Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., the only brewery and distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®️, gave a sneak peek to their newest seasonal beer 2-weeks ago at GABF (Great American Beer Festival) in Denver, CO and this week announces nationwide availability for its Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter (SRP $14.99 / 4pk Bottles). This is a seasonal beer release.
Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter – 8.0% abv
Innovation is key for seasonal beer releases, but barrel-aging beer takes trial & error along with patience, the same as does aging whiskey. Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter is the second in a lineage of seasonal barrel-aged porters to be released around the holidays by Lexington. Whereas last year’s release of Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Peppermint Porter focused on the nostalgia of the holidays via candy canes and peppermint schnapps, this year’s Cocoa variant aims to satisfy your sweet tooth – delivering with rich chocolate and of course, hot cocoa. “Cocoa Porter is brewed with cocoa nibs and 100% barrel-aged to build out a rich full body Porter with notes of bittersweet chocolate, roasted malts and hints of oak, vanilla, rounded out with a sweet toffee finish.” says Brandon Martin, Master Brewer at Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. “…a perfect beer for the cooler weather, a little sweet treat of the evening.” Looking to the future – the Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter makes an excellent canvas to paint on, exploring the world of different chocolates, malts, aging/cellaring techniques and any other variables that would allow for continued experimentation at the brewery in pursuit of capturing the world of chocolate in a bottle.
A Sneak Peek at The Great American Beer Festival®
The Great American Beer Festival®, America’s favorite beer festival and cultural phenomenon takes place each Fall in Denver, CO. Annually over 1,100 breweries and an estimated 40,000 beer lovers attend the festival each year to discover the “What’s Next?” in the craft beer world. This year’s crowd was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the latest seasonal release – Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter which finished kegging just days before needing to be expedited to the festival for its debut to the world. Joe Minyard, Sales Director – West US recalls “It was bonkers out there this year, the Cocoa Porter was a hit…we ran out!” Lexington will again participate in 2024 at the GABF celebration but for now is keeping tight lipped on what we might see next to release from within its Seasonal/Limited Release Barrel-Aged Beer lineup.
Brand Highlights:
Kentucky®️ Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter is brewed with five types of malts and cocoa nibs to build out a rich full body Porter with notes of bittersweet chocolate, oak, vanilla, and sweet toffee. 100% barrel-aged in freshly decanted Kentucky Bourbon Barrels.
- Malt Types: Chocolate, Carapils, Dark Munich Malt, Crystal Malt and 2-Row Pale Ale
- ABV: 8.0% / 16 Proof
- Estimated Availability: October [Estimated ~9,500 cases available to the US mkt]
Cellar Regiment:
- Cellar Temperature: 42-degrees Fahrenheit
- Barrel Type: Freshly decanted Kentucky Bourbon Barrels
Tasting Notes:
- Appearance: Dark brown to black
- Aroma: Chocolate, roasted malt
- Palate: Smooth, sweet and creamy
- Finish: Semi-sweet, toffee
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