Stone Brewing Co. Xocoveza For The Holidays

__Aroma:__ “Mild cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg—it’s like gingerbread dipped in stout. A mix of green pepper and mild chile pepper, with strong chocolate malt and some roast. A touch of chocolate and a medium amount of roast remind you that it is, in fact, a stout.” __Flavor:__ “The roast and chocolate malt hit first, with a nice mocha hug, then the mulled cider spices sidle in. Pepper, cocoa, bitter chocolate, with cinnamon and ginger. The heat is very mild, but pleasantly noticeable, and the alcohol is evident and lingers into the aftertaste with a soft, extended burn—perhaps a bit of a clash with the chile heat.” __Overall:__ “Some very complex flavors, but a bit overpowering—it builds to the point that a full pint might be hard to get through. It would be served well in a 4 oz glass after Christmas dinner. Tastes more like a porter than a stout, but is very enjoyable and drinkable.”

**Aroma:** “Dark roast coffee and roasted malt. Biscuity, toasted rich malt in the background. Spicy alcohol. Mild chocolate.” **Flavor:** “Coffee-forward, followed by roast malt and alcohol. Medium hops bitterness complements roast notes. Starts quite sweet and transitions to a moderately intense acrid bitterness that’s emphasized by the medium high carbonation. The alcohol brings out a nice nuttiness and accentuates the cocoa highlights. Pleasant caramel, too.” **Overall:** “Well-crafted beer. The balance of coffee and malt is nice. Alcohol warming is pleasant.”

__Aroma:__ “Big smoke, like that of a rauch stout, with roasted malt and coffee, and coffee roasted in a smoker. It smells like you’re standing next to a Hatch chile roaster. Nice chocolate sweetness and some fruity esters of stone and dried fruit.” __Flavor:__ “The rich, smoky flavor gives the chocolate and roast malts a smoky twist, and then the pepper flavor comes in, along with a rich, caramel sweetness that buffers the moderate chile warmth. It’s slightly cloying, but the flavors are all in balance. A bit of bacon, BBQ, tobacco, and hot chiles. But as strong as the flavors were, they didn’t overwhelm the beer’s overall stout nature.” __Overall:__ “Scarily drinkable. The aroma is the weakest part of this beer—it was so full of chipotle it was hard to find anything else. It’s nice and creamy, with chocolate and pepper on the finish. A little on the sweet side, but the heat from the chipotle firms it up.”