Happy National Cocoa Day, the day that celebrates the hot cocoa beverage that’s a staple comfort drink this time of year! Hot cocoa with a bit of peppermint (or peppermint schnapps) makes for a delicious Christmas treat, so for today’s Advent beer pick I selected Grandma Van’s Candy Cane Stout from Utah’s Epic Brewing Company, a special limited-release holiday beer inspired by a homemade peppermint candy treat.

“The late Grandma Van – Mrs. Howard Levi – is the grandmother to Nate Levi, our regional sales manager based out of Colorado,” said Gus Erickson, the brewery’s marketing manager, when I reached out to the company for more info about the beer.

The beer’s backstory and the details are in the press release:

We all know that feeling of driving to grandma’s house and knowing she’ll have all sorts of delicious and sweet desserts waiting for you. Our new, small-batch, limited-release Grandma Van’s Candy Cane Stout channels all of your favorite memories with rich flavors of coffee, chocolate, and peppermint – you’d think your grandma was on the brew deck making the beer herself.

Grandma Van’s Candy Can Stout was an idea originally brought to us by our long-time friends at Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom. Director of Craft Beer Sales, Matt Poffel, was looking for a beer to add to their Holiday Mini Tour. One of Matt’s favorite beers is our Son of a Baptist Coffee Stout & adding peppermint seemed like a natural way to riff on our classic favorites.

“Matt and I were catching up at an Old Chicago location soon after they re-opened following being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Regional Sales Manager Nate Levi. “We both loved the idea of a peppermint and coffee stout but now I had to go and get the brewers to sign on to making it. I thought about a dessert my Grandma Van used to make with chocolate, peppermint, and marshmallows as a reference point for the beer Matt and I had in our heads. Grandma Van passed away in 1994, but I’ll always remember that dessert.”

Director of Brewing Operations Jordan Schupbach and his team went to work on a beer recipe to combine the robust coffee flavors of Son of a Baptist Coffee Stout with peppermint dessert. Grandma Van’s Candy Cane Stout features rich, chocolatey flavors from dark roasted malts, peppermint and coffee from Novo Coffee in Denver, CO. At an approachable 6% ABV, this beer will keep you coming back for more.

As a fun bonus, the brewery shared the original handwritten recipe for Grandma Van’s Marshmallow Peppermint Dessert that the beer was based on:

This looks like an easy and delicious recipe to make, so there’s really no excuse not to have a dessert pairing with this beer! Alternatively, serve up a pint with a candy cane garnish. Either way, this Candy Cane Stout seems to me to be a perfect addition to this National Cocoa Day!

Find Epic Brewing Grandma Van’s Candy Cane Stout on:

• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• Facebook

Image credits: All provided by the brewery