Well, here’s a couple of very 3 Ravens releases. First up is Choc Coconut Shake, another entry in 3 Ravens’ Shake series, which are still nominally milkshake IPAs. Go back a few short years and if you told even the most ardent beer nerd you'd ordered a Choc Coconut Milkshake New England Brown IPA they might have looked at you like you were mad. Wait a second – they'd still likely look at you in the same way.
Naming aside, we can say the beer's a collaboration with Melbourne’s ethical chocolate makers, Birdsnake, who wanted to make a Bounty-inspired beer. Featuring shredded coconut and Tanzanian cacao plus Huell Melon, Idaho #7, Mosaic and Sabro hops, whatever Ravens wish to call it, it’s effectively a stout. And it's one where rich chocolate runs across the palate, soon joined by coconut plus some herbal notes and then tropical flavours from the hops that are closest to pawpaw. Tropical flavours? Okay, maybe it is a NEBIPA, after all.
Then we have Wild Ravens Methode Ravens 2021: a barrel-aged and mixed-culture beer that's an ongoing annual celebration of 3 Ravens’ house culture. The 2021 vintage blends four barrels the brewers thought best expressed their culture at that moment in time before being bottled in February 2021, and it's a beer that very much sees complexity meet subtlety. There’s a sherbet-like spritz that dances across the tongue, a woody or oaky component that slows those dancing notes down, and a rich creaminess that fits harmoniously with a juicy acidity and flavours of tart white grapes enjoyed a little too early. All that’s to say, it's all very Ravens.
Will Ziebell
Published July 1, 2021 2021-07-01 00:00:00
