kicking off the new year... cacao-a-bunga is our newest seasonal offering!
Cacao-a-Bunga, Dude! At 6.2% ABV, Cacao-a-Bunga Porter – our newest seasonal release – is infused with toasted organic coconut and roasted cacao nibs, resulting in a chocolatey explosion, a slight sweet finish, and a perfect touch of bitterness from the traditional UK hops used to brew it.
Dark brown with red highlights, it both tastes and smells not only of chocolate and nutty coconut, but also of coffee and caramel — pairing perfectly with the beer’s slight roast character.
They say patience is a virtue, but in this case it’s actually true.
Be sure to slowly drink this beer because each sip is even more flavorful than the last, with the specialty ingredients shining through more and more as the beer warms up.
Chocolatey Beer Bliss!
If you’re looking for a hearty beer to warm your soul and get you through the cold months (or the hot), look no further.
Porters are rich and malty beers derived from malted barley and are usually brewed through top-fermentation, meaning the yeast rises to the top of the tank versus sinking to the bottom, resulting in even more layers of flavor.
They’re made with dark malts and infused with flavors and aromas of chocolate, coffee, and caramel, roast, and (in this case) nutty coconut — the perfect sipping beer for those with serious sweet tooths and who crave low bitterness.
In this particular version, the toasted coconut takes Cacao-a-Bunga to a whole new level of sweet seduction, making this full bodied beer extremely drinkable and over-the-top flavorful.
So Many Porters, So Little Time
Cacao-a-Bunga is a brown porter, aka an English porter. These porters are renowned for having lower hoppiness and toffee, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors, as well as being mouthwateringly malty, nutty, and bready (ahem, the perfect meal in a glass).
Brown porters are softer porters that are made without roasted barley (which adds a strong roasty character to beer) and also lack strong burnt or black malt character, like other porters sometimes have.
American porters, aka robust porters, are more intense. They usually have more coffee, cocoa, and malt notes, hoppier aromas, and drier finishes. Overall, they’re stronger, roasty, and complex brews.
Last of all, Baltic porters are brewed with lager yeast. They tend to be wonderfully rich and creamy and usually have the highest alcohol content of the bunch (the high alcohol was originally so they would survive the voyage across the Baltic Sea).
No matter what style of porter you go for, each sip is always better than the last in these beautifully intricate beers.
Decadent Porter and Food Pairing
Let’s be real.
Cacao-a-Bunga would taste amazing with anything…
But for the best beer and foodie flavor experience, pair it with smoked foods, rich stews, barbecued meats, and chocolate and peanut butter desserts.
Here’s a few taste bud tantalizing food pairings for porters at the Draft House:
Our Wisconsin Bratwurst smoked brat sandwich
Our bbq pulled pork sandwich
Our smokey brat mac & cheese
Our baby back ribs basket
Our ULTIMATE comfort dessert — Black Lab Bread Pudding
— but only if you’re ready to have your mind blown.
Check out our full menu here to see what’s calling your name.
Beloved Beer of the Working Man
This tasty treat of a beer came about during an industrial revolution in London, England in the 17th century, when England’s working class flocked to the city to pursue their dreams and make their money. In turn, there was an overload of hardworking and super thirsty people.
At this time, the popular beers in London were brewed with brown malt as the base because it was the most affordable option for brewers — resulting in an abundance of sweeter and darker beers.
It’s said that the actual first inventor of porters was the London brewer, Ralph Harwood — the owner of Bell Brewery, in 1722. He created a beer named “Entire”, a brown beer that originated from a mesh of three different brews — beer, ale, and strong beer.
Entire ended up becoming extremely popular with the working class (including the porters who delivered it), and it’s from this that the beer is said to be named, because it was so loved by the porters who distributed it around the city.
Throughout history, this style of beer has evolved countless times, but it’s always continued to remain a favorite of beer drinkers, so much so that it was revived after its disappearance during World War I and Prohibition.
Americans played a huge role in the porter’s comeback, having time and again shown their devotion to this delicious brew, especially when Anchor Brewing revived it post-Prohibition in 1972.
Since then, there’s been an ongoing love story between craft beer drinkers and countless styles of the wonderfully complex and unique porters.
Don’t Miss Out
You can find our Cacao-a-Bunga Chocolate Coconut Porter on draft at our Big Dog’s Draft House on N. Rancho and at select accounts throughout the Silver State The beer is available on draft and in 16 oz. cans around town.
Be sure to grab some because it’s only around for a short time!
If you’re into intriguing events and exciting new brews, grab tickets for our annual Winterfest — a festival celebrating hearty stews and soul-warming brews on January 28, 2023 where we get down with live music, raffles, and more!
Checkout how to get in on this once-a-year revelry here.
