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I'm a big fan of coffee stout. It was one the first styles I homebrewed and I always grab a six pack of it when I notice a new one at the beer store - an increasingly rare event. And here might be the reason why.
The FDA sent a letter to nearly thirty makers of caffeinated alcohol products. It basically said that this particular combination has never been deemed safe and is, therefore, unsafe. The companies have 30 days to prove that the FDA actually did call the combo safe sometime in the past or they will have to stop making and selling the stuff.
Presumably, this came about because of the drinks made by putting energy drinks together with every type of alcohol from light lager to vodka, which I've never tried. But my beloved coffee stout and any other beer brewed with caffeine are included. The press release points out that any amount of caffeine counts. And the list of beverage companies that received letters includes Ithaca Beer Company because of their coffee sweet stout, Eleven.
So, where will this end up? I have no idea. The press release from the FDA seems pretty firm but that could just be the way these things go. Even if there is a dangerous side effect to ingesting huge amounts of caffeine with alcohol it seems some percentage would be allowable.
The other alternative would be decaf coffee stout but that's starting to sound too much like an annoying order at Starbucks.
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Comments
This is quite possibly the stupidest thing I’ve heard all month! C’mon, FDA…it’s coffee stout not Red Bull!
If you read further on the FDA web page, they point out that this does not refer to beverages that are made with coffee, but only those that contain added caffeine. Your coffee stout is safe.
Thanks, Ed. I missed this the first time I checked out the page. (Or it was added after I blogged about it; I noticed that the page in question was last updated on the same day as my post.) Anyone else who wants to check out what we’re talking about, it’s here.