Brewery creates beer inspired by fan-favorite local ice cream flavor

Photo courtesy of Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

The new Zanzibar Chocolate Ice Cream Stout being produced at Octopi,

A new beer collaboration from Untitled Art and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co. is giving the community something to look forward to next week: Zanzibar Chocolate Ice Cream Stout.

Using Untitled Art’s beer expertise and Chocolate Shoppe’s iconic Zanzibar chocolate ice cream, the two companies put their heads together to launch the new brew.

Untitled Art, which is created out of Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, brings unique flavors and combinations to its beer. Isaac Showaki, the owner of Octopi, says the collaboration has been in the works for a couple months.

Sarah Deadman, the vice president of business development at Chocolate Shoppe, says Zanzibar Chocolate is one of the company’s most popular flavors and a winner at the World Dairy Expo. Zanzibar Chocolate is made with three different kinds of cocoa, giving it a “fudge brownie taste.”

“It’s kind of our pride and joy,” Deadman says. “When we started talking to everyone over at Octopi and Untitled Art, we thought that that would be a really great flavor to kind of highlight in a beer form.”

Untitled Art’s head brewer, Sam Green, says Zanzibar is a flavor complementary to what the brewery typically enjoys making. “We usually make really rich, thick nice chocolatey stouts, very dessert-based, so it was kind of a no-brainer,” Green says.

Deadman says Untitled Art used some of the same ingredients used to make the ice cream in the beer, creating a drink that is really true to the original flavor.

“It’s extremely dark chocolate-forward. It’s roasty, toasty,” Green says.

Zanzibar Chocolate Ice Cream Stout will be available at grocery stores and liquor stores starting next week.

In the future, Showaki hopes to collaborate with Chocolate Shoppe on other popular flavors. Deadman says they may be making a beer-inspired ice cream as well.

“We’re really excited about this first one,” Showaki says. “We know it’s going to do great and we’re excited to see if we can do other flavors with Chocolate Shoppe going forward.”

*Chocolate Shoppe locations are currently closed. Octopi has curbside pickup beer available at the brewery.

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