Jericho’s Brew House Coffee Heats Up With Cold-Brew 

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• Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
• Jay Wimette pouring nitro cold-brew

I've been up before dawn regularly at two points in my life: a three-year stretch when I worked a 7 a.m. barista shift; and the past three months, when I've watched the sunrise most days with my newborn. In both instances, I relied on convenient, ready-to-drink cold-brewed coffee.

While you brew with hot water to prepare a traditional cup or regular iced coffee, the cold-brew method involves steeping coarsely ground coffee in cold water for at least 12 hours. The process "pulls out all the caffeine and flavor and leaves behind the acids," said Jay Wimette, co-owner of Jericho-based cold-brew company Brew House Coffee.

Jay and his wife, Dena, were drawn to the cold-brew method for that lower-acid result — which is less irritating to their stomachs, he explained. After several years of cold-brewing for their own consumption, the Jericho couple started fielding requests from friends who wanted to buy their coffee. In spring 2019, Brew House was born.

"We can't just have hobbies," Jay said with a laugh. "My wife and I met while getting our MBAs. We're always thinking about monetizing."

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• Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
• Brew House Coffee’s nitro maple latte

Initially, their cold-brew bottles were available via CSA-style subscriptions. Dena delivered to coworkers at her day job at Ben & Jerry's; Jay brought the rest to customers' doors in Jericho Village on foot, "like a 1950s milkman," he said. That summer, they vended at the Jericho, Richmond and Winooski farmers markets.

Since January 2022, Brew House has been the "Bean" in Jericho Ale & Bean, a café and brewery in the former Jericho General Store. The "Ale" comes from the Wimettes' longtime friend and neighbor Jesse Cronin, who started Lucy & Howe Brewing in his garage down the street in 2020. The shared space is lined with coolers of coffee and beer and features side-by-side bars.

On the Brew House side, Jay gives every new customer a disclaimer: It isn't an espresso shop, and he's not a barista. The setup is more of a "coffee lab," he said. "If somebody comes in and wants an Americano, I explain that we don't have espresso. But I can absolutely do an Americano-ish."

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• Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
• Brew House Coffee’s 32-ounce bottles

Brew House's robust, chocolaty, dark-roast flavor profile cuts through whatever it's mixed with, whether in the eight- and 32-ounce bottles available at area retail stores or made to order at Jericho Ale & Bean.

There, the menu offers build-your-own or staff favorite combos of coffee, milk and housemade sweeteners such as brown sugar-vanilla and seasonal pumpkin spice ($4.75 each) — all made with the cold-brew, which can also be prepared hot. On a recent visit, I sipped a refreshing Coffenade Spritzer with cold-brew, lemonade, maple syrup and seltzer at the tail end of the weekly Friday morning Cartoons, Coloring & Coffee meetup for parents and their kids.

The event finishes up as Lucy & Howe's taps open for the day, Jay pointed out, in case parents want to keep chatting over a beer. Jericho Ale & Bean fills the community hangout gap left by its general store predecessor; at any time of day, it's a place to catch up with neighbors over a good brew.

Since it was midmorning, I opted for Brew House's nitro maple latte as my second. Steam from Cronin's latest batch of beer fogged the refrigerated cases while I slowly sipped. Between the malty air and the frothy head on the nitrogen-infused latte, I almost fooled myself into thinking I had a different kind of pint.