Mexican Stout - Ship Bottom Brewery
I love me some dark beers from Ship Bottom Brewery. I truly have enjoyed the Barnacle Bottom Stout, the NYD (Russian Imperial Stout), and the Baconator Stout. I believe that I now have a new favorite from Ship Bottom Brewery - the Mexican Stout. The ingredients read as follows: brewed with coffee, mexican chocolates, cinnamon, ancho chipotle peppers, vanilla beans, and lactose. There's so much going on there that I couldn't wait over 24 hours to crack one open. Now, I'll admit that I had cheated and had tried a sample at the brewery itself, but the small sample glass wasn't the full experience I wanted to indulge in at home. I wanted a nice big glass that would be able to warm up and give me the full experience with all of the aromas.
Upon opening the can, the smell of cinnamon and coffee greats the nose. It's a very pleasant welcome to this fantastic brew. The very first taste of the beer is so good. Cinnamon and the peppers dominate in the front end with the coffee and chocolate rounding out in the back end. I was a bit worried with the inclusion of ancho chipotle peppers that the beer might be TOO hot, but honestly, what I found was a well-balanced heat that worked in perfect unison with the cinnamon. The coffee isn't heavy-handed and works well with the mexican chocolates. A part of me would have loved a richer stout, but I'm sure if that had happened, it'd just drown out the cinnamon and pepper aspect of the beer. Honestly, I'd prefer it the way it is right now. The Mexican Stout is one of the rare beers that I enjoyed almost the same straight out of the can and 20 minutes after it warmed up a bit. Not much changed and I loved it.
If you have a chance to grab this at the brewery for pours, do a full pour or else take a 4-pack home to sample. The experience was much, much better upon having a 12-16 ounce sample to have to truly enjoy the complexities of this beer. Well done Ship Bottom, this is a hit for me. Salud!