La Belleza
4 Hands Brewing Co.

Black in color with no penetration to light. There’s a fingernail of brown around the rim. I smell nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate, ginger, and vanilla. I’m tasting milk chocolate, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. The mouth has a touch of heat and a bit of spark from the ginger. A tasty and lively American Stout.

Spicing up the stout world a little bit, the brewers at 4 Hands hit the roasty, toasty and imperialized style of stout hard with a generous spicing regimen of cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, chilies, ginger, and nutmeg. Shying away from a Christmas type of spicing, the imperial stout veers toward Mexican hot chocolate instead.

Black in color, the ominous looking ale teases and taunts the senses with a simmering spiciness that skirts just below the roasted scent of dark roast coffee, burnt toast and campfire. As its frothy mocha whipped head recedes, the first sip beckons with a host of caramelized malt sweetnesses ranging from caramel and brown sugar to burnt cream and molasses to candied cashew and chocolate.

As the middle palate adjusts to the beer's malt intensity, the tastebuds saturate with that rich, robust and savory sweet and roasted taste and acts as a buffer for the billowing spices ahead. Cocoa and vanilla forward, their soothing flavors add a milkiness of heavy cream ahead of the sharpness of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and the curious spice of capsaicin. Mild bitterness lays on the late palate to remind us that it's a stout in hand as its woodsy, broad balance rolls on with simmering spice.

Full, lavish and creamy from start to finish, its the assistance of light char, pepper spices and a kahlua-like booze that achieves as much balance as do hops or any cocoa or coffee-like bitterness. A sense of smoldering embers and Mexican chocolates linger on the finish with a long and bittersweet savoriness.

My old neighbor shared a bottle of this with while I was in town for son's hockey tournament. It poured an opaque dark with rich tan head that eventually dissipated leaving no lace. The scent changed as it warmed....cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, and chilli spice present. The taste was similar with scent although I did not get much cinnamon. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with smooth carbonation. Overall it's a solid beer.

I liked this beer a lot, but I found myself wanting to like it more. The Mexican chocolate spice flavors are potent and delicious, but I find myself wanting to add other ingredients. The smell is wonderful, and uncompromising from start to finish, which while it won't take you on an adventure of shifting flavors, in its consistently it is very good. Wanted more of a mouthfeel for a double stout. Felt more like a regular american stout in the body. So overall, for what La Belleza is, it is enjoyable, but I think if they tweaked some things it could be incredible.

 

 

 

Enjoyed the spices, but felt like they were just tossed in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexican hot chocolate inspired imperial stout from 4 Hands. 10.5% ABV. Looks dark reddish brown on the pour, with light getting through in glass around the edges. Soapy one finger of head with loosely packed large bubbles that didn't stick around long. Beer is light enough to see streaming bubbles at the base of a tulip glass. The nose on this beer is a WOW! I got spice, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet malted milk chocolate, mild candied ginger and dates on the back end. Not a lot of roast or char. Almost smells like a Christmas/holiday ale mixed with a milk stout. Mouth feel is on thin side, with sharp prickly bubbles. Almost feels like a 8% beer versus 10.5%. A little stickiness on the lips after the first sip. Taste is more mild roast malt and ginger than I got on the nose, with some very mild dark chocolate and light roast coffee. Mild alcohol heat, ginger, and peppercorn on finish. Overall, a bit of a let down after the nose. I felt like this was almost a higher alcohol variant of their Moroccan inspired stout, Zellige. If you are sensitive to ginger in beers, this may not be one for you.

 

Smells of cocoa. Taste cinnamon and chile.