Stone Xocoveza and Stone Cofee Milk Stout Return This Week
(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.
“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
About Stone Brewing
Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, San Diego-based Stone Brewing is the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 12 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company is the first American craft brewer to independently build, own and operate their own brewery in Europe (Berlin, Germany), and also opened a production brewery in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. For more information on Stone Brewing, please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and The Stone Blog.
