Hubbard's Cave Iced Mocha 4Pk

Hubbard's Cave Iced Mocha 4Pk is a 6.0% ABV American pastry stout brewed with chocolate, SPUTNIK Coffee, lactose, and vanilla. Recognized by Forbes, Eater, and Beer Travel Guide as one of Chicago's best breweries, Hubbard's Cave delivers a dessert-inspired stout that drinks with surprising restraint for the style, earning an 88 on BeerAdvocate.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.0%  |  Origin: Niles, Illinois  |  Style: Pastry Stout  |  Brewery: Hubbard's Cave Brewery

Production & Heritage

Hubbard's Cave Brewery operates out of Niles, Illinois, just outside Chicago, and has built a reputation for bold, ingredient-driven stouts and barrel-aged releases. Iced Mocha is brewed as an American stout with a deliberate pastry-forward profile: real chocolate and coffee from Chicago-area roaster SPUTNIK are added alongside lactose for body and sweetness, and vanilla rounds out the finished beer. At 6.0% ABV, it sits well below many pastry stouts in alcohol, making it a sessionable option in a category often defined by high-gravity excess.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Malty and inviting, with immediate waves of roasted coffee and milk chocolate. Underneath, vanilla sweetness mingles with hints of toffee and a faint wisp of licorice.

Taste: The entry is dominated by strong roast coffee — unmistakably real, not extract-like — which quickly meets creamy milk chocolate across the mid-palate. Lactose lends a smooth, rounded sweetness that carries toffee, molasses, and brown sugar notes, while a measured roast malt bitterness emerges toward the back to keep the beer from tipping into cloying territory. Subtle dark-fruit hints of dates and plums add unexpected depth.

Finish: Medium in length with a clean, slightly bitter roast-coffee fade. The body is medium and notably thinner than many pastry stouts, making the finish refreshingly drinkable rather than heavy.

How to Drink Iced Mocha

Pour into a tulip glass or snifter at around 45–50°F to let the coffee and chocolate aromatics open up; this stout rewards a slow pour and a few minutes of warming. It also works well as a component in beer-based drinks: blend it into a Beer Float with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a rich dessert; use it as the base for a Stout Affogato poured over espresso gelato; or mix it with cold-brew concentrate and cream for a Coffee Stout Shandy that leans into the mocha character.

Best For

• After-dinner sipping alongside chocolate desserts
• Introducing coffee-stout newcomers to the pastry stout style at an approachable ABV
• Gifting to craft-beer enthusiasts who appreciate Chicago-area breweries
• Weekend brunch pairing with rich breakfast dishes

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Iced Mocha taste like? Iced Mocha delivers prominent roast coffee and milk chocolate up front, supported by toffee, molasses, and vanilla sweetness from lactose, with a clean roast-bitter finish that keeps it balanced.

How does Iced Mocha compare to Founders Breakfast Stout? Founders Breakfast Stout is an 8.3% ABV oatmeal stout with coffee and chocolate that carries significantly more body and alcohol heat. Iced Mocha is lighter at 6.0% ABV and leans more heavily on lactose sweetness and vanilla, making it a smoother, more dessert-forward pour.

Is Iced Mocha good for someone new to stouts? Yes — the moderate 6.0% ABV, smooth lactose body, and familiar coffee-and-chocolate flavor profile make it one of the more approachable pastry stouts available, without the heavy, syrupy texture that can overwhelm newcomers.

Where is Iced Mocha made? Iced Mocha is brewed by Hubbard's Cave Brewery at 6343 W Gross Point Road in Niles, Illinois, a suburb immediately northwest of Chicago.

What foods pair well with Iced Mocha? Chocolate lava cake mirrors the beer's cocoa character; a sharp aged cheddar creates a compelling sweet-savory contrast; smoked brisket stands up to the roast malt backbone; tiramisu amplifies the coffee and vanilla notes; and salted caramel brownies play off the lactose sweetness.

What sizes does Iced Mocha come in? Iced Mocha is sold as a 4-pack of cans, which is the standard retail format for this release.

Is Iced Mocha worth the price? Iced Mocha positions in the mid-range craft tier — reasonable for a specialty pastry stout made with real SPUTNIK Coffee and quality adjuncts, especially from a brewery consistently cited among Chicago's best.

Why Iced Mocha?

What separates this beer from the crowded pastry-stout field is discipline. At 6.0% ABV, Hubbard's Cave resists the arms race of double-digit gravity that often defines the style, instead focusing on flavor clarity and drinkability. The partnership with SPUTNIK Coffee roasters gives the coffee component an authenticity that extract-based stouts struggle to match — the roast character reads as genuine and layered rather than one-dimensional. An 88 on BeerAdvocate and a 3.7 on Untappd across thousands of ratings confirm that the approach resonates with drinkers who want dessert-inspired complexity without the palate fatigue that comes with heavier pours.