10W-40 - Mexican Hot Chocolate
Hi-Wire Brewing

 

 

A - Dark brown pour with caramel lacing.

S - Toasty/roasty chocolate cocoa with some spiciness in the nose.

T - Toasted cocoa from start to finish with some chocolate in the middle and light spicy heat on the back side that builds momentum after the sip.

M - Big medium body that's dry on the tip of the tongue and coagulated in the back of the mouth.

O - Not as hot as I expected but still packs some heat from the peppers.

ONE PINT can
Served in a can glass

This beer pours black with charcoal colored head that disappears fairly quickly leaving nary a trace.

The smell is chocolate and vanilla with hints of cinnamon and subtle pepper.

Chocolate forward. I get vanilla through the middle. Peppers in the backend with a little cinnamon.

Pretty full bodied with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel

The 10W series has been pretty good. I can't think of any other beer from Hi-Wire that I would buy.

 

I somehow missed the "Carolina Reaper" part of the description. My hot pepper days are in the rearview mirror. (There's a "rear" joke here somewhere.) Fortunately, the heat was muted here. I've had much hotter jalapeno beers and ciders. This is not a complaint.

This is good, but I've enjoyed the other 10Ws better.

 

 

 

Bought a 4 pack for $16. Got it cuz i saw "carolina reaper" and my mouth started watering. Poured straight out of the can into a snifter and a two inch fat multi-colored brown and tan head rose up out of the center. Dissipated within a minute to leave a creamy layer of fizz on top. The beer is very dark brown. Smell is pretty much chocolate and coffee, it's not too strong or overwhelming. Taste is a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness. Sweet from the chocolate, raisin, vanilla. Bitter from the coffee, some cinnamon. The heat is not too strong, it hits after the beer is swallowed, spreading across the palate, enveloping the mouth. Stings the throat a bit, but is quite tamed. Mouthfeel is somewhat watery, not thick, a good amount of effervescence. Overall I usually like a stronger presence of heat in my favorite pepper flavored beers, but this isn't too bad. It definitely deserves the name it's got: "Mexican Hot Chocolate".

Pours a nice black color with mahogany brown edges and a fairly creamy tan head that is resilient. The nose has nice milk chocolate and vanilla notes, and there’s a distinct and some pepper notes that are more vegetal than hot.

The vegetal ends on the taste and the heat, courtesy of the Carolina reaper peppers, starts swinging HARD out of the gate. It’s not uncomfortably hot, but I like spicy and this completely satisfies my spicy yearning, and there’s some nice milk chocolate and vanilla flavors to keep things from getting out of hand.

The mouthfeel is full and a bit creamy, fitting this relatively big stout well. I like spicy stouts, and this is one of the better ones I’ve had. Very well done by a brewery that I’ve really come to appreciate.

16oz can stamped PACKED 03/05/21 (4 months ago) poured into a Spiegelau stout glass at fridge temp 8% ABV per label. The beer pours dense black with no light penetration and mocha colored head. The head builds quickly and settles slowly to a fluffy, uneven cap. The aroma is mild with roasted malt, dark chocolate, hot vegetable pepper notes and slight sweetness. The taste is semisweet dark malt with milky and dark chocolate accents amid a constant thread of hot pepper flavor and heat. Minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. The lactose use is restrained here and very nice. Overall, very good. I've been a sucker for these stouts since my first sip of Xocoveza, and this one brings the heat, which I love.

Picked up a four pack from The Fresh Market on 5-19-21 for $13.99. No canning date; consumed 6-3-21.

Beer poured black with a very nice tan head with the original pour.

Nose has some hints of vanilla and chocolate on top of mild roasted malts.

Taste is very nice, mild mid-range roasted malt base that combines nicely with chocolate and vanilla. Finish is nice, spicy, and balanced with a nice cinnamon and pepper warmth.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall a very tasty beer that is worthy of a shot if you enjoy all the adjuncts!

Short pour on tap.

Rich dark chocolate brown in color with a touch of scarlet highlight when held to light. A 1f tan cap drops to a lasting film and leaves some lacing.

Aromas of roasted coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spicy pepper heat, sawed oak, vanilla bean.

Mostly roasted coffee and peppered chocolate flavors. Some sweetness like a breakfast brewed coffee.

Smooth and rich medium body. Rightly under carbonated.

My first time drinking a 10-40 series brew. I’m looking forward to another.

 

 

Purchased at Buster’s Liquor store in Memphis TN. Enjoyed on 4/17/2021 in a snifter, but I don’t see a canned-on date at the bottom of the can.
A: Pours a dark jet black with an inch and half of dark khaki foam. Nice lacing as the foam head dissipates.
S: The can notes chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and South Carolina Reaper peppers. Nose is underwhelming mostly consisting of chocolate and coffee, maybe a hint of cinnamon, but if the can didn’t say cinnamon, I don’t think I could pick it out.
T: Initially the flavor consists of mostly chocolate with an undertone of coffee bitterness. As the beer warms vanilla undertones are present and pleasant and play an important supporting role. The pepper certainly becomes more prevalent as the beer warms and adds a bit of warmth which is hard to distinguish between the warmth of the 8% abv. The aftertaste is a bit unpleasant, all heat and really nothing else. There is no coffee bitterness or creamy aftertaste to top off a well balanced beer.
F: Malty, creamy and well balanced, but the peppers give it a kick and help it stand out. Its not the easiest to drink, but its unique and definitely worth a try!
Overall: I have yet to regret a purchase from the 10W-40 series from HI-WIRE, fantastic line of stouts at a great price! I don’t know if I would buy it again, but overall, I am glad I gave it a try. Certainly a unique beer and worth checking out especially if you want a well-balanced imperial stout that will keep you on your toes

I will never forget this beer. Hi-Wire was the first brewery I visited when I moved from VT to NC. I chose to try out the stout called mexican hot chocolate because I was told it had some spice. The flavor was absolutely amazing and it was balanced nicely between the spice and chocolate! I'm just going to have to hope and pray it comes back! My favorite beer thus and unfortunately nothing compares to it either!