Aroma: “Medium spices with a slight acrid note. Moderate cinnamon evokes a bit of pumpkin spices and a touch of chocolate. Cherries, dried and fresh. Not a lot of stout (roast, coffee, chocolate) in the aroma. Some smoky notes and spicy pepper.”

Flavor: “Chile flavor starts out high with moderate cherry notes and starts to burn slightly as it sits in my mouth toward the aftertaste. The hotness continues to grow well after the taste—a bit like hot cherry juice. A bit of caramel sweetness is there to balance, but the body is still svelte. The spices from the nose are here, too, but the chile heat presses them down into mere accents to the warmth.”

Overall: “The chile heat is nice, but it ultimately overpowers the other flavors—more chocolate and a touch of roast would be nice. But if you love heat more than balance in a chile beer, you should try this.”