Bereka
We collabed with our friends at Boon Boona Coffee to create this balanced coffee stout. The brew follows a pretty standard malt bill with Maris Otter and Crystal Medium balancing out the darker, more roasted malt flavors. After fermentation, the beer is conditioned on 10lbs of Boon Boona’s Bereka blend, which they describe as having notes of graham cracker, caramelized sugar, and spice.
Bereka means “to be blessed” in Amharic and represents both the celebration of life centered around the East African coffee ceremony. This ritual is the fabric of all social gatherings, from celebrations to mourning, and we are proud to honor this tradition with Boon Boona Coffee.
The ceremony begins with pan roasting green (unroasted) coffee beans, which are then brewed in a clay pot known as a jebena. The coffee is brewed three times and served in small cups called finjal/sini. The first two rounds of brewing have unique names based on the language of the local community, however, across languages the last round is called Bereka, meaning “to be blessed”. It is the guests who offer blessings to the host as a form of gratitude for the hospitality.
