It must be a sign of how our perception of time has been so screwed by the past two-and-a-bit years that I'd swear it was only a few months ago – rather than 12 – that I was tucking into Two Birds' deliciously hoppy tenth birthday beer. Yet apparently we've completed another trip around the sun as here's Turn It Up To 11 – a birthday cake beer. It's one that features cocoa powder, cacao nibs, vanilla bean, lactose and a pinch of nutmeg – as well as special Party Packs featuring suitably cheesy birthday treats alongside the beer.
That dusty cacao stands out from the off, while the choccy additions and darker malts combine with the lactose and vanilla to create a little icing-like richness and a nougaty chocolate sponge character. In short, it does what it says on the tin.
That said, if I've one criticism it's that the experience sits closer to the sort of spongey chocolate cake you’d get at a six-year-old's birthday than those of a richer and deeper nature the palates of an 11-year-old might demand.
Yours sincerely,
The father of a six and 11-year-old.
James Smith
- Style
- Sweet Stout
- ABV
- 6.8%
