Isabel and Joseph Gerardis of Joebella Coffee Roasters

Tiramisu edged with the letter “J” for Joebella from Artisan Restaurant

As if all that weren’t enough for our taste buds, we also got to sample the premier release of Nectar Ale’s Black Xantus, an American oak bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout infused with Joebella’s single origin (meaning the coffee is from one specific country of origin) Mexican coffee, the first new release from the beer label in many years. Made locally at Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles, this creamy, dessert-worthy beer has luscious notes of coffee, caramel, cocoa and black cherry – all signature flavors of the coffee itself. Joseph explained that FW’s Brewmaster Matt Brynildson already had the concept for the stout-plus-coffee brew and even the name, which celebrates a rare Mexican hummingbird (all Nectar ales sport hummingbirds on their labels), when he approached Joebella.
“They definitely wanted to use a local coffee roaster, Matt came in and we tried about six single origin coffees so see how they paired with the stout,” explained Joseph. As luck would have it, the Mexico coffee more than fit the bill, and – although it will have extremely limited distribution — the Black Xantus is already creating quite a buzz in craft beer circles. Also worth noting is that the beer’s PR info is visibly touting Joebella’s business stance with this wording, “… infused with fresh organic/ Fair Trade coffee …”