Welcome everyone to Caribbean Chocolate Cake 2023! It’s an absolute pleasure to be celebrating this amazing beer again in the year of our 10th Anniversary. Thank you for being a part of it. We’ve put a lot of work into these recipes and are very hopeful that you’re going to enjoy them. You may also notice a little evolution of the artwork this time out. The cans look just that little bit more special this year, which is nothing more than the beers inside deserve.
The beer that started it all. Caribbean Chocolate Cake is a dense, rich and luxurious stout – even more so since it’s had the smooth, hard-pouring Nitro treatment. Hand-roasted cacao nibs give hints of tamarind and soft lemon, along with a beautiful chocolate baseline. The malts provide coffee and roast notes in abundance, while the hop profile adds subtle orange and coconut flavours. Spinning on Cypress wood is the icing on the cake - offering lightly toasted vanilla wafers and delicate tannins, balancing the inherent sweetness of the beer. Pure canned indulgence.
Did you know?
We never stop tweaking this beer to make it as good as possible. This year the body has improved, we’ve spun the ingredients for longer and there’s better chocolate saturation than ever before.
One of two wildcards this year is a very special Salted Cherry edition, you could say this is a coming together of a Caribbean Chocolate Cake and a Black Forest Gateau. With slightly less cacao than the original, the beer opens up to allow the cherry to come through. We’re using a blend of Montmorency, Morello and Balaton cherries which add acidity and tartness along with the delicious compote vibe, with everything then lifted again by Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. The combination of ingredients is playful on the palate, with each element taking turns to lure you into thinking it’s the star of the show. We love how salt changes the expression of the chocolate, while also changing the mouthfeel of the beer in a great way.
Did you know?
The first time we used cherries in a beer was back in 2015. Mum’s The Word was a Smoked Porter made in collaboration with Mother Kelly’s, Resident of Paradise Row and Arizona Wilderness.
For the first time ever, a Caribbean Chocolate Cupcake! This fun little number takes the ABV down a notch while still aiming to give you the big mouthfeel, indulgent chocolate and rich drinking of the original. In order to achieve this, we’ve built the recipe from the ground up. An addition of Chocolate Rye in the grist is particularly interesting, which layers in milk chocolate mid-notes in contrast to the more dark chocolate vibe you’d ordinarily expect in these beers. The proportion of roast malts were also lowered to promote the soft chocolate profile. We use Madagascan vanilla to bring in the ‘frosting’ element on a cupcake, helped along by wafer notes from the Cypress wood. Despite being the baby of the series, the beer finished at ~8.5°P, showing just how much body and sweetness is left in there. We hope you enjoy Cupcake as much as we do!
Did you know?
This is the first time any beer in the Caribbean Chocolate Cake range has been released below 7.4% ABV. The highest was a very special Eisbock version, strictly available for tasters at events, which was closer to 30% ABV!
Death by Chocolate Cake. What would happen if we took one of the nation’s best loved, super-indulgent desserts for inspiration, and applied it to our most indulgent beer? Even more cacao nibs, even more Cypress wood, even more depth. It’s doubled down and ramped up to imperial strength. The Amburana is still critical. Its spicy, fragrant spirals impart all kinds of different flavours, not dissimilar to the complexity of tonka beans. It's remarkable how we all seem to pick up something different from them. A small addition of vanilla complements the spiciness perfectly. Based on our experiments from last year, 2023 Death By has a much higher finishing gravity than previous iterations (~11.5°P), resulting in more body and mouthfeel than ever before.
Did you know?
The name change is deliberate. Death By C.C.C. is now directly influenced by last year’s Charm, Curiosity and Candour releases.
On Friday 10th November, the Caribbean Chocolate Cake range will be launched around the country. We've got a weekend full of activities in the Tap Yard, including previous year's Barrel Aged CCC on cask, street food, sweet treats, sparklers and even fire dancers!
Find a participating venue near you here:
Not only are this year's beers looking beautiful, you can too with our brand new CCC t-shirts, long sleeve tees and jumpers. Not only that, we have a selection of great winter merch such as beanies and hoodies as well as the regular selection of hats, glassware, growlers and other accessories.
Check out the full range here to get stocked up for yourself, or discover some great gifting ideas.
Caribbean Chocolate Cake 2023
We hope you enjoy this year's beers!