bottle Logic, TAPS and Good Beer Company. I’m sure there will be more.
On January 19, 2019, Mostra is celebrating their 5 year anniversary, they will have a festival with unlimited coffee, craft beer and food. Tickets went for $75 and $165 for VIP, I tried to get a pair but they sold out in 1 minute! Of course there was a limited amount available, but it’s a testament to their craftmanship, quality and that customer service for Mostra Coffee to be so in demand. Follow Mostra on Instagram @mostracoffee for all the latest news and offers, or just get down there for a cup of Mostra!
BobbyKnowsCoffee!
Last modified: December 15, 2018
No comments yet.