I was reading Alyssa’s recent review of Columbia Street Roastery’s offerings and couldn’t help but highlight their collaboration with Fiala Brothers Brewing in Normal (who has great grilled cheese, by the way). Their brewery opened in 2022, and if you’ve never visited when you’re in Uptown Normal, you should. CSR has a ton of fantastic blends and this is another fun one they’ve put out there.
I’m going to just steal what Alyssa said, because she says it well:
Lastly, I splurged and got the luxury bag of Fiala Brothers Buffalo Trace barrel-aged coffee ($25 for 12 ounces). In a sleek black bag instead of beige, this blend was strikingly aromatic as soon as I opened the bag but even moreso when the coffee brewed. Made with Guatemalan coffee that was aged for forty days in a Buffalo Trace barrel, this was a yummy sip of coffee and whiskey intermingled with some cherry. It definitely tasted like bourbon, but that yummy whiskey flavor brought out vanilla in the espresso and added a delicious oaky layer to the coffee. Starting smooth, the barrel-aged coffee crescendoed for a bourbon burst with friuty notes and a nice, roasted coffee finish.
