The Sip #41 - Eagle Bay Cacao Stout
Long-time beer drinker and The Sip editor Ross Lewis puts some of Australia's top drops to the test.
Catch up with other beers on The Sip Archive
A waste product for one Margaret River company has become a bonus for a skilled brewer up the road.
Eagle Bay Brewing Company are deeply into recycling, even if that means using someone else’s left-overs to produce a very special beer.
Bahen and Co Chocolate are renowned in the south-west of WA for their produce. One of the ingredients in their wares is the cacao bean. But not all of it is used. The husks are dispensable.
Not to Nick d’Espiessis, the mastermind at Eagle Bay about five minutes outside of Dunsborough.
D'Espiessis and his team have already had an impact on the good beer market with their Kolsch, Pale Ale and flagship Vienna.
The Cacao Stout is a seasonable release. D’Espiesses takes the husks from the bean and adds them to the mash. But the beans come from Brazil, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea giving different flavours to the brew.
A chocolate influence in the beer is unavoidable. But at the right temperature the Cacao Stout has a mouthfeel very reminiscent of an old-school chocolate milkshake. The malted barley gives it the smooth condition.
There is also a taste of dark fruits midway through the sip.
No doubt this is a stout but it is not strong in that element so it is a great effort to generate such a brew at a reasonably low alcohol content.
D’Espeissis was pleased to produce a great beer using ingredients from a neighbour.
“We are really excited to work with fellow small producers in the region and be able to use the cacao husk’s from Josh, experiment with the “waste not, want not” ingredients to brew a stout for everyone to enjoy,” he said.
“It pays homage to the region that we live, the products we crease and the winter weather.”
The Sip Snip
Cacao Stout
Brewer: Eagle Bay Brewing, WA
Style: Imperial Stout
Alcohol content: 5.3%
Standard drinks: 1.4
Bitterness: 30IBU
Bottles: 330ml
Estimated calories: 168 (approx)
The Sip Tip (rating): Good for impressing your mates
Average prices: $4.50 per bottle at Mane Liquor in Belmont.
