Wild Oats Series No. 41 Channel Ocho
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

Wild Oats Series No. 41 Channel OchoWild Oats Series No. 41 Channel Ocho
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From:
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Chile Beer
ABV:
8.9%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 6.47%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 23, 2019
Added:
Apr 08, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Channel Ocho is an extra-strong dark ale, judiciously spiced with chipotle peppers, cinnamon and cloves for a mild heat that tickles the tongue, and a warmth that lingers after sipping. Also includes cocoa nibs and cocoa powder.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by biegaman:
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.96/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Channel Ocho is inspired by a recipe for Mexican hot chocolate but looks more like black forest cake; technically dark brown, its complexion is deep-ocean black and the beer is topped with enough Belgian-esque foam to double as whipped cream. All it's missing is the cherry on top.

Abbey Ale yeast guarantees spicy, fragrant aromatics - imagine what happens when it's combined with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cane sugar, cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, and, arguably the most important part, chipotle peppers! Factor all that in with the perfumy anise and peppercorn notes and you get a beer that could be smelled all the way from the moon.

There's usually a pretty simple test to determine whether a chile beer is good: is it drinkable? Can you physically swallow it? (Admittedly I don't set the bar isn't quite as high for beers made with chipotle peppers than those without.) But this is a special one. All the sugar, cocoa, and spices combine with the dark malts to make for an intricate yet balanced, delicious dessert-like treat.

On the scale of "this must be a gimmick, I don't taste a thing" to "my face is burning off, for the love of god someone please throw milk on me", this chipotle pepper-infused offering falls right in that comfortable middle zone; there's definite heat but it doesn't chase you out of the kitchen. There's a definite sting in the back of the throat but it's pleasant, not painful.

There's not a single style of beer that has ever existed Beau's hasn't tried their hands at - and that includes making a bunch up. Most of these aren't worth the asking price. The novel idea of a 'Mexican hot chocolate' meets Belgian Quad, however, turned out a stroke of ultra-spicy genius.

On-tap at Bar Hop in Toronto, Ontario.
Apr 08, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.96/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
600 mL bottle from the LCBO; the last of four included in their Winter 2018 mixed pack. Dated Oct 24 2018 and served at cellar temperature.

Pours a dark cola brown colour with ruby red highlights; situated atop is a full inch of foamy, tan-coloured head that displays excellent retention. Nearly ten minutes later, it has devolved to an immaculately smooth, creamy cap and collar, with an exquisitely even coat of lacing also having been applied to the glass. Very attractive. On the nose, notes of chocolate, caramelized malts and chipotle peppers are easily distinguished, with the cinnamon and clove requiring a few additional sniffs to discern. Some metallicity, but I can deal with it.

A pleasant, unique little sipper which has a couple of interesting features worth noting. It starts off with hints of caramel sweetness, together with a bready malt backbone buoyed by notes of cocoa powder. The chipotle peppers take their time asserting themselves, being barely noticeable on the front end - but their smokiness shows up by mid-sip, and their heat finally comes through nearer to the finish. This is also where the spices make their presence known: the cinnamon complements the chile quite nicely, while the clove serves as more of a background note, blending together in a spicy aftertaste that includes lingering hints of cocoa powder and chile. Medium in body, leaning towards full... the carbonation levels are relatively low, resulting in a smooth, soft, slightly creamy mouthfeel. The near-9% alcohol is basically invisible, at least until you stand up after finishing the bottle...

Final Grade: 3.96, a B+. Beau's Channel Ocho won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's absolutely worth trying at least once. The chile intensity is just about right for this type of beer - impossible to miss, but not nearly enough to get your forehead sweating - while the cinnamon and cacao nibs serve as the perfect companion flavours. Easily the most interesting inclusion in this mixed pack, and one of a handful of their Wild Oats beers that are actually worth the $7-9 price tag.
Apr 23, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by GoHabsGo from Canada (ON)

Feb 02, 2019
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Brought out of retirement to serve as part of Beau's 2018 Winter pack. Batch 7792 and bottled on October 24, 2018. Lablled as Channel Ocho. Served cold into a tulip.

Appearance - Dark brown with reddish hues in the light. A finger of light tan head sits on top and stays a while. Some streaky lacing.

Smell - Chocolate, chiles and cherries. Interesting combo. Maybe some cinnamon hearts to spice things up although that could be the chiles talking. Quite a bit of sweetness and maybe not the most cohesive aroma.

Taste - Lots of chocolate cake initially, quite doughy and dense. Chocolate throughout. Goes kinda of bitter then the spicy chiles kick in. Finishes sweet and yeasty with obvious Belgian inspiration and a kiss of cherries. More bitter than expected which reign sin the cherries nicely. Could be more cohesive, but appreciated the effort. A little smokiness permeates the mouth at the end.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, medium low carbonation, spicy and dry finish. Boozy to an extent. Spot on for this type of beer.

Overall - Certainly different, and not always cohesive, but for some reason I really like this beer. The chiles are spicy without being too overbearing, the chocolate is ever-present but not too sweet. Certainly a worthy addition to the winter pack and interesting to boot.
Dec 05, 2018
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.08/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Lovin' Cup in Henrietta, NY.

Pours a dark, deep brown, with a brown-tinged white head of about an inch, and a little bit of lacing.

Smells really spicy, both in terms of the actual peppers, and spicy in terms of how heavily spiced this one is. There's tons of cinnamon and clove, and some powdery chocolate.

They really spiced this one well. Spiced beers always run into the problem of being way too ovespiced, overshadowing the beer underneath. Luckily, this one mostly avoids this. It is very highly spiced, but you can still taste the base beer underneath, which appears to be a porter or a strong brown. All of the adjuncts are noticeable, and no one is too out front.

This is pretty thick bodied, with a creamy, slightly grainy, and full mouthfeel. This has a moderate level of carbonation.

This was surprisingly quite delicious and tasty. All of the adjuncts didn't clash and it really resembled Mexican hot chocolate.
Feb 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Ivanhoes_Backpack from Canada (NB)

Feb 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.7 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Sep 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ssmack from Canada (ON)

Aug 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by kelvarnsen from Canada (ON)

Jul 06, 2014
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a nice light brown foamy head with OK retention. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel malt with light cinnamon and cloves notes. Taste is also dominated by some cinnamon and cloves notes with a medium dry caramel malt backbone. Body is about average with good carbonation. Good and interesting takes on Mexican spice beer but I would have preferred for the cinnamon and chipotle notes to be more prevalent.
Jun 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

May 18, 2014
Wild Oats Series No. 41 Channel Ocho from Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 11 ratings