Stone Brewing ignites the holiday season with the release of Stone Xocoveza, a deliciously distinctive mocha stout brewed to stagger the senses with cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, milk sugar and a mild punch of pasilla peppers. Reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate, Stone Xocoveza in 12-ounce bottled six-packs can now be stacked in fridges. To mark the occasion, Stone Brewing presents: ‘Bean to Beer: A Cacao Story.’ The short-form documentary offers insight into the intensive process of crafting the ultimate artisanal beer.
‘From bean to beer,’ Stone Xocoveza is brewed with cacao sourced straight from Belize. Raw cacao beans are sorted, roasted, de-hulled and ground into chocolate all by hand at Stone Brewing under the tutelage of Belyzium brand cacao grower and chocolate maker Andrei Shibkov. Craftsmanship at its finest, the process allows for Stone’s brewers to work with expertly sourced, high-quality cacao, processed precisely to the needs of the Stone Xocoveza recipe. The outcome is amazing chocolate that imparts only the finest cocoa flavor upon one of the country’s best-selling holiday spiced stouts.
The aroma of Stone Xocoveza sets the mood for the season. Intense warmth of cinnamon and coffee precede nutmeg and peppers. Flavors of cocoa and cinnamon lead into coffee, nutmeg and vanilla. The fruitiness and mild heat of the pasilla peppers make for a smooth finish. The 8.1% full-bodied stout finds its balance with a strong malt bill plus German Perle and English East Kent Golding hops. As the beer warms, flavor combinations evolve keeping this beer as interesting as most family gatherings. Stone Xocoveza ranks an impressive BeerAdvocate score of 95%, among Stone’s very best.
“Stone Xocoveza continues to rally our fans into the holiday spirit, but it stands for even more than that here at Stone,” said Greg Koch, Stone Brewing executive chairman & co-founder. “This extraordinary beer dates back to our annual American Homebrewers Association competition of 2014 in which Chris Banker’s original recipe was selected as the winner and first brewed on a national scale. Its powerful flavor profile, innovative recipe and the way in which it lends itself to the use of such high-quality ingredients, make this a winner for us still today.”
This harmoniously balanced beer will age beautifully. Cellaring for months or even years will allow the malt character to evolve, making the cocoa and coffee flavors more prevalent.
Be the first to comment