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Initially put together to support venues during the height of the pandemic, the first Situation Chicago LP successfully raised 35k for more than 25 stages. We're back for round two, and this time around, proceeds from the follow-up record go to the CIVL SAVE Emergency Relief Fund, powered by The Giving Back Fund, giving need-based grants to furloughed staff, local artists, and venues via need-based grants in the Chicagoland area. Volume 2 features tracks from Jeff Parker, Umphrey's McGee, and Fess Grandiose.

For this coffee cold can, we chose to highlight a fun, fruity coffee from El Salvador that went through a unique fermentation process. The Pacamara cultivar is a cross between Pacas and Maragogype, a spontaneous mutation of Typica with especially large cherries. Immediately after the cherries were picked, they were collected in an enclosed vessel using carbon dioxide to purge out any oxygen remaining. The intact cherries were left to ferment in this closed system, allowing the natural microbes and yeasts present to ferment the mucilage on the bean without introducing any outside factors. After a few days, the cherries were removed and dried in their skins on raised beds, further developing the acidity and complexity of the coffee.

Nightroamer is the third album from our friends Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and we're happy to report their blisteringly energetic brand of punk-rock'n'roll-country fusion is more expansive and genre-defying than ever! Are they a rock-inspired country outfit or steel-guitar punk? Doesn't matter if it's this good. 

Inspired by this dynamism, we crafted a blend just as versatile as the band themselves: something that can be sipped and shared on the front porch, on the front dash of a tour van, in a honky-tonk roadhouse or a punk rock hole in the wall. Liz Pavlovic's violet night sky gives an indication of the blend inside: dark fruit notes and a twinkle of acidity. Honey processed Salvadoran coffee pairs creamy body (with more citrus acidity coming through as it cools),  with hints of berry notes provided by a Bourbon natural from the Pacas family. Is it a comfort cup or a heady dive? Doesn't matter if it's this good.

Lastly and definitely not least, we were graciously given three tracks from Nightroamer that are yours free via digital download when you purchase a bag through the DMC website. Make sure to grab the record here.
 

Blend Breakdown:

Jägermeister and coffee have a profound connection through the complex nature of each as well as the passion and dedication required to produce them. We've teamed up with the fine folks at Jägermeister to produce coffee and chocolate that marries the unique attributes of the world's favorite herbal liqueur to legendary coffee and chocolate. 

Drawing inspiration from the Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee - a classic herbal liqueur with coffee and a high of chocolatey cacao - we created a unique, limited-edition line of non-alcoholic, Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee-infused chocolate bars and coffee beans. 

Take heart in knowing with each sip and bite, you're enjoying a combination of family traditions, innovation and craftsmanship. 

Chocolate

For this collaborative chocolate bar, we used a well-rounded Trinitario from Chiapas that has been infused with Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur. Trinitario is a hybrid cacao cultivar discovered in Trinidad and Tobago and is a cross-pollination of Criollo and Forastero, two of the most common cultivars in the Americas. It has a dark fruit profile and complexity that pairs perfectly with the botanicals in Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur.

Summer Madness, AKA Summer in the City, AKA Everybody Loves the Sunshine, AKA...

  Summer has landed in Chicago in the same way we've been known to descend on a tray of hot dogs - hard, fast, and sweaty. The days are getting longer, paleta men are hitting the streets, and things are opening up at a pace that a year ago seemed impossible. Hell, we even already got started in on the festivities by opening up the backyard patios and having artists paint up our picnic tables!

For us, the rising thermometer is always associated with an increased consumption of coffee cold, and lord do we love our coffee cold. Supercharged and super tasty, these ice cold babies are the lifeblood of many at music and beer fests everywhere and a daily requirement for function for yours truly (and hey, maybe you too!). After a year of our 2019 caterpillar selves metamorphosing into the beautiful 2021 butterflies we've all become, it's time to enter the world again with the energy of a people that have been inside for the better part of 14 months. There's so many things to do in a city crawling its way out of a pandemic, we'd be remiss if we didn't take the opportunity to present Summer activities and their perfect coffee cold counterparts. 

Chocolate City - Sports!

Chocolate City is an all-time classic in the iced coffee world, the perfect balance of both get up and go with a taste that makes it easy to throw back time after time. It's also a great companion for those all-day skate sessions or a precursor to catching a day game. Hell, maybe you're just shooting hoops in the backyard. Either way, Chocolate City is the gold standard for a clean and tasty caffeine boost.

Vanilla Suburbs - Live Music!

 With Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, AND Riot Fest all making their returns this year, you're gonna need some get up to get down if you're ever gonna survive all three weekends. Lucky for you the smooth sweetness of Vanilla Suburbs is there to serenade you with flavor and energy like Limp Bizkit is sure to do at this year's Lolla. Granted, in their case that flavor is hot dog water and ours is just like, vanilla? You know what, maybe this one got away from us...

Brown Acid - Brewery Bike Tour!

  Sometimes the only thing better than an afternoon at a brewery is an afternoon of biking to a whole mess of them with your friends. Here's the problem - ya can't bike around drinking all day without ending up on your ass. Luckily you can keep things rolling and your mouth full of hops with our Brown Acid dry-hopped coffee cans.

Black Splash - Backyard BBQ/Park Hangs!

What's better than a casual hangout with some nice libations? Our Black Splash barrel aged iced coffee is the ideal warm-up for a full day of grilling and chilling with friends. Simultaneously sweet and boozy, Black Splash is a top tier cocktail companion or perfect to wash down a hamburger hot off the grill.

We are proud to announce our newest music collaboration with the dynamic duo Klevah and TRUTH a.k.a. Mother Nature! Their newest mixtape SZNZ off of Closed Sessions is a fifteen track instant CLASSIC featuring production work from the unstoppable Boathouse and guest verses served up from the likes of Brittney Carter, Valee, and Sir Michael Rocks. Honestly? We've had the thing on repeat since it dropped. We're not the only ones either, they've been reeling in acclaim from the likes of Complex and Pigeons and Planes. Overall SZNZ is brimming with bombastic, no bullshit attitude, meaning that we HAD to step in and provide a companion coffee to match! The can features album artwork and, in a first for us, a QR code that takes you straight to the mixtape so you have no fucking excuse to not check out the vibes. We also had the pleasure of hosting an interview in our Maggot Brain studio between Mother Nature, Boathouse, and Closed Sessions label co-founder Alexander Fruchter, followed by an in-studio performance of a few tracks off the album. You can watch that below.

This isn't our first time working with Closed Sessions or Boathouse, either. In 2019 we teamed up to put out a crazy double 7" celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a coffee and can to match. We've also hosted multiple members of the Closed Sessions crew during our annual Anniversary party and can tell you with certainty, they all rule.

 About the Coffee

Inside the can, the coffee is a Sampacho from El Salvador that underwent an experimental fermentation process called Carbonic Maceration. Sampacho as a cultivar is a short and sturdy plant, about half the height of other varietals. It's perfect for the mountains of El Salvador where high winds can whip through farms and cause damage to taller coffee trees.

Once the cherries were picked at the peak of ripeness by the Cafe Tuxpal team, they were collected in an airtight container and flushed with carbon dioxide to force out any oxygen. This allows for extended contact between the seeds and the mucilage without outside exposure to air or foreign yeasts. After the coffee has time to chill in these containers, they're processed as a Natural coffee by placing the cherries directly onto raised drying beds and continuing fermentation. We ended up with a bright and acid driven profile, with notes of blueberry, grape, and dark chocolate showing themselves on the cupping table. You can grab the cans here.