Launch weekend is coming up for that sweetest of annual treats, Siren Craft Brew’s quartet of Caribbean Chocolate Cake releases.
The beers will be launched in the Siren Tapyard tomorrow and Saturday (10th and 11th November). As well as the new releases there will be aged versions, plus street food and entertainment.
On Friday, 17th November, there will be a live tasting on YouTube, from 7pm.
The Caribbean Chocolate Cake variations
Nitro
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. (brewer’s notes)
Salted Cherry
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.
Cupcake
This takes the ABV down a notch while still aiming to give the big mouthfeel, indulgent chocolate and rich drinking of the original. An addition of chocolate rye in the grist 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. Madagascan vanilla was used to bring in the ‘frosting’ element on a cupcake, helped along by wafer notes from the Cypress wood.
Death by CCC
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. A small addition of vanilla complements the spiciness.
