One of the brightest stars in a city filled with culinary treasures, Christopher Elbow has been handcrafting masterpieces in chocolate for more than ten years. In that time the reputation of his artistic delicacies has spread around the globe. Elbow’s sweets are distinguished by their use of unusual and sometimes surprising flavors and ingredients; in that adventurous spirit we joined forces to bring you Chocolate Ale with Raspberry.
Our collaboration with Christopher Elbow began when he and Boulevard Brewmaster Steven Pauwels realized they were mutual admirers of each other’s work. Originally introduced in early 2011, Chocolate Ale has always been something of an anomaly, particularly in the Greater Kansas City Area. More so than any other Smokestack Series Limited Release beer, Chocolate Ale transcends the usual audience for our beers and captures the attention and excitement of a much wider audience. Chocolate is a universally loved treat and the idea of combining it with Kansas City’s beer has created an intense fervor each release.
Never content to rest on past achievements and recipes, we first entertained the idea of refreshing Chocolate Ale and bringing Christopher back into the brewery to renew the collaboration near the end of the summer. Inspired by Elbow’s creations, we sought to introduce a spin on Chocolate Ale. We talked about, tested, and tasted several modifications before deciding on raspberry. We quickly fell in love with the way the tartness of the raspberry served to balance the rich flavors and aromas imparted by cacao nibs sourced from the Dominican Republic. With a pinkish hue, Chocolate Ale with Raspberry leaps out of the glass with a juicy aroma that gives way to rich chocolate notes. A pleasant, crisp acidity imparted by the raspberry keeps the beer from lingering too heavily on the palate as flavors of fruit interact with smooth, round notes of dark chocolate.
At 9.1 ABV and 24 IBUs, Chocolate Ale with Raspberry is, in the words of Christopher Elbow, “best paired with a glass.” Elbow adds that the beer would be a great match with a chocolate bar with a high percentage of dark chocolate and minimal sweetness.
When we first introduced Chocolate we were, um, surprised by the response. While originally intended as a one-time, one-off beer, like our other Smokestack Series collaborations, Chocolate Ale has developed a huge following that has managed to grow each year. As the release date nears, we’re flooded with calls, emails, and postings with questions about this special Limited Release beer. We hope this blog post provides some insight into the production, distribution and marketing of Chocolate Ale.
Supply: Just like in past years following the initial release, we’ve continued to up the amount of Chocolate Ale brewed and packaged. This number has grown to far exceed the amount of any other Smokestack Seasonal or Limited Release beer we brew. In fact, over the past three years, we have brewed the maximum amount of Chocolate Ale we could without interfering with production of our other year-round and seasonal beers.
Distribution/Retail/Pricing: By law, we sell our beer to independent distributors, who in turn sell to retailers, who sell to beer drinkers. Our price to distributors, and our distributors’ price to retailers, is precisely the same for Chocolate Ale with Raspberry as it is for all of our Smokestack Series Limited Release offerings like Saison-Brett, Bourbon Barrel Quad and Rye-on-Rye. By law, we have no control over the price charged by retailers for any of our beers, including Chocolate Ale with Raspberry. Nor do we have control over which retailers receive our beer, when they receive it, or how or when they sell it. Our Kansas City distributor tells us deliveries of Chocolate Ale with Raspberry to local retailers will take place beginning on January 12. Hundreds of kegs to be served at area bars and restaurants will begin hitting taps at that time. Deliveries of cases of bottles to area liquor stores will begin on January 12 as well. It’s very important to note that not all locations will receive their allocations of Chocolate Ale with Raspberry on these days as retailers have scheduled delivery days that happen throughout the week. Most retailers will receive Chocolate Ale on their normal delivery day. We do not, and will not, have access to this delivery schedule and will be unable to share which bars/restaurants or liquor stores currently have Chocolate Ale with Raspberry on tap or on their shelves. Chocolate Ale with Raspberry is made available to distributors and retailers throughout our distribution network of 35 states and the District of Columbia, but as in years past, the lion’s share of Chocolate Ale with Raspberry remains in the Greater Kansas City Area to allow you, our loyal friends, the greatest opportunity to try this special beer.
Marketing: The media interest and coverage surrounding this year’s batch of Chocolate Ale with Raspberry is due to the increased following the beer has received during previous years. We’ve responded to reporter inquiries and have done our best to provide them with the correct information to relay to their readers/listeners/viewers. As with any beer we brew, it is not our intention to hype a release to the point where demand exceeds supply.
Chocolate Ale with Raspberry debuts in Kansas City on 1/12 with other cities to follow soon.
– Jeremy Danner, Ambassador Brewer
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