Saint Arnold Brewing teams up with Chef Hugo Ortega for "iconic" holiday beer

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Saturday, December 16, 2017
Saint Arnold and Chef Ortega team up
Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Chef Hugo Ortega are serving up something for lovers of chocolate and beer.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- One of the latest holiday releases from Saint Arnold Brewing Company could leave your tastebuds pining for something sweet.

The brewery teamed up with James Beard award winner Chef Hugo Ortega to create the Icon Blue Hugo's Chocolate Milk Stout

"It is a wonderful chocolate beer. You get the roast of the dark malt. You get the lactose in there, which is milk sugar, which gives a nice sweetness that balances the roasty malt and then this chocolate. So it tastes like you're drinking hot chocolate that happens to be beer," Saint Arnold owner Brock Wagner said.

The chocolate used in the beer is made from scratch by Chef Ortega.

It's also a one-time release, so if you miss it this time, you'll be out of luck.

Along with admiring Chef Ortega's skills in the kitchen, Saint Arnold says they wanted to work with Ortega because of what he does for the community.

"Yeah, he's got great restaurants, but he's also about employing Houstonians and treating people right and doing things right. So it's a no - brainer he's someone to make a connection with," Lennie Ambrose, Saint Arnold's Marketing & Events director, said.

Watch the video above to find out how brunch at Chef Ortega's restaurant helped spark the inspiration behind the beer.

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