Puerto Rico's coffee-growing tradition is being reinvented in a craft beer that aims to shake up the local market.
Amid toasts and expectations, the Puerto Rican distillery industry marks a milestone with the launch of the first beer made with coffee cherries, an innovative craft recipe born from a collaboration between Café Don Ruiz and Ocean Lab Brewing Co.
In their search to innovate the craft beer market, both companies worked together to create a drink that would capture the citrusy and fruity flavors of the coffee cherry, offering something different from traditional beers made with roasted beans.
"We had already experimented with a coffee beer using the bean, but we always had the idea of working with the fruit to create something completely new in Puerto Rico. That's where the initiative to join forces and develop a 100% Puerto Rican product came from," said Abimael Ruiz Feliciano, owner of Café Don Ruiz.
The magic begins in the mountains
☕️ The fruit plantations, located on the Hacienda Café Don Ruiz farm in Yauco and covering more than three thousand feet of land, represent the work of four family generations.
☕️ Abimael Ruiz created the Café Don Ruiz brand in honor of his father, Eugenio Ruiz, who belongs to the family's third generation.
☕️ Now, Café Don Ruiz is entering the world of brewing for the second time. Unlike other coffee liquors made with roasted beans, the new beer goes through an exhaustive preparation process, from picking the ripe fruit to storing it for transport to the brewery.
Café Don Ruiz currently has two locations for the sale of its coffee and other food items, in Old San Juan and at Metro Plaza Mall in Caguas. Photo supplied: Café Don Ruiz
What we are using now is from our harvest, [from 2024 to 2025] and what we are bringing to the public is that Oceanlab is always looking to innovate, to bring new things from the perspective of beer, which is made 100% in Puerto Rico
Abimael Ruiz, owner of Café Don Ruiz
A combination of mountain and coast
With more than eight years of history since its founding in 2017, Ocean Lab Brewing Co. decided to join forces with Café Don Ruiz to create a beer that would bring together both the mountain region and the coastal area of Puerto Rico.
As a result, the coffee cherry beer joins more than 40 drinks created by Ocean Lab that incorporate fruity and tropical flavors characteristic of Caribbean culture.
"The fact that it is the first beer made with coffee cherry shows that there is a lot of room for brewing creativity with local products, which sparks consumer curiosity and exposes them to new experiences, something that is vital for the craft beer industry," said Gustavo Franceschini, creator of the digital platform for beer enthusiasts Craft Beer Generation.
Q&A: Coffee and Beer
What type of coffee are you using specifically for the beer?
"It's 100% Puerto Rican coffee. We have been growing Puerto Rican coffee for four generations since the 19th century. We focus on specialty coffee, not commercial coffee. All the coffee I work with is 100% arabica and, in particular, I work with a variety called Típica, which is one of the most sought-after varieties worldwide in terms of specialty coffee."
Ismael Ruiz
Owner of Don Ruiz
What challenges did you face in making it?
"The biggest challenge was finding the right amount of coffee fruit needed to get the result we wanted, given that this is an approximation and could change when produced at a larger scale."
Ian Ortiz
Master brewer and director of operations at Ocean Lab Brewing Co.
How many batches of the beer did you make before reaching the final product? What does the process look like?
"There were several. We used different measurements until we got it right. What we did know from the start was which beer style we wanted to experiment with. In this case, an IPA, to innovate and do something different that perhaps hasn't been done yet, and to start breaking barriers and express our love for beer and coffee through this product."
Gustavo Franceschini
Creator of Craft Beer Generation
What does this product mean for the brewing scene in Puerto Rico and our culture?
"At the moment there are 24 breweries making beer in Puerto Rico, with many more that brew under contract locally or abroad, so there is a lot of talent and a lot of desire to grow. Every new beer, every collaboration and initiative helps move the needle in a positive direction for the industry and beer culture."
Gustavo Franceschini
Creator of Craft Beer Generation
What other beers are similar to this one?
"Similar beers, maybe not, but coffee beers, yes. I've tried several very interesting local coffee beers, such as the REBLución 'Golden Tropical' Stout from Rebl Brewery in Utuado with Café Aromas del Campo, the legendary Gripiñas Coffee Porter from Boquerón Brewery, and from Ocean Lab Brewery, the Baraka Coffee Stout."
Gustavo Franceschini
Creator of Craft Beer Generation
Roughly, which craft beers are consumed the most in Puerto Rico?
"Puerto Ricans like IPAs (India Pale Ale) and light beers. They're also drawn to beers made with local ingredients, as in the case of Rebl Brewery in Utuado, which specializes in using local ingredients such as yuca, sweet potato and fruit harvested in Puerto Rico."
Gustavo Franceschini
Creator of Craft Beer Generation
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From traditional coffee flavor to fruit
In 2024, the coffee company and Ocean Lab brewed a dark beer with coffee and notes of chocolate and caramel, which they called Coffee Brown Ale. This time, however, they opted for a lighter drink with fruity undertones.
According to the master brewer and director of operations at Ocean Lab Brewing Co., Ian M. Ortiz Pagán, the "beer combines the vibrant bitterness of an IPA with the fruity, juicy notes of the natural coffee fruit, commonly known as 'cáscara.'"
The fusion of the coffee cherry pulp and the IPA base (India Pale Ale) produces a beer that is "smooth and juicy and balances the bright hop bitterness with the natural fruitiness of the coffee fruit, making it slightly sweeter and more approachable than typical coffee stouts or porters," Pagán said.
4 Characteristics of Craft Beers 🍺
Ingredients and quality
The best ingredients and the highest standards of quality and consistency
Creativity
With local and diverse ingredients and a variety of styles, craft breweries produce unique beers and experiences
Variety
With creativity comes variety in styles, which also leads to the creation of new ones and the use of particular ingredients
Culture
Craft beer culture is unique. It is a community where, even though they compete for sales, everyone collaborates by brewing beers together, giving each other feedback, helping with ingredients and much more
"In this case it's fruit. It has more profiles like plum, tamarind and hibiscus; it brings out that citric acidity of the ingredient. It's like a bouquet of fruit in your mouth when you try the product, which breaks with everything traditional that we know here in Puerto Rico," Ruiz said, inviting all coffee and beer enthusiasts to the primer Coffee Party de Puerto Rico.
For enthusiasts who want to try this innovative beer, it will initially be available in limited quantities during the launch event. Afterward, Ocean Lab Brewing will announce through its social media the product's availability at its Carolina and San Patricio locations, as well as at Café Don Ruiz establishments.
Those who attend the event on Thursday, Feb. 13, will be able to try the cherry and coffee beer while enjoying music, talks and artistic presentations.
"We're going to transform our space from a calm, relaxed place into a more lively one, celebrating friendship, love and a good cup of Puerto Rican coffee," Ruiz added.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
