If you don’t know about Stone Brewing yet then…you’re welcome. These people are know for having some tasty craft beers some seasonal and others year round. Xocoveza is a seasonal brew, this mocha stout is crafted after Mexican hot chocolate and was first introduced as a limited special collaboration release with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker (after his recipe won Stone Brewings annual homebrew competition) and Cerveceria Insurgente.
Pouring a glass the beer is a dark brown to black color with a tan head. The smell lingers more toward the coffee/chocolate side, you may also smell hints of vanilla. As you take a sip the first thing that’s hits the lips is the taste of coffee blended with chocolate, the chocolate flavor leans more to the cocoa side as apposed to the sweet side. next up is the nutmeg flavor as it reaches the back of the mouth and then cinnamon (which was strong in the after-taste also). The pasilla peppers add an extra layer of taste binding the flavors together.
This it is a thinner beer, only slightly breadie so it won’t fill you up quick but if you go through several of these bad boys you may feel like you’ve been drinking a lot of liquid. All in all I must say I’ve never had a beer with this flavor profile which is perfect for the holiday season, this beer is delicious whether you describe it as mocha, Mexican hot chocolate, or coffee. Once again Stone has produced a great beer, the ABV comes in at 8.1 % so you get a nice bang for the buck and IBU is at 50 (a 6 pack being around $17 in the Midwest).
If you like stouts you’ll like this beer, if you like hot chocolate or coffee with nut meg and cinnamon you’ll love this beer. cheers
