The festive season is quickly closing in and local microbrewery Welbeck Abbey Brewery has brewed up a special treat in preparation. Housed in a listed barn on the picturesque Welbeck estate, the award-winning microbrewery, crafts over 15,000 pints of handcrafted ales each week, and whilst their core range is available in bottles year round, it’s a rare treat to find one of their seasonal specials available out of cask.
Aptly named Cocoa Noël, this limited-edition chocolate stout is made from roasted cacao shells supplied by Willie’s Cocoa. Cacao shells are a waste product generated from the artisan chocolate making process. These crisp and delicate shells hold fragments of flavoursome cocoa nibs which the brewery include in the mashing process. This festive stout has an unctuous velvety-smooth mouthfeel, balanced with the subtle aftertaste of bittersweet dark chocolate and boasts an impressive 5.5% ABV.
Cocoa Noël has been brewed and bottled by the brewery for the past several years and has always been a popular seasonal favourite. However due to limited brewing space last year and the ever-growing demand for cask beer, the brewery made the difficult decision not to brew this festive treat and it was sorely missed. Having expanded the brewhouse this year with the investment of new fermentation tanks, Welbeck Abbey Brewery was pleased to announce to their customers and stockists earlier this month that Cocoa Noël was once again going to be available from mid-October throughout the Christmas period. Adorned with colourful and festive illustrations this sumptuous bottled stout is sure to make an impression at any Christmas gathering, or why not pair it with some Welbeck Abbey Brewery brewery tour tickets to make it the perfect gift for any real ale lover.
Cocoa Noël can be purchased from various Welbeck Abbey Brewery stockists including the Welbeck Farm Shop.