Mexican Coffee Cake
Westbrook Brewing Co.

 

L-Black. Slight mocha head that leaves a slight ring around the glass. Moderate lacing.

S-Chocolate cinnamon. Vanilla, caramel, molasses, chili peppers

T-Dark Chocolate, vanilla, coffee, caramel and molasses. The chili peppers really hit the back of the throat. Oddly enough, despite the heat, the is a lingering sweetness.

F-Medium plus but not as thick as a BBA stout. No carb. Lots of chili heat.

O-Good representation of the style. Not overwhelming.

A large bottle shared with friends.
L: Pours black with very light edge foam, very little carbonation, the beer clings to the glass like red wine might do and leaves little to no lacing although I took small sips.
S: The aroma is that of heavy German chocolate cake, caramel, molasses, chili pepper, fudge, light cinnamon.
T: I taste red velvet moist German chocolate cake with chocolate fudge and sweet caramel, cinnamon, hot pepper, dark fruits like prunes and a hint of raisins. Also a distant suggestion of coffee. Pepper heat and chocolate fudge linger. It is moderately sweet. A hint of vanilla is muted (thankfully) by heavy chocolate.
F: The mouthfeel is velvet smooth and is heavy bodied with some pronounced pepper heat and a long finish.
O: This is one of the best beers I've ever had. It has a soulful taste and feel. Expertly blended and brewed with a combination of ingredients that bring tastes that are second to none. Superb balance. This beer can be cellared no problem. I will pick some up whenever I find it. It is world-class in its style.

 

 

Good head production and phenomenal retention. This is a beautiful beer.

Nose implies chocolate, molasses, vanilla, coffee, and peppers. It's a melange, and nothing quite stands out, but it's very pleasant, with nothing sharp or metallic.

A total WOW beer on the palate! I just had regular Mexican Cake the other day, and it had basically no heat; hugely disappointing (although still tasty). That's not the case here! This one brings plenty of heat, in the way that I expect from Westbrook: very noticeable, prominent, but not overpowering. This is what I want out of a chili stout!

Additional tasting notes include toast, chocolate, coffee, molasses, cream, and a touch of prune. I don't get much cinnamon, although it's present.

Thick and creamy on the palate.

An absolute delight!

 

 

A combination of the addition of rich (but not sweet) coffee character alongside heavier than usual hot pepper additions makes for a winning combo here

84/100

Very similar to Mexican cake but I thought there was a little more heat noticed. Didn’t notice any coffee at all. Basically is Mexican Cake with a little extra kick.

 

Bottled 5/22/24. Purchased at the brewery 8/28/24. Poured at 56°. The Habaneros are spicy hot in this year’s version. Chocolate fudge, coffee and cinnamon, but the peppers overwhelm the whole. If you like spicy hot stouts, this beer is for you. I have a 2nd bottle and will let it age a few more months to see if the heat backs off.

Bottled 5/30/23

I haven’t had anything big like this from Westbrook, but I’ve been hearing great things about this particular beer for years. I love the Mexican hot chocolate type Stouts, you really don’t see yoo many of these around lately. Let’s pop it ppen and find out what it’s all about

Pours completely pitch black with 2 fingers of creamy dark reddish brown head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose is surprisingly gentle given the adjuncts but I’m into it. I’m picking up on aromas of chocolate cake, molasses, black cherry, vanilla bean, earthy cinnamon, salted caramel, light chili pepper, and fruity coffee

It has more of a kick to it in taste but it actually is better for the balance. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting medium roast coffee, cocoa powder, vanilla bean, molasses, chili pepper, brown sugar, light caramel, and raisin. The swallow brings notes of fruity coffee, molasses, black cherry, chipotle, earthy cinnamon, cocoa powder, vanilla bean, and burnt caramel

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes bone dry with a lingering spice

Oh yeah, I really like this one. Way less heavy handed than many other beers in this vein

 

11/23/23 bottle @ home

Appearance - The beer poured a brownish black color with almost no head.

Smell - Chocolate and vanilla led the nose. The spice tickled the nose just a bit.

Taste - The beer was smooth. Coffee and vanilla sweetness led the way. There was a strong undercurrent of chocolate which paralleled the spice. After the burn at the finish, I was reminded of a caramel flavored coffee.

Mouthfeel - The body was thick enough to let the spice linger.

Overall - Adding coffee added a great dimension to the beer.

 

 

2023 bottle (22oz bomber) poured into a TG MD snifter. pours an inky, thick black with minimal dark tan head that fades away quite quickly. heavy pepper on the nose. both spicy peppers and green pepper coffee. the other adjuncts are there but the spice is really distracting. it’s even more overpowering in the taste. holy fauk. medium-full mouthfeel. was really hoping for the coffee to be the star here but it’s all pepper and chocolate. on the taste i’d argue it’s all peppers. damn.

Poured from the bottle into in a teku glass. Bottled May 30th 2023.

Inky dark brown coming out of the bottle, and barely making a sound filling the glass. Creates a real beautiful mocha dark brown head of a finger, while slowly settling to an excellent 3mm collar and light oiled top. Slight hint of carbonation, and a real nice looking presence.

Aroma is just decadent. Fudge like but with whisps of shaved dark chocolate, and big dry cocoa notes. Good hinting mix of roast coffee, and a heated pepper angle that is slightly tinged sour. Giant cake like aroma coming off this, with vanilla and a fluffy baked sweetness matched in. Very impressive.

Palate really brings the goods. Milky but full bodied feeling stout, with a hint of creamy texture on the tongue at first. The mid palate opens up strong, but in unexpected fashion. Black tingling pepper at first, followed by soothing dark creamed chocolate and chili roasted warmth. Burnt pepper skin, with cocoa rich dryness particularly on the finish makes for a wonderful experience. Coffee angle seems a bit muted, but the other flavors are just exceptionally put together.

Wonderfully flavored non barrel aged big stout, even with muted sense of coffee.