Local Brew

Chocolate Stout: A Community Collaboration Produces a Fair-Trade Pint

By Ashlyn Mooney / Photography By Rupert Whiteley | December 01, 2014

There’s nothing better than a cup of hot chocolate on a cold December night—except maybe a pint of good stout. This winter, Revival Brewing and fair-trade company Equal Exchange are partnering to brew up the best of both worlds: a special-release chocolate stout from Revival Brewing Company, sold in growlers at Brutopia in Cranston during December.

Hoping to include a chocolate stout in this special issue, Edible Rhody searched for a local brew but the glass came up empty. Undeterred, we reached out to Sean Larkin, chief brewing officer at Revival, and suggested the stout as a special release. We put Larkin in touch with the folks at Equal Exchange, an importer of ethically sourced chocolate, coffee and tea in nearby West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

“We though it would be a great addition to the winter lineup,” says Larkin. “A big peak, hot chocolate sort of stout.”

Both Equal Exchange and Revival have a history of producing delicious food and drink through collaborations with local and sustainable operations. Larkin works with local companies whenever possible, like Revival’s previously released Coffee Stout made in collaboration with Providence coffee shop White Electric.

In addition to sourcing the stout’s fair-trade cocoa powder from Equal Exchange, Larkin is toasting his own coconut flakes and finding local purveyors for marshmallows, mint, star anise and vanilla.

“This stout will be on the sweet and savory side of the stout family,” says Larkin. While traditional stouts are light and dry, “with 7% ABV (alcohol), this is going to be more of a boozy, keep-you-warm-on-a-winter-night kind of stout.” Prost!

See a video on the making of this special edition stout.