To help promote Portugal brewery Sagres‘ new Preta Chocolate Stout, their digital agency Grand Union Portugal came up with what they thought was a fitting launchpad for a chocolate beer: a chocolate webpage. Duh.
So they hired the Artistic Director of the Óbidos International Chocolate Festival to lead the sculpting. Creating not just a flat “web page”, but going full boar creating all the buttons, number tiles for the loading screen (which only added to the heavy load time, IMO), sliding modules, and more. Then they shot it all and used it as the basis for the website.
Cool. And no doubt delicious. But a long climb up the mountain for a small sip of cocoa. Then again, I am sharing it. And you are reading this. So, guess it worked. A sia saide!
Ever rub an orange rind on the rim of your espresso?
While not nearly as bitter, the flavor experience here is close. There’s an almost citrus aspect to the dark roast coffee flavors in Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout. Like candied oranges and dried fruit. The layer of lacey foam that swirls on top adds to the freshly brewed similarities. The mouthfeel is more like a chilled mocha; creamy and surprisingly full. Coating your tongue with bright highlights of cocoa, molasses, and coffee. I could easily wake up to this. Then again, at 9.5% ABV I couldn’t easily go to sleep with it, too.
It’s been stateside for a couple months but just now poppin’ up at your average grocery and liquor stores.
Many non-beer geeks are unaware there’s different types of Guinness. Let alone eight. Most of us are familiar with the classic Guinness Draught and even Extra Stout found in bottles. Though new to the U.S. Guinness Foreign Extra is 200 years old and makes up for 40% of all Guinness sales in the world. The bulk of which in Africa.
GUINNESS FOREIGN EXTRA STOUT
ABV: 7.5% 11.02 oz bottle
The extra in Foreign Extra is hops. And malted barley. Hops stand up better in warmer climates. Like the origin of India Pale Ale, the bonus hops were added to help the beer survive the long journey at sea. In this case, from Ireland to Africa.
The good news? You can really taste the hops. The bad news? It’s freakin’ delicious. Which means how you handle your hankering for “a Guinness” just became an even tougher decision.
Foreign Extra coats your tongue with creamy bitterness. Hits you with a sharp flavor that’s toasty and almost cola-like. And all goes down with the characteristic smoothness you expect from Guinness. Well worth the 200-year wait.
Goose Island Matilda
Popped into the Wrigleyville Goose Island Brewpub while in Chicago and got to finally taste their belgian brew that’s been getting so much buzz, Matilda. Deserved of the attention, this Belgian Pale Ale is sweet, spicy, and boozier tasting than the already-healthy ABV suggests at 7%. Look for this in bombers, too.
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2009 Does this really need to be in a 22 oz bomber? At 14% ABV, really? The answer is: Abso-freakin-lutely. Sure, you’d be more than done for the evening. But this black nectar is so damn tasty it’s worth it.
The best description of this beer I ever read was on Twitter. It was so spot-on that I bookmarked the damn thing:
That captures it. It’s thick yet smooth. Sweet but not cloying. With dark chocolate, molasses, licorice, and coffee flavors abound on every sip. Just like liquid chocolate unicorn dreams. This 2009 bottling tastes a little harsher than the 2008, but am sure it’ll smooth out in time. The bombers make shelving ‘n aging even more rewarding.
Conan O’Brien Pale Ale When Conan stopped in here during his weeklong Chicago stint, he helped Brewmaster Greg Hall make a batch of what was originally called Conan The Red but the host insisted on Pale.
Deep Fried Pickle with Chipotle Ranch at Goose Island If you’re ever near a Goose Island Brewpub in Chicago get a basket of these bad boys. Kinda like Deep Fried Zucchini, only pickled. And better.
