The moment Chris Farrell and Beth Karper first tasted nitro cold brew coffee, they knew they had found something special. Now they’re sharing that special discovery through their Open Road Coffee Company, a cold brewer that is selling its chilled “magic in a cup” across the Flathead Valley.
Farrell and Karper are both passionate about coffee and were living in Oregon in 2016 when they went on a weekend road trip. It was on that trip that they first discovered cold brew coffee on nitro. Like nitro beer, nitro cold brew is poured with a silky-smooth texture and comes out with a creamy head, much like a cold Guinness.
“From the very first sip, it captivated us,” Farrell said.
Unlike iced coffee — which is basically hot coffee that was left out to cool — cold brew is “brewed” in cold water. Because there is no heat involved in the brewing process, cold brew can have a creamier taste and is less acidic. It’s also growing in popularity across the country. From February 2016 to February 2017, sales of cold brew coffee skyrocketed by 80 percent, according to Bloomberg, while hot coffee sales slumped by 3 percent.
Karper said if Open Road Coffee Company didn’t serve their brew on nitro, it would still be a great product, but it only gets better when it’s served smooth.
“Everyone is doing cold brew right now, but not a lot of people are doing nitro yet,” she said.
After their weekend road trip in 2016, Farrell, who worked at a nonprofit in Portland, and Karper, who was working in graphic design, started researching cold brew and wondered if they could start a business selling their favorite beverage. It was during another road trip to southern Oregon a few months later that their cold brew dreams came into focus when they discovered an old, beat-up 1974 Mercedes Benz shuttle bus that had previously been used to move passengers around Portland International Airport. It was sitting in an aging barn and had been exposed to the elements, but Farrell and Karper knew that they could make something of it.
“It was beat up, but we had a vision and we knew we could make it into something special,” Farrell said.
Farrell and Karper purchased the vehicle and spent the next few months restoring it before making the long, slow drive from Portland to Columbia Falls last summer. Open Road Coffee Company was born. The pair decided to start selling nitro cold brew out of the bus at events, festivals and anywhere they could find a parking spot. Farrell and Karper partnered with Backslope Brewing in Columbia Falls to use their facility to make the cold brew coffee.
Farrell said the recipe for cold brew is pretty simple: “Cold water, coffee and time.” The most important ingredient is water. Farrell said they use a combination of local water and purified water to ensure they have the right level of dissolved solids.
“Coffee is basically 95 percent water, and so the quality of water can have a huge impact on the final product,” he said.
Cold brewing can often release richer flavors than regular coffee does. Another key to the process is making sure the coffee is coarsely ground; if it’s ground too thin, it can end up in the final product. Farrell lets the coffee brew for up to 24 hours — any longer and it would get too bitter. The pair have found that it is best to brew the coffee in small batches, usually five gallons at a time, but they can brew larger amounts if necessary. The coffee is then stored in a keg until it is served right from the tap. When the cold brew is poured on nitro, it can have a cascading effect, which is all part of the experience, Farrell said.
Currently, Open Road gets its coffee from roasters in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, but Farrell said he hopes to start roasting his own in the coming months.
Open Road’s coffee is currently on tap at Backslope Brewing in Columbia Falls, Sweet Peaks Ice Cream in Whitefish and the Wooden Nickel Bistro at Buffalo Hill Terrace in Kalispell. The Open Road Coffee bus will also be at events and festivals come spring. Farrell encouraged people to keep an eye on social media to see where the bus will be.
“We’re excited,” Karper said. “We want to be the people who are brightening your day and spreading smiles.”
For additional information, visit openroadcoffeeco.com.