Moussey Juicy Chocolate Milkshake NEBIPA
3 Ravens Brewing

Wow this one sounds like a Frankenstein’s monster of a brew: 3 Ravens Moussey Juicy Chocolate Milkshake NEBIPA (New England Black India Pale Ale). Yep, it’s exactly what you were thinking: regular Juicy (which is a NEIPA) mixed with chocolate, vanilla, lactose (for body) and pectin (also for body???)… don’t forget triticale (hybrid wheat/rye) and oats. This is going to be a chewy beer then. So I guess 3 Ravens haven’t run dry on ways to milk their Juicy series, they’ve already released: Juicy, Extra Juicy, Lemon Juicy, Citra Juicy, Yuzu Juicy, etc… all they need to do now is add: Cherry Juicy, Lime Juicy, Atomic Juicy… well they really could go on forever, although I’m not a fan of the idea of Durian Juicy, it is indeed possible.

Poured from a 375ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Almost spot-on chocolate brown with a firm-packed mocha head that leaves some patchy lace on the side of the glass as it goes down. Looks as chunky as I imagined from the ingredients list – this should be good if the flavours work. 8/10.

S: Roasted cacao and dark chocolate notes mingle with an orange hint and a sweet sugary caramel malt base. They could probably have named it “Jaffa Juicy” if that orange comes through like I’m expecting it to. Now I remember what pectin is – it’s used as a gelling agent in jellies – this has a very dessert jelly-like aroma to it (for better or worse). 7/10.

T: Roasted cacao and powered chocolate with a touch of dark chocolate leads the palate, mid hop orange citrus character has a look in but the chocolate is the master of this domain. Nutty and slight caramel malts bring in a bit of sweetness. Finishes more dry than anything else. Aftertaste is powdered chocolate and dry. Overall this isn’t as crazy a flavour profile as expected and reasonably well-balanced too – I would buy this again. 8/10.

M: As expected Moussey Juicy has a nice creamy mouthfeel, medium bodied with a dense carbonation. Considering the ingredients though I feel like they worked hard for a texture that is thinner than it should be. Still good though. 8/10.

D: Weirdly, even though I originally thought this beer might crash and burn it hasn’t, in fact I could drink this as a decent, chocolate-driven Black IPA in winter. It fits the bill as something not-quite-but-almost-a-stout and a good halfway between the usually citrus-driven IPAs and chocolate/roasted coffee Stouts. Not sure what they pulled off but 3 Ravens did pull off something here. 8/10.

Food match: Banquet roasted meats and medieval style cuisine springs to mind.