Mega Moka beer from Birra Del Borgo and Elysian

PerfectDraft offers a wide range of beer-focused articles. You can explore Rauchbier, the queen of barbecue beers, as well as the power of Barleywine beer. Today, we head to Italy and the United States to discover Birra Del Borgo and Elysian and their collaborative beer: Mega Moka.

Mega Moka – Birra del Borgo

Birra del Borgo

The story of Italian brewery Birra Del Borgo began in 1999, when Leonardo Di Vincenzo started brewing beer for his own enjoyment. Over time, his passion grew and his hobby quickly became a full-time career. He left his research work behind to focus entirely on brewing.

He travelled across Europe to learn traditional brewing techniques from German and Belgian master brewers, although it was in England that he discovered some of his greatest inspirations.

The brewery was officially founded in 2005 in Borgorose, Italy. Four years later, in 2009, Birra Del Borgo began rethinking and innovating classic beer styles. Known for its creativity and experimentation, the brewery demonstrates its innovative spirit once again with its newly reimagined Mega Moka beer.

Elysian brewing

Elysian is an American brewery founded in 1996 in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, one of the city’s most vibrant and densely populated neighborhoods. With more than 500 recipes created over the years, the brewery has continuously diversified its portfolio.

Since 2006, many of these beers have been available at Elysian Fields, a bar-restaurant located near Seattle’s major sports stadiums that can host up to 400 guests. The venue also serves as the brewery’s innovation hub, where new beers are developed and brewed every week.

Elysian is widely known for the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival, an event celebrating pumpkin-inspired beers alongside giant pumpkins and experimental brews.

Porter beer style

Porter is a dark beer style that laid the foundation for stout. It is top-fermented and brewed with roasted malts and bitter hops, though its early origins stem from blends of several young beers, similar in concept to some modern sour brewing techniques.

Originating in England, the style was developed around 1722 by Ralph Harwood, who named it Entire. Porter became extremely popular throughout the 18th century before declining in the 1860s with the rise of Bitters and later Lagers.

The style played a key role in brewing history and was widely appreciated by the working population. It takes its name from porters — workers who carried luggage — who favored this substantial beer for its nourishing character, often described as both drink and sustenance.

Mega Moka Beer

Among the many Porter variations, Mega Moka is a Robust Porter brewed with coffee to intensify mocha and cold-brew coffee notes. The beer pours black with a beige foamy head and releases complex aromas ranging from white bread and candy sugar to rye bread, Nordic dark bread, dark chocolate, and toasted oak.

The dominant aroma is freshly brewed cold coffee. On the palate, Mega Moka is rich and silky with medium carbonation, delivering pronounced notes of roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate followed by toasted brown bread and a distinctive mocha character.

As the beer opens up, additional layers emerge, including rye bread and candy sugar. The finish is long and powerful, dominated by mocha and cold coffee, making this beer ideal for coffee lovers and a perfect bridge between the worlds of craft beer and specialty coffee.

Food pairing

Enjoy Mega Moka at the end of a meal, served at around 10°C. Its intense coffee profile pairs beautifully with a coffee éclair, pound cake, or salted butter caramel tart.