Hogg Batch Coffee Roastery

Hogg Batch ages coffee in spent whiskey and bourbon barrels. The partnership is with St. Pete Distillery a few miles up the road, and the releases include an Old St. Pete Peru rested in whiskey wood. That, more than anything else on Central Ave, is the reason to walk in. The Central Ave space functions as a coffee bar with bags for retail and, on weekends, coffee on draft. Ten ounces for ten dollars. A repeat customer called the place a lovely venue and went out of her way to describe it as an experience rather than a typical shop, which is fair. The decor is part of the pull. The ambience is another part. The barrel-aged cold brew is what regulars name when they tell out-of-towners where to go, and the whiskey-aged version draws the strongest specific praise. Pricing runs high. This is not the spot for a cheap daily cup. It is the spot if you drink whiskey or bourbon and want to taste what coffee does after it has spent time in the same wood. Or if you want a giftable bag to bring north from St. Pete. The bourbon-aged beans and the Peru whiskey release both ship out as bags, which is how most visitors end up leaving. The 10-ounce draft pour is the order to make if you only have time for one cup. Beyond that, the menu is more curated than long, and the appeal lives in the barrel program rather than a wide drink list. People who want a standard latte and a quiet corner with wifi will find what they want elsewhere in town. People curious about what a small distillery and a small roastery can do together when they share the same wood will find this one worth the visit, the bag, and the ten-dollar draft pour. Plan it for a weekend, when the draft is on, and bring someone who drinks the spirit the wood used to hold.