Bottleneck brings cold brew coffee to Halifax

Getting tired of burning your tongue, but need caffeine to function? Halifax’s newest start-up Bottleneck Coffee Co., has you covered.

The city’s first wholesale cold brew company began brewing and bottling coffee in March.

“Demand is really high and the people who know about it have been wanting cold brew in Halifax for a long time,” says Coady LeBlanc, one of four owners.

Bottleneck’s brew is available at 17 locations, however the start-up remains a side project – all four owners have other part-time or full-time jobs.

Of the four, Aaron Bruce and LeBlanc have backgrounds in business and the other two are seasoned baristas – Daniel Jewell is a barista at Lucky Penny Coffee Co. and Jeremy Waterman is the head barista at Dilly Dally Eats, both of which opened earlier this year.

“Cold brew is popular in other cities and it started catching on with Java Blend and Starbucks serving, but no one was bottling in Halifax,” says LeBlanc. Bottleneck partnered with Java Blend to produce its own blend. 

LeBlanc says sometimes they do more educating than selling – a lot of people assume they bottle and sell iced coffee.

“We brew coffee at room temperature for 24 hours, and then the run off of that brew is then mixed with purified water, which would then be a ready-to-serve cold brew. That’s what would be served in your ready-to-drink container.”

This slow-brewing process is what makes their beverage different.

“Brewing with hot water releases a lot of acid … so, cold brewing is gentler on those beans. says LeBlanc. “A lot of those tastes that are lost in hot coffee are more present. It’s more sweet and creamy. I find it’s a more natural taste.”

Good Robot Brewing Company, a brewery and taproom located in the North End, serves Bottleneck’s cold brew on tap. They have two drinks available at the brewery, with more in the works. 

So far Bottleneck hasn’t invested in advertising or sent out press releases about their venture, opting instead to show up at community events to sell the brew, and to approach establishments like Good Robot directly.

“We’re just doing this the most DIY, punk-rock way possible.”