This isn’t a beer review, but as I noted when I received these mixes, it is “brew” adjacent—as in coffee brew. Cask & Kettle, a Michigan-based company, developed a line of instant hot coffee cocktails designed to be used with single-serve Keurig coffee machines. These are in standard Keurig-compatible pods, containing the alcohol and ingredients needed to create the cocktail—just add hot water.

If you don’t have a Keurig? The directions note that you can simply punch a hole/remove the foil “lid” of the pod and add it to a coffee cup with hot water.

C&K works with a Michigan distillery for the alcohol, as noted on the about page:

We have partnered with Temperance Distilling to help us craft and blend CASK & KETTLE hot cocktails. Located in Temperance Michigan, they began with just one brand in 1998, but quickly evolved and now currently collaborate with a number of unique spirits brands who represent a wide range of styles, tastes and formats. We are proud to call Temperance Distilling a partner in our quest to create hot, ready-to-brew cocktails that a mixologist and barista would be proud to serve.

These appear to be available all over the Midwest, along with a smattering of other states, but not Oregon. I don’t know if that’s a regulatory thing, or the company simply hasn’t focused on the state yet.

Aside from the three I review here, the other two flavors Cask & Kettle offers are Hot Blonde Coffee and Spiced Dry Cider.

Let’s get to my reviews; some details about each of the three flavors the company sent, along with my freeform notes that I wrote up as I was sampling them.

Mint Patty Coffee

A coffee cocktail meant to invoke chocolate peppermint candies, C&K’s description says, “Bright, crisp taste of vodka and mint blended into dark roast coffee with a touch of dark chocolate.” If you like mint, you’d enjoy this.

The box notes that it contains vodka, coffee, mint, natural flavors, and caramel color, and is 37% alcohol by volume (per pod).

Intensely minty aroma, much like a Peppermint Patty candy, with some chocolate as well. It’s pleasant. The taste is a little thin and moderately boozy, with a kick of minty warmth, and a touch of chocolate syrup, which gives it a bit of sugary sweetness, but not cloying or saccharine. Pungently minty throughout the cup, this is one that would go well mixed with cream (or creamer), or other similar additions.

Irish Coffee

I suspect this is the “flagship” of the brand, if C&K has one, and Irish coffee is usually the first kind of hot coffee cocktail that comes to mind for me generally. The description says:

Coffee with the aroma of smoky whiskey mixed with the welcoming allure of dark roasted beans and buttery caramel. The perfect balance of Irish Whiskey and robust flavor with a mild sweetness.

It’s 38% ABV per pod, and the box says it contains vodka, Irish whiskey, coffee, and natural flavors.

It’s fragrant with sweet boozy notes with hints of vanilla and brown sugar (light “whiskey”), there might be some spice but it’s indistinct as to what it might be (if any). Sweet and caramelly taste, with some honey, alcohol fumes/heat at the back of the throat. A lightly oaky note of the Irish whiskey, but tends toward sweet and as an Irish coffee cocktail it definitely hits the mark.

Mexican Coffee

This is a fun one, a bit lighter than the others at 30% ABV but with an interesting blend of flavors. The description reads:

An aromatic bouquet and nuanced combination of flavors to please a sophisticated palate. The smooth mouthfeel and light agave flavor of silver tequila combined with darker notes of roasted coffee and a whisper of Mexican chocolate at the finish.

The box notes that it contains vodka, tequila, coffee, natural flavors and caramel color.

Definitely get a bit of a tequila, herbal note in the aroma, distinct from the other two—it’s nice, but there’s no spice, and that’s something I’d expect for a Mexican coffee (something along the lines of mild chili, chocolate, cinnamon, something mole-like). Flavor goes in a slightly smoky direction with a subtly sweet coffee note—caramel, demerara sugar, agave syrup. There’s maybe a touch of cinnamon-like spice, but overall it’s a bit more complex that the rest with smoky tequila notes, and it’s nicely balanced.

All in all, we enjoyed these. Each “tube” pack comes with five pods, and while they’re likely not something you’d drink every day, I’d consider them for special occasions and splurges.