16 Coffee Beers, Ranked

Between the many microbreweries and even the big wigs coming out with creative concoctions, we really are living in something of a golden age of beer — more specifically, a golden age of coffee beer. Coffee and beer together? I mean, I can't think of a better combination. There are so many coffee beers available that span a vast spectrum of flavors. Some have a very obvious, coffee-heavy presence, while others seem to be tapping into the bean juice world as some kind of marketing ploy.

I wanted to try the good, bad, and trying-to-be-good-but-really-missing-the-mark, so I gathered samples of coffee beer from a range of breweries, both large and small. Some of these beers proudly proclaim their coffee affiliation, while others have it as more of a tasting note. After sampling each, I compared them based on how much I enjoyed the taste and the presence of actual coffee flavor in the beverage. I aimed to find beers that were enjoyable to sip that had just enough of that coffee flavor without being overwhelmed by bitterness.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I must admit, I was really skeptical of Dogfish Head's Wake Up World Wide stout beer because it had a sticker dating back to 2022 on the bottle cap. That means I tasted it about two years after it was brewed. Honestly, sipping felt a little risky, especially because I pay close attention to the expiration date on beer (and all food for that matter). I pressed on because, according to Dogfish Head, this beer ages well.

I couldn't tell whether or not the aging had such a profoundly negative effect on this beer. I found it hard to escape the abundantly oaky, bourbon barrel taste. It was heavy and felt a little too thick for my liking. It was like a sipping an aged fine wine that I know I should appreciate, but just can't get there. Simply put: It tasted old.

I've never been humbled by a beer as quickly as I was when I cracked open Ozark Beer Company's coffee stout. As soon as it hit the glass, it foamed up so fast. I poured it just as I always pour beer from a can, but the unwieldy (and therefore, sticky) crowler made for a less than enjoyable experience. Though crowlers and growlers are great ways to transport beer, I fear this beverage was simply best enjoyed from the tap rather than through the crowler delivered to my door.

Even still, I took sips of the overly-foamed beer to see how it would go down. Maybe it was the result of the journey it took for this can to arrive in Florida, but I couldn't help but notice that this coffee stout had a mild flavor that isn't at all reflective of the coffee I normally drink at home — which is made with some of the best barista-approved coffee beans out there. It tasted like it had lost all of its body and gusto — just like a tap line that went flat. The coffee flavor just kind of mellowed out, and there was no bite or strong carbonation. It was hard to tell whether I had a bad batch that just didn't travel very well or if that's actually representative of what the beer should taste like. In any case, this one just doesn't jump out at me with a really strong beer or coffee flavor, making it one of my least favorites and pushing it towards the bottom of my list.

I'll be honest: Otto had an immediate advantage over the others because I am an absolute sucker for anything with a wax seal. So, appearance-wise, it definitely earned itself some brownie points. Unfortunately, the wax was where those good feelings ended.

Otto was every bit of what I don't enjoy about a bourbon barrel-aged beer. There was a deep heaviness that felt more than a little syrupy. When I went to clean out my pint glass, I noticed there was an impressive film left clinging to it. Otto's sweetness was about the level that you would expect to find in a Frappuccino, or an exceptionally over-sweetened coffee. That's not to say that it tasted like a Frappuccino, but the level of sweetness just went over the top.

At 14.8% alcohol by volume (ABV), Supermassive Café Deth is one strong can of coffee beer. Its parent company, Revolution Brewing, is based out of Chicago (and is one of the best breweries in the state). It makes this brew by adding an impressive 10 pounds of Dark Matter coffee from one of the absolute best coffee roasters in Illinois into each bourbon barrel.

When I poured it, it came out thick — so I knew it was going to be too strong for me even before it took my first sip. When I took a whiff, I felt like I could already taste the fruity, sweet bourbon barrel-flavor. I didn't get much of that coffee flavor because the brew is swallowed up by the bourbon barrel taste. The conflicting flavors were each too strong and seemed to compete against one another to create something of an overly-mixed, muddy-type flavor.

BrewDog promised toffee, cereal, and chocolate flavors in its ale. That's a whole lot of interesting flavor combinations, and while I found this to be a pretty good coffee cream ale, it didn't remind me of really any of the flavors promised on the packaging. Instead, I just got a smooth beer.

There wasn't a whole lot of coffee flavor, so calling it a coffee cream ale just felt disappointing. Even still, it reminded me of beers I've sampled at beer fests in the past, when I adorned a soft pretzel necklace around my neck. The taste itself wasn't disappointing, but the absence of the coffee was.

81Bay is a brewery based out of Tampa that does a lot for the local community.The beer really exemplifies that small-town microbrewery feel. 

This was a good porter with subtle coffee notes. The flavor was mellow and felt nothing like the raging sea reflected by the artwork on the can. Instead, it was ultra calm, and I appreciate that there was very little bite here. I didn't get much "coffee," though. In general, the flavor was pretty mild too; I would have liked to see a little more strength, but with the same level of bite. That said, I could imagine enjoying it, regardless of whether I wanted a coffee beer or not.

At the time of publication, 81Bay's tap room is closed for renovations, but its brews are still available from distributors and online outlets like Total Wine & More, which is where I ordered this coffee porter from. 

This Nut House coffee porter is a milk porter with flavor notes of hazelnut, pecan, and coconut. While the name of the beer surely comes from the nuts mentioned in its tasting notes, I found that these flavors were very subtle. Though the individual flavors were hard to decipher, they combined to form a porter with a stout-like richness. 

Nut House's coffee porter felt like the kind of beer you drink when you want it to feel like wintertime, even if the weather outside is anything but wintery. Here in Florida, that's pretty common, and since this is brewed out of St. Lucie, Florida, it feels like the kind of beer a Floridian would enjoy throughout the winter months.

Coffee beer is rich, which makes it well-suited for the winter months where much of the country is breaking out its fuzzy blankets and parkas. Many of the beers I sampled have a short seasonal run, including Santa's Private Reserve mocha stout, which only runs from November to December. Since Santa takes ownership over this one, it makes all the more sense.

Rogue's seasonal coffee beer is crafted using Portland Coffee Roasters' coffee. This beer also has a chocolate flavor that makes it resemble a mocha. Where many stouts had a very sort of smooth feel to them, this variety has a little more bite on the front end of it. The coffee flavor definitely makes itself known than in the other brews I sampled. I don't typically enjoy that bite with beer, but with the smoothness of the stout behind it, it was rather enjoyable. 

When searching for coffee beers, DuClaw Brewing Company's Sweet Baby Java really stood out due to its flavor elements: chocolate, peanut butter, and espresso. Upon further investigation, the peanut butter really only came in a strong whiff, not much more, so don't expect to be drinking a Reese's.

The coffee was secondary to the richness of the chocolate porter. It was deep and felt like a delicious winter beer. Sweet Baby Java rode that line between a stout and a porter and reminded me of snacking on a handful of chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Some of my first (beer) loves came from Founders Brewing Co. The brewery always seems to find a way to capture flavors that are comfortable for new beer drinkers, as well as those who have very specific beer preferences. Its breakfast stout is a coffee oatmeal double chocolate stout with a rich flavor — no light brunches over here.

I noticed more bite on the end than I expected for an oatmeal stout, but it had a really nice mellow flavor in the beginning. The coffee was on the mild side overall, especially when compared to the double chocolate, which really had that front of house flavor. This is an ideal coffee beer for people who want more of a chocolatey-style beverage with just a little touch of beer. It reminded me of the times I've made chocolate chip cookies and included espresso in the dough for the extra flavor. My only real complaint is that I just wanted more strength from the coffee, and that's why it's not close to the top of my list. All of the building blocks were there; there just needed to be more of them.

Masthead Brewing Co.'s single origin coffee stout is a product of a partnership with Six Shooter Coffee. In sipping, I got a velvety flavor and feel. The coffee did a nice job of supporting the stout, but the stout didn't share much of the actual coffee flavor. It's not necessarily a problem because the stout itself is very enjoyable, but it didn't have the strongest coffee feel to it.

This beer struck a nice balance of crispiness and stout-like smoothness. I was impressed by the latter because I haven't tried many coffee beers that manage to achieve this simultaneous crisp and smooth feel. While I wished there was just the slightest bit more coffee presence, I appreciated the balance and really enjoyed this one overall.

This Danzig Baltic porter had coffee as a tasting note — not as a primary ingredient. So, it's not exactly a coffee beer, like the other others on the list. But, its slight coffeeness makes me feel that it belongs.

This is a delicious porter with really rich flavor. The snow-capped pine trees on the can really drive home the winter beer feel; it felt like something you would want to drink while sitting at a ski lodge bar. The coffee taste was subtle, but it was still a very good beer.

With more coffee commitment, I'm confident that this Danzig Baltic porter could become even better. I would love to see that mellow feel remain, but it might be a difficult balance to strike. In any case, my only wish here is for more coffee.

Perennial Artisan Ales is based out of St. Louis, Missouri: one of the best brewing cities. Coffee Abraxas is an imperial stout brewed with chili peppers, cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, coffee, and cinnamon. The flavor profile itself is already extremely interesting — and even borderline confusing. I had no idea how this beer would settle before I started sipping it.

While bourbon barrel-aged brews generally aren't near some of my favorites, this one was. There was such an astounding amount of flavor coming from every part of it. I didn't expect the chili peppers to burst through the way that they did, but they were just present enough for each sip to be deeply enjoyable. 

I was surprised by how well everything went together. At first, the individual pieces didn't sound like they would be good with coffee. But all put together, they were very good. That said, it was a strong flavor, so I couldn't do more than a few sips without it feeling too heavy and flavorful.

Reve, a coffee stout from Parish Brewing Co., claims to be smooth. The best news? It's supposed to drink like a cold brew. It had a rich coffee taste, thanks to beans sourced from Java, Indonesia and Columbia, and the stout made it feel extra thick. I love cold coffees, and some of the cold brews I've had in the past have been a little bit on the richer, heavier side. This alcoholic beverage was on par with an easy-to-drink cold brew.

When I first started falling in love with stouts, I noticed that they frequently have this really heavy, nearly chewy, quality, and that's what's at the heart of this one, too. Moreover, Reve is ideal if you're looking for a coffee beer that really leans into the coffee rather than the beer, all without the bitterness. 

This peppermint mocha-adjacent beer claims to have cocoa, vanilla, espresso, and peppermint flavors, but I didn't expect the peppermint to come through so prominently. I could certainly smell it, but came through less in the taste. It's there, but not too much. So, no need to worry: This isn't a toothpaste beer.

I didn't expect to enjoy this minty, coffee beer, but it had all the delight sipping on a peppermint mocha during the winter months. Peppermint is such an identifiable, winter flavor. When paired with beer, it sounds like it shouldn't work, but somehow it definitely did. The solid base of rich chocolate and beer together make for the ideal place for the peppermint to just peek its way through. It sneaks out right at the front of the beer and then slowly, perfectly fizzles out.

When it comes to iconic couples, pumpkin and coffee are one for the books. Starbucks and many other coffee chains roll out new pumpkin coffees each year, so it's not too difficult to imagine the pairing making its way into the beer world.

Elysian's Punkuccino is a coffee pumpkin ale. It promises Stumptown coffee with extra cinnamon and nutmeg. I loved this coffee beer, and it was an easy favorite. All of the extra aromas were perfect — not just for fall, but also deeper into the winter. It tasted like a piece of pumpkin pie and beer mixed together. Though, it wasn't reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte. 

Ultimately, this beer earned a spot at the top of my list thanks to its unique, but not overwhelming, flavors. It's also an easy to drink beer and one that will become a seasonal fixture in my house. Not only is it one of the best coffee beers, but it's also one of the best pumpkin beers, too.

I gathered samples of different ales, porters, and stouts for this review. I included both seasonal flavors and permanent menu fixtures. 

From there, I sampled each beer to assess its taste. I rated beers that were enjoyable and easy to drink highly. These were generally ones that I wanted to enjoy more than a few sips of. Beers that had a coffee flavor without being too bitter or overwhelming also did well. Those with a milder coffee flavor did not do as well.