The Story Of Stoutzilla
Stoutzilla was one of the first beers brewed at the UnBarred Shed in Hove and a passion piece for Jordan, stemming from his desire to deliver a full bodied and flavoursome stout. The core project began as a Mower family experience, with everyone pitching with everything, from brewing to bottling. There will always be a special sort of love for Stoutzilla here, It captures the essence of UnBarred’s founding spirit and Jordan has kept two bottles back from the original offering to give to his children on their 18th birthdays.
Today, Stoutzilla is a different kind of beast from the original which came in at 8.3% and the flavour has progressed and the abv increased to 10% to capture the best of it. Still a limited release, this is now an awesome Imperial Stout, brewed with huge amounts of chocolate malt, Bramling Cross hops and muscovado sugar. and finished with a glug of bourbon and lashings of Madagascan vanilla and dark fruity coffee.
The result is a titan stout that pours jet black with enticing aromas of chocolate, vanilla, whiskey and coffee which draw you in. It is robust with roasted and chocolate bitterness, balanced by the Madagascan vanilla. And it ends with with a warming glow of bourbon and coffee, followed by a slightly drying finish.
For our barrel aged project, Stoutzilla rests for several months in oak Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels to further enhance its impact. Even before heading to the barrels, our base Stoutzilla recipe was evolved to create an even bigger body to withstand the time and ageing process it was to undergo. This involved a complex and rich malt base with additions of cocoa nibs and locally roasted robust Mexican Coffee.
The result is a velvety smooth mouthfeel followed by rich chocolate, coffee and smooth vanilla to give a subtle sweetness which then leads into warming Bourbon, harmonising with the gentle smokiness drawn out from the charred American oak.
The last couple of years we have also been able to utilise Stoutzilla’s huge mash by creating a Parti-gyle beer from the second runnings, which have been transformed into a dark and seasonal Old Ale enriched with sweet black treacle.
This age-old technique was a first for us, giving us the opportunity to use Stoutzilla’s flavourful mash to recreate this historic style. It was very important to us that we were able to minimise waste while creating another beer - helping us to take steps towards becoming a more sustainable brewery. Old Ale will be available at some launch venues and will roll out at all great cask venues in the coming weeks. It is perfect when enjoyed by a roaring fire!
According to you, it is not just the glorious flavour this indulgent stout brings that makes Stoutzilla stand out. The design featuring Stoutzilla terrorising the Brighton Pavilion, courtesy of the outrageously talented Paul Jackson, has become synonymous with UnBarred, our roots and this beer.
Stoutzilla is embedded in the fabric of what we do and you can see the Stoutzilla himself on the exterior walls of our brewery in the heart of Brighton.
Paul Jackson's unique take on popular culture is inspired by everything surreal and sci-fi and as he remixes the world to his vision, the world is sitting up and taking notice. His global reputation is growing, with a huge audience now adoring the way he fuses the natural with the supernatural while adding elements of technological failings - most famously in his glitch drawings.
Originally from Brighton UK, now living in Toronto Canada, Paul has a reputation that continues to grow and grow and we love having him as part of the UnBarred journey.
Stoutzilla has been included in the 250 greatest beers of the world, by beer writer Emma Inch which is an incredible achievement for this beer & our team.
Working again closely with Brighton Hot Sauce we've create our next condiment release, using Stoutzilla blended with a mix of red chillies, mulato peppers and habaneros, resulting in a deep, rich, complex hot sauce.
Brighton Hot Sauce is a local, small batch producer of craft hot sauces - lovingly produced and bottled in Brighton in the most sustainable way they can. Working with Deen to take our products to create flavourful hot sauces in our hometown is a real treat.
To continue the celebrations of Stoutzilla returning we are launching up and down the country at some of our favourite venues, so even more of you can get a taste of this Imperial Stout on the 24th November.
DECADENT, INDULGENT AND RICH.
