chocolate and beer

I try not to have chocolate in the house which has nothing to do with anything other than my complete lack of self control. Anyone who saw me at the Eagle Bay Cacao Stout launch at Mane Liquor on Friday will be able to attest to this.

Black Forest Pots made with Bahen & Co Chocolate by Me & Mabel

This years Eagle Bay Cacao Stout is the third annual release, each year offering a slight variant to the previous but always brewed using cacao husks from Margaret River’s Bahen & Co Chocolate. The bean to bar chocolate maker only uses traditional methods for making their chocolate and strive to deal 100% directly with farmers.

The last Eagle Bay Brewer’s Series was their Black IPA, also launched at Mane Liquor, you can read all about it here

When first brewed in 2012 Eagle Bay brewer Nick used 60% Brazilian cacao husks and 40% Madagascan cacao husks but this year some Papua New Guinea husks were added to the mix. When you smell these husks there is much more of a bright red berry aroma compared to the richness of the Brazilian and Madagascan, the result being that this years Cacao Stout is softer with gorgeous red fruit layered into its chocolate and roasty flavours.

And what better food to go with this beautiful Cacao Stout than some gorgeous hand made chocolate desserts. Enter Me & Mabel …

Want to know more about Me & Mabel? Check out my short Q&A with Wendy here

No stranger to beer events and beer matching, Me & Mabel by Wendy Marinich provided delicious home made desserts that paired perfectly with Eagle Bay’s Cacao Stout. All desserts were made with Bahen & Co Chocolate.

Homemade Oreo Cookies by Me & Mabel – Thin rich biscuits, stamped with EBBC (Eagle Bay Brewing Co) and homemade marshmallow shmushed in the middle, giving the beer a light base to showcase all its chocolate, roasty flavours

Me & Mabel brining back the best of the 70s with chocolate fondue with sticks of strawberry, banana and homemade marshmellow — Me & Mabel brining back the best of the 70s with chocolate fondue with sticks of strawberry, banana and homemade marshmallow. It was nice to kinda feel healthy on this one! The fruit playing nicely with the beers red berry flavours.

Black Forest Pots - if I had taken my handbag I would have stolen as many of these little bad boys as I could — Black Forest Pots – if I had taken my handbag I would have stolen as many of these little bad boys as I could. In the background – salted chocolate brownies, I had about three of these.

L-R: Josh (Mane Liquor), Margi (Eagle Bay) and Wendy (Me & Mabel)

Ah winter, the time of year when beer geek conversation turns from aggressively hopped American pales to dark malty beasts with punchy roast and chocolate flavours.

Last week I posted about two of my favourite winter beers which followed my radio appearance on Perth’s own RTRFM 92.1, I was kindly invited on a segment called ‘The Food Alternative’ and chatted with hosts Simon and Anth about winter beers.

If you’d like to hear me ramble on about winter beers you can check out the segment here

But me being me it’s hard to just pick one, two or even three favourites so I am compelled to stretch this winter beers thing out longer by throwing out two more local beers that belong beside warm fires and good books …

Bootleg Raging Bull

What a cheeky beast this one is! I remember chatting to brewer Michael Brookes (I’m such a name dropper!) a while ago and he was commenting on how Bootleg had been being for so long that now, since 1994, there are guys coming into their drinking years who remember their dads drinking Raging Bull at Bootleg. I reckon that’s brilliant!

Rich red fruits, chocolate, coffee, plums, spice and biscuits there is so much happening here it’s like a vibrant party but everyone dressed in black.

Eagle Bay Brewing Cacao Stout

Visiting the Eagle’s Nest, my article on Australian Brews News in 2012 on the first Eagle Bay Cacao Stout

First brewed in 2012 this collaboration brew between Eagle Bay Brewing and local bean-to-bar chocolate maker Bahen & Co has quickly become a staple of my WA winter drinking.

Bahen & Co Chocolate Maker | Margaret River | website

Using the cacao nibs from the chocolate making process, a by-product that would normally go to waste, brewer Nick puts it to good use in this gorgeous stout. It was even used in 2013 for the Eagle Bay and The Monk Brewery collaboration for the GABS festival that year – a beer called Cacao Cabana, a choc brown hefeweizen. But I am getting side tracked …

Eagle Bay Cacao Stout 2013 write up in Crafty Pint

The Eagle Bay Cacao Stout strikes a great balance of fruit, spice, fresh roasted coffee and, as one would expect, luscious chocolate.

Now before you throw your hands in the air in frustration because this beer normally doesn’t make it too far from it’s Eagle Bay home, I have good news for you. Such good news in fact I suggest your hands remain in the air and wave in excitement – this year, for the first time, Cacao Stout is making its way into BOTTLES! Keep your eyes peeled on the Eagle Bay eagle bay on Facebook and like, favourite and retweet Eagle Bay to your hearts content feed for more info in the coming weeks!

Tag: chocolate and beer

Eagle Bay Cacao Stout + lots of chocolate

girl + (more) winter beers

Bootleg Raging Bull

Eagle Bay Brewing Cacao Stout