It's official: Ohio City is our town's beer district. While each new brewery added to our certainty, the glass finally frothed over when the inventive folks at Phoenix Coffee Co. opened their new location on the first floor of the former West Side Community House and began pouring two beer-inspired brews: a Nitro Toddy iced coffee concoction and a Citra hops-infused Imperial Iced Tea. Of course, we had to quench our research thirst.
Reminiscent of that first drink of beer, the Imperial Iced Tea is an acquired taste. But it only takes a second sip to get your taste buds around the hoppy, carbonated flavors that meld with your familiar iced tea. It's like the coffeehouse version of a summer ale: bright, easy drinking and refreshing.
Any good stout worth its weight in malt is thick, dark and creamy, and comes out of a nitro tap. The Nitro Toddy cascades over the ice as it's being poured. As it settles, a frothy head takes shape at the top of the glass. The smooth and foamy roasted coffee flavor leaves us refreshed and energized — all without a nasty hangover.
