Customers in Mitchells & Butlers pubs will be able to satisfy their cravings for chocolate and beer in one easy serve, as Montezuma’s Chocolate Lager from Hogs Back Brewery goes into keg format in time for the three key chocolate occasions of Valentine’s, Mothers’ Day and Easter.
Montezuma’s is the world’s first authentic chocolate lager, launched in 2014 by Hogs Back Brewery in collaboration with Montezuma’s Chocolate. Mitchells & Butlers will be the first operator to take the beer in keg, putting in on the bar in around 110 of their ‘Castle’ concept pubs.
A 4.5% ABV light, refreshing beer with a well-balanced chocolate and hop flavour, Montezuma’s won a Gold award at the International Beer Challenge 2014. It was developed by Hogs Back Brewery with Montezuma’s Chocolate, based in Sussex, using a natural essence from their ‘Lordy Lord’ dark chocolate bar. The lager itself is based on the recipe for Hogs Back’s Hogstar English Lager, which is brewed with five different hops and special botanicals, and is matured for over a month to allow flavours to deepen.
Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back Brewery managing director, says, “Montezuma’s appeals both to beer ‘geeks’ looking to try something genuinely different, and to more mainstream drinkers who are intrigued by the idea of ‘chocolate in a glass’. We’re pleased to be putting this new, kegged version into more than 100 pubs at the peak time of year for consumer interest in all things chocolate.”
CAPTION TO ATTACHED IMAGE: Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson with Montezuma’s Chocolate Lager