Robin Shepard
Last weekend’s release party for Cupid’s Envy brought several hundred people to the Wisconsin Brewing Company willing to stand outside in single-digit temperatures on Saturday morning to be among the first to score bottles of the bourbon barrel-aged porter, made with coconut and coffee.
What is it? Cupid’s Envy from Wisconsin Brewing Company
Style: The porter is a brown to deep black ale that ranges from 4 to 6 percent ABV. It is malt-focused with hints of roasted chocolate and toffee. The origins of the style go back to the 1700s, when it was a favorite beer of the porters who worked the London shipyards.
Background: Beers that can get hundreds of people to stand in line in freezing temperatures just to be the first to get a bottle are what brewers hope for. So it is with Cupid’s Envy. “It’s so rich and smooth, intensely complex, and yet so easy to drink,” says Wisconsin Brewing’s Kirby Nelson. “When we first tasted it more than a year ago, we knew its flavor would be perfect for Valentine’s Day with all the sweet chocolate character.”
The beer was just released in bomber bottles over the weekend at the brewery.
Cupid’s Envy is a strong porter with lots of chocolate malt. However, the sweetness of coconut and coffee is the draw. After fermentation the beer is infused with a special blend of coffee from Madison roaster Barriques. Then it’s placed into Heaven Hill bourbon barrels where it remains for nearly 10 months, picking up the warm alcohol sweetness of bourbon and oak. Then it’s filtered through toasted coconut and bottled. Each of the approximately 2,500 bottles produced was sealed with red wax, a hand-dipping process involving nearly all brewery employees in the week leading up to last weekend’s party.
Cupid’s Envy is slated to be an annual release for Wisconsin Brewing. It finishes at 10.3 percent ABV and sells in bomber bottles in the brewery’s gift shop for $15/each. There’s a limited supply remaining, so if you want some, head to the brewery soon, where it will also be on tap by the glass for next 2 weeks ($6).
Nelson held back a small amount that he’s further aging in J. Henry and Sons bourbon barrels. That, he hopes to tap in 2019 to make what he’s calling Cupid’s Revenge.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: Sweet, coconut and coffee.
Appearance: Very dark, almost black. A medium, soft, tan head.
Texture: Full-bodied with softness.
Taste: The coconut comes in early and again later in the finish. The coffee and roasted tones of chocolate malt provide a solid backbone that adds richness and depth to the sweetness.
Finish/Aftertaste: The coconut comes back in aroma and flavor. Also, there’s alcohol warmth that isn’t immediately detectable, but it builds and surprises.
Glassware: The snifter is a great glass to encourage the slow savoring of this beer’s sweetness.
Pairs well with: Stilton cheese and a few blueberries. However, this is a dessert beer that’s best all on its own. The coconut and coffee make for an excellent after-dinner beer or nightcap.
The Verdict: Coconut and coffee blend so well with the toffee and caramel of the roasted malts. The coconut is most evident early on in the aroma, while the malts and coffee provide a solid flavor. Most will find there’s as much coconut as there is coffee, just in different waves of aroma and flavor. It’s full-bodied, rich and flavorful with lingering warmth. This is a love letter in a bottle for anyone who enjoys bold, robust sweet beers.
