Stone Coffee Milk Stout and Xocoveza Return

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Escondido, CA – Those in the mood for a fresh cup of coffee or a pour of hot cocoa can have their fix and their beer too. Stone Brewing’s latest seasonal releases (and recurring fan favorites) deliver the familiar flavors that warm our mugs and the cold beer we crave. Stone Coffee Milk Stout, an English-style milk stout, and Stone Xocoveza, a winter-spiced mocha stout inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, are beginning to arrive this week in restaurants, bars and stores where Stone beers are sold.

Whether it’s before noon or after midnight, Stone Coffee Milk Stout is the mild and delectably roasty stout that’s making coffee drinkers rethink their coffeehouse cold-brew ritual. This smooth, easy-drinking java beer is brewed at both Stone Brewing – Escondido and Stone Brewing – Richmond. Not one to ever sacrifice fresh ingredients for wide scale production, Stone sourced coffee beans from San Diego’s Ryan Bros. Coffee for the West Coast batches and coffee beans from Richmond, Virginia’s Lamplighter Coffee Roasters for the East Coast production. The slight bitterness of the slow-roasted coffee is balanced out brilliantly by milk sugar for a touch of sweetness and creaminess.

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“This beer is very smooth and well balanced, and we love using coffee from our friends over at Ryan Bros. and Lamplighter,” explained Jeremy Moynier, senior innovation program manager. “The combination of bitter coffee and sweet flavors with the smoothness of this beers works well with a diverse selection of food.”

Now in its third year, Stone Xocoveza has become a seasonal tradition too special to skip. Team Stone went the extra mile to make all of the chocolate for the beer in-house. Think “Bean to Bar,” but one step further to be “Bean to Beer.” The team sourced beans directly from Belize, roasting and processing them to make chocolate bars for this winter-spiced mocha stout. The layering of that chocolate along with Mostra coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk sugar creates a harmoniously balanced beer strikingly reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate.

“The quality of our house-made chocolate is out of this world, making this year’s Stone Xocoveza more rich and festive than ever,” said Moynier. “I love the warm aromas and flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and pasilla peppers, and they’re complemented perfectly with the strong malt bill and German Perle and English East Kent Golding hops.”

Stone Coffee Milk Stout and Stone Xocoveza may be enjoyed fresh or stored at proper cellaring temperatures. The latter may be cellared for months or even years, during which time the malt character will evolve, making the cocoa and coffee flavors more prevalent. Stone Coffee Milk Stout should be enjoyed within one year of its bottling date.

QUICK FACTS
Name:
Stone Coffee Milk Stout
Web: stonebrewing.com/coffeemilkstout
Stats: 5% ABV, 40 IBUs
Availability: 12-ounce bottles in seasonal six-packs and draft, beginning October 3
Hop Varieties: Magnum
National Distribution: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI and Puerto Rico
Interational Distribution: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Costa Rica; Germany; Hong Kong; Japan; Korea; Mexico; Panama; Philippines; Singapore; Sweden; Taiwan; Thailand; and United Kingdom

Name: Stone Xocoveza
Web: stonebrewing.com/xocoveza
Stats: 8.1% ABV, 50 IBUs
Availability: 12-ounce bottles in seasonal six-packs and draft, beginning October 3
Hop Varieties: German Perle, English East Kent Golding
National Distribution: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI and Puerto Rico
International Distribution: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Costa Rica; Hong Kong; Japan; Korea; Mexico; Panama; Philippines; Singapore; Taiwan; and Thailand

TASTING NOTES
STONE COFFEE MILK STOUT
Appearance:
Pours black with a thick brown head.
Aroma: Dark-roasted malts give off coffee and cocoa, with hints of smokiness
Taste: Pronounced coffee and dark-roasted malt flavors that contain hints of cocoa and licorice, and a lot of fruit esters from the fermentation. This is a very malty beer.
Palate: Light bodied and smooth, with a semisweet but also slightly dry finish.
Overall: First brewed on our 10-barrel brewhouse at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Stone Coffee Milk Stout was a hit with everyone who tried it. We’re excited that we continue to make this available to our fans nationwide as an annual release. Several unique things about this formulation make the beer special, including the addition of specially roasted coffee beans in the mash. We also use British mild ale malt as the base malt and milk sugar, which brewer’s yeast does not ferment. These components add some body and a touch of sweetness to the resulting beer. Despite only being 5 percent ABV, it is a smooth and satisfying beer.

STONE XOCOVEZA
Appearance: Pours black with a thick brown head.
Aroma: Intense cinnamon, cocoa and coffee are followed by nutmeg and peppers. As the beer warms up, the flavor combinations evolve and the cocoa and vanilla notes really start to open up.
Taste: Cocoa and cinnamon are at the forefront. The coffee, nutmeg and vanilla follow, and the fruitiness and mild heat of the pasilla peppers come through nicely on the finish. Chocolate is present throughout.
Palate: Full bodied and very smooth with a light bitterness. The sweetness adds a lot to this beer without being syrupy.
Overall: When we first brewed this beer in 2014, everyone on the brewing team was blown away by its multiple layers of flavor. The inspiration came from Mexican hot chocolate combined with coffee. We loved how wonderfully this beer showcases the spices, cocoa and subtle coffee roast flavors, so much that we continue to bring it back as an annual Stone special holiday release.