Over the years we have brewed a number of beers using cacao husk from local chocolate makers - repurposing (or “upcycling”) a waste stream of chocolate making (husk is the part that is left after roasting when the beans are “winnowed” and the nibs removed) that still offers plenty of value to anyone that can capture the wonderful flavour that they contain.

So when Melbourne’s Cacao Artisans Mork Chocolate asked if we had a use for the husks of the cacao used for their “Original Dark” and “Even Darker” cacaos, we were happy to oblige. The husks come from the heirloom-certified Chuno variety from the San Jose de Bocay region of northern Nicaragua and Mork describe the cacao as having a flavour profile of grapefruit, red currant and honey.

To showcase the brilliant chocolate flavour of the husks (which were added to the mash to minimise bitterness), we brewed an Old Ale with restrained use of character malts and treacle syrup, minimal hops, fruity English yeast as well as incorporating a couple of barrel aged beers (Solera Stock Ale and Imperial Stout) for aged character and nuanced complexity.