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Mexican Coffee Cake
Westbrook Brewing Co.


Beer Geek Stats
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- From:
- Westbrook Brewing Co.
- South Carolina, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
Ranked #165 - ABV:
- 10.5%
- Score:
- 98
Ranked #414 - Avg:
- 4.43 | pDev: 6.77%
- Reviews:
- 55
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 10, 2022
- Added:
- Feb 29, 2012
- Wants:
- 346
- Gots:
- 35
SCORE
98
World-Class
98
World-Class


Notes:
Way back in December 2011, we brewed our first anniversary beer – a serious imperial stout aged on cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and fresh habanero peppers. It was so delicious we decided to infuse this version with coffee and bring it back once each year.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania
4.41/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22 oz bottle
pours jet black, with thick tan colored head. very good head retention. Wonderful aroma of espresso, dark cocoa, a touch of smokey pepper. Similar taste, fudgy, and the cinnamon is earthy and the chili has a bit of a kick but it's not overpowering, it just complements the other flavors. Thick, full bodied, silky feel.
Sep 10, 2022pours jet black, with thick tan colored head. very good head retention. Wonderful aroma of espresso, dark cocoa, a touch of smokey pepper. Similar taste, fudgy, and the cinnamon is earthy and the chili has a bit of a kick but it's not overpowering, it just complements the other flavors. Thick, full bodied, silky feel.
Reviewed by CraftFan5 from New Jersey
4.3/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.3/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22 June 2021 - Beer #241
Acquired in a subscription box from Tavour
Appearance: 5 - completely black with a cute little brown halo of head.
Nose: 5 - holy crap! Look, I don't love the mole style, but this smells amazing. The coffee and spice complement each other perfectly to create this lovely sweetness.
Taste: 4 - pretty tasty, but honestly a bit underwhelming. No explosion of flavor here. It's almost crushable.
Mouth: 4 - interesting. Thin on the tongue, but thick down the throat. Again, crushable.
Overall: 4 - honestly not as impressive as the OG Cake, but I like it more.
Cheers!
Jun 29, 2021Acquired in a subscription box from Tavour
Appearance: 5 - completely black with a cute little brown halo of head.
Nose: 5 - holy crap! Look, I don't love the mole style, but this smells amazing. The coffee and spice complement each other perfectly to create this lovely sweetness.
Taste: 4 - pretty tasty, but honestly a bit underwhelming. No explosion of flavor here. It's almost crushable.
Mouth: 4 - interesting. Thin on the tongue, but thick down the throat. Again, crushable.
Overall: 4 - honestly not as impressive as the OG Cake, but I like it more.
Cheers!
Reviewed by firesidewithphil from Illinois
4/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Westbrook has been on the radar for all of 2020. I was finally able to find their Mexican Coffee Cake Stout on Tavour. The beer is heavy coffee for the initial few sips. As it warms up, the chocolate cake profile starts to break through and rounds out. I would recommend drinking this one about 10 minutes out of the fridge.
IG: @firesidewithphil
Jan 10, 2021IG: @firesidewithphil
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.47/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.47/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Void of the depths black with a finger of brown foam. Smell is dominated by the coffee with dark chocolate and cinnamon accenting. Taste has much more depth: dark roast coffee, dark cocoa and hot chocolate (so brighter) with mild pepper heat, strong cinnamon, a touch of vanilla and earth. Feel is warm yet not overly taxing, chewy, and decently smooth despite spice textures, very well made. Not as good as the orignal, but for coffee fanatics you might disagree.
Sep 14, 2020Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois
4.66/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.66/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 7/7/20. I can see why this one is rated so highly. Anytime I see a beer with peppers, I worry that it is going to be too spicy. But this one is just right. It brings heat and flavor, but it is not too much. There is also plenty of cinnamon, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate flavor. Extremely well balanced, big bodied, very boozy, but it doesn’t have an oiliness, thickness, or stickiness to it. Excellent beer.
Aug 30, 2020Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
4.33/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.33/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 22oz bomber into my BeerAdvocate teku. Bottled 7/7/20.
Appearance: completely, utterly black, with two fingers of extremely creamy, compact brown foam atop. Beautiful.
Smell: roasty and sweet with just a hint of coffee. There's also wonderful dark, rich notes of toffee and dates. Really quite delightful.
Taste: very sweet, with plenty of vanilla flavor; there's a bit of roastiness and the coffee comes through, though like the aroma it is subtle. There's less of the dark fruit and toffee in the flavor than in the aroma, which is a pity because I really like that stuff. This is still a very good pastry stout, but maybe not quite up to what the aroma promised.
Mouthfeel: rich body with plenty of carbonation and a very, very nicely smooth creaminess.
Overall: this beer is a delicious, if rather sweet, treat. Perhaps not sublime, but very good indeed.
Aug 28, 2020Appearance: completely, utterly black, with two fingers of extremely creamy, compact brown foam atop. Beautiful.
Smell: roasty and sweet with just a hint of coffee. There's also wonderful dark, rich notes of toffee and dates. Really quite delightful.
Taste: very sweet, with plenty of vanilla flavor; there's a bit of roastiness and the coffee comes through, though like the aroma it is subtle. There's less of the dark fruit and toffee in the flavor than in the aroma, which is a pity because I really like that stuff. This is still a very good pastry stout, but maybe not quite up to what the aroma promised.
Mouthfeel: rich body with plenty of carbonation and a very, very nicely smooth creaminess.
Overall: this beer is a delicious, if rather sweet, treat. Perhaps not sublime, but very good indeed.
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota
3.45/5 rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
3.45/5 rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Hello. My name is max12. I am addicted to Tavour. Please help me. And by help, I mean send beer in other ways. 22 oz. bomber bottled 7-7-20 split with my wife.
Black. Of the mass of ingredients, it is chocolate & chilis that escape the surface & just a touch of roast.
Mexican Cake – Coffee is an interesting name for a beer missing the coffee. Muscular chilis assault the tongue & palate while banishing the balance of the ingredient team to the back benches. Nice dark malts with nearly unheard hints of chocolate, coffee. Nice & thick, but half a bomber is just fine.
Popped at about the same age as my first encounter with the base Mexican Cake, but the chilis are even more aggressive in this thing. Pretty good, but I can see this improving markedly with six to twelve months to allow the heat to wither a bit.
Aug 27, 2020Black. Of the mass of ingredients, it is chocolate & chilis that escape the surface & just a touch of roast.
Mexican Cake – Coffee is an interesting name for a beer missing the coffee. Muscular chilis assault the tongue & palate while banishing the balance of the ingredient team to the back benches. Nice dark malts with nearly unheard hints of chocolate, coffee. Nice & thick, but half a bomber is just fine.
Popped at about the same age as my first encounter with the base Mexican Cake, but the chilis are even more aggressive in this thing. Pretty good, but I can see this improving markedly with six to twelve months to allow the heat to wither a bit.
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati
3.54/5 rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.54/5 rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to BrutalFarce for this one, from his ninja box during Rookies BIF #2. 22oz bottle, poured into 12oz goblet. Poured the expected solid black color with 3/4 inch of tan head that had OK retention and lacing.
On top of the base "stout" scent, I picked up a hint of cinnamon, light licorice, just a teensy bit of coffee, some light chocolate (maybe from the malts?), and a couple notes I couldn't quite put my finger on. A busy olfactory experience indeed. All of the above applies to the flavor profile, with the addition of a hint of spicy pepperness.
The body was a bit thinner than I look for in the style, but was very smooth, and had, a bit surprisingly for all that was going on, a semi-sweet finish. Drinkability was very nice, it was the rare big stout that I would have drank a whole 22 of by myself. Overall, a very nice brew, would I would happily drink again. A must-try if you get the chance.
Nov 03, 2018On top of the base "stout" scent, I picked up a hint of cinnamon, light licorice, just a teensy bit of coffee, some light chocolate (maybe from the malts?), and a couple notes I couldn't quite put my finger on. A busy olfactory experience indeed. All of the above applies to the flavor profile, with the addition of a hint of spicy pepperness.
The body was a bit thinner than I look for in the style, but was very smooth, and had, a bit surprisingly for all that was going on, a semi-sweet finish. Drinkability was very nice, it was the rare big stout that I would have drank a whole 22 of by myself. Overall, a very nice brew, would I would happily drink again. A must-try if you get the chance.
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts
4.38/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.38/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Shared with JLindros.
A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark black hue with a thin mocha head that fades to leave light wisps and a thin halo.
S - Aromas of decent amount of cinnamon and spice, nice pepper heat, chocolate, vanilla. The coffee is a bit subtle.
T - Taste is similar to the nose with nice heat, great cinnamon, solid vanilla and light coffee. The coffee is fruity as well which was unexpected.
M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, creamy, alcohol hidden nicely.
O - Overall this was a rather solid imperial stout. I don't think this is better than regular Mexican cake, but, it's solid beer.
Serving Type: bottle
Aug 06, 2018A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark black hue with a thin mocha head that fades to leave light wisps and a thin halo.
S - Aromas of decent amount of cinnamon and spice, nice pepper heat, chocolate, vanilla. The coffee is a bit subtle.
T - Taste is similar to the nose with nice heat, great cinnamon, solid vanilla and light coffee. The coffee is fruity as well which was unexpected.
M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, creamy, alcohol hidden nicely.
O - Overall this was a rather solid imperial stout. I don't think this is better than regular Mexican cake, but, it's solid beer.
Serving Type: bottle
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
4.39/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Another big thanks to rudzud, bottled 5/25/18
Pours a large dark foamy creamy thick pillowy head that fades slowly, nice sticky lacing, pitch black beer.
Nose is awesome, plenty of pepper, a bit spicy, then dark chocolate mocha, a touch roasty and big coffee and cinnamon, mild roasted coffee, nice spices, plenty of cinnamon dust and spices, doughy cake and donut like, sweet candy like notes too, big caramel
Taste brings sweet candy malt and caramel, candy like, big cinnamon and decent spices, baked cake and doughy cake batter, a little spice cake, cinnamon topping on coffee cake, decent roast, mild roast with a little coffee, touch spicy between peppers and cinnamon, some dark chocolate cocoa and a little fudge, touch of warming alcohol and pepper flavor late, fair bitterness later, finishes a little dry but sticky sweet and big bitterness and a bit of pepper
Mouth is fuller bod, spicy pepper and cinnamon, decent fluffy carb, bit of alcohol.
Overall pretty good, nice spice and cinnamon, nice cocoa and base beer, decent coffee, etc, very enjoyable
Aug 06, 2018Pours a large dark foamy creamy thick pillowy head that fades slowly, nice sticky lacing, pitch black beer.
Nose is awesome, plenty of pepper, a bit spicy, then dark chocolate mocha, a touch roasty and big coffee and cinnamon, mild roasted coffee, nice spices, plenty of cinnamon dust and spices, doughy cake and donut like, sweet candy like notes too, big caramel
Taste brings sweet candy malt and caramel, candy like, big cinnamon and decent spices, baked cake and doughy cake batter, a little spice cake, cinnamon topping on coffee cake, decent roast, mild roast with a little coffee, touch spicy between peppers and cinnamon, some dark chocolate cocoa and a little fudge, touch of warming alcohol and pepper flavor late, fair bitterness later, finishes a little dry but sticky sweet and big bitterness and a bit of pepper
Mouth is fuller bod, spicy pepper and cinnamon, decent fluffy carb, bit of alcohol.
Overall pretty good, nice spice and cinnamon, nice cocoa and base beer, decent coffee, etc, very enjoyable
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina
4.37/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours jet black with a two-finger tan head that has great retention and leaves strands of lacing behind
Smell: Mocha aroma, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of vanilla
Taste: Mocha and chocolate forward, with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla developing; after the swallow, coffee tones emerge and, finally, the hot pepper brings some heat to the finish
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low to moderate carbonation; the heat lingers quite a while
Overall: A lot going on here beyond the base version; very enjoyable
Jul 11, 2018Smell: Mocha aroma, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of vanilla
Taste: Mocha and chocolate forward, with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla developing; after the swallow, coffee tones emerge and, finally, the hot pepper brings some heat to the finish
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low to moderate carbonation; the heat lingers quite a while
Overall: A lot going on here beyond the base version; very enjoyable
Reviewed by Vidblain from Minnesota
4.35/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I was quite surprised by how little of the spice of Mexican Cake has survived in Coffee Cake - the overriding adjunct is very much so the coffee.
But then, in the very last tiny pour from the bottle, there's a whoooooole lot of savory heat and spice.
My pour, however, was quite sedate with just a bit of spicy edge and lots of rich, acidic coffee. It's certainly no dessert stout, and definitely not on a level with bourbon barrel-aged Mexican cake - but this is a very worthy bottle with a lot going for it.
Apr 08, 2018But then, in the very last tiny pour from the bottle, there's a whoooooole lot of savory heat and spice.
My pour, however, was quite sedate with just a bit of spicy edge and lots of rich, acidic coffee. It's certainly no dessert stout, and definitely not on a level with bourbon barrel-aged Mexican cake - but this is a very worthy bottle with a lot going for it.
Mexican Coffee Cake from Westbrook Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
98 out of
100 with
330 ratings
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