El Jefe
Madhouse Brewing Company

2017 - jet black with half an inch of coffee ice cream colored head. Given the age of this beer and the ABV, I'm pleasantly surprised that there is any head. It's still a very attractive beer.

Aroma has strong notes of vanilla and vanilla. It's not in you face, but more nuanced. Subtle, but it works. It's like walking down the street and passing by a store with a little bit of a quirky store front where you don't really know what exactly they sell, but you're drawn to it anyway. It's not screaming "look at me", it's whispering in your ear "give me a try".

Taste is really interesting. I give it major credit for being unique. I can't remember another beer like it. I don't have a very refined palate, but I can absolutely taste the individual ingredients (chili peppers, cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon). While I can't say the end product is my favorite stout, that's not a knock. It's good, and while not my exact thing, it's interesting enough that I will have no problem solo'ing this bottle. I love brewers who take risks and can pull it off. Wish I had opened this earlier today when I was hanging with a couple friends, as I would love to get their take.

 

 

Poured into a snifter. An opaque dark brown color with a quickly vanishing tan head. Great aroma packed with spices, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon. Same on the palate. The cinnamon was outstanding: enough to play with the other spices, but in check and not overbearing. Great barrel presence. The heat was mild but allowed all the other adjuncts to shine. Really outstanding.

 

 

 

 

A sublime stout! A perfect balance of all flavors. Kudos to Madhose for brewing the best stout I’ve ever tasted.

 

Straight pepper bomb.... no other flavors :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look: typical dark stout. Black with small ring of a head.

S: up front is the Mexican chocolate. Slight spice and a decent hit of vanilla.

T: absolutely fantastic. The same if not better than Mexican cake and the New Mexican monsters park for MT. Not quite abraxas though. But man the flavors melt into perfect harmony. Spice is there. Slight booze. Chocolate and vanilla swirl.

F: straight up silk. Low carbonation and oily tongue coating goodness. Again this is not quite abraxas but damn if it's right there.

O: as far as the Mexican chocolate beers go I definitely put this either #2 or #3. This brewery is a sleeping giant and they are doing all the right moves. This and carpe diem will put this place on the map as a top tier brewery. Watch out.

22 oz
No visible date
$?

Deep brown to black with an incomplete ring of head that remains.

Nose is vanilla and sweetness, cinnamon, minor bourbon and minor oak.

Taste is similar to the nose with sweet bourbon vanilla mixed with semi sweet coffee-chocolate and accented by cinnamon and spicy peppers on the finish.

Mouth is medium to heavy and smooth. Carbonation is low. Finish is sweet.

This is straight up Mexican Hot Chocolate in a beer. It is sweet and spicy and boozy but not overwhelmingly so. It is balanced and in harmony. The real bit hit here is the under carbonation which really took away alot. That aside it is sippable and very very enjoyable.