Newport Storm’s Annual Release ‘16…Like Hot Cocoa for Adults!

There’s been something unique about each of the seventeen annual release beers we’ve made since 2000. This year’s concoction finds its place as the sweetest of them all. Of course, there’s a lot more to the story than just that. Brewmaster, Derek Luke, had an idea. What if he could make an “adult cold cocoa”? He was inspired by, hot cocoa. This classic beverage is the ideal drink after a long cold day, playing out in the snow building forts and sledding.

One of Derek’s favorite ingredients, chocolate, comes back again and is joined this time with vanilla and milk sugar which give this beer a marshmallow like taste. This sweet flavor was discovered after a couple of experimental batches by the Brewmaster. “I used real marshmallows in one of our experimental batches, but since they’re filled with preservatives, the beer didn’t ferment. That wasn’t going to work for our beer or our beer fans.” So, Derek went back to work and looked at homemade marshmallow recipes and learned their base ingredients are sugar, milk, and vanilla.

As for that chocolate, it finds its way into this beer in two different ways. Baird’s Chocolate malts help build the base for this beer. A unique extraction process from Cacao nibs from Ecuador and Ghana finish off the chocolatey flavor. Don’t want to choose between chocolate and beer, open a bottle of ‘16 and have them both!

Annual Releases are known for their unique flavors, extreme qualities, and higher ABV. As with the previous 16 annual brews before it, the ‘16 is a limited release. Roughly 3,000 bottles were produced and will be distributed in RI and PA. ABV 11%. For more information and details on where the ‘16 can be found, visit www.NewportStorm.com.