10W-40 Churro
Hi-Wire Brewing

Pours like a, well, a quart of 10W-40. Deep black with a nice head on it. The smell is very sweet, chocolate with maybe a hint of strawberry, The taste begins with a quick shot of bitter followed by chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla sweetness with a roasted bitter end. It's thick as you would expect something named after a quart of motor oil. Overall, a good beer if you are looking for something sweet for dessert or to change things up. Definitely couldn't pour this all the time, but a nice treat.

 

 

Poured from a 16 oz. can into a New Belgium Globe Glass

The beer pours jet black with no visible highlights, with about three fingers worth of tan head that slowly recedes leaving behind a fair amount of lacing.

There is a huge aroma, comprised of sweet chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. While I do get some roasted malts lingering in the background, the sweetness nearly masks it.

Like the aroma, the flavor is sweet and chocolatey, with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, roasted malts, and just a hint of coffee. I am not sure that they hit the churro mark, it is closer to a sweet hot chocolate with cinnamon. Full bodied and creamy, with light/moderate carbonation), slightly sticky mouthfeel

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up at my local bottle shop, but I have enjoyed many of the 10W-40 variants so I figured I would give it a shot. I'm not usually a fan of Pastry Stouts, but this was actually quite good. With the sweetness I probably wouldn't be able to drink more than one of these in a sitting, but I definitely wouldn't turn this beer down if I see it as an option.

 

 

Look - Black and thick with a thick tan head and sticky
smell and taste - Super dark bitter chocolate with a very small hint of cinnamon and a tad of nut.
Feel - Medium body with a lighter carb
Overall - more bitter than expected

Undated16 oz can from the Wall of Beer in Clemson, SC ($4.39).

Pours with a near black and essentially opaque body topped by a thin beige head.

While the aroma indicates a pastry stout, the true character requires tasting. Chocolate and vanilla abound, with subtle cinnamon. Lightly sweet. The somewhat high ABV is mostly hidden except for the mouthfeel.

 

The most noticeable thing about the taste is a chocolate flavor somewhere between Hershey’s and a tootsie roll that is faintly reminiscent of a Samuel Smith’s chocolate stout. The cinnamon and vanilla also dominate over the base of faint roasted malt and some bitter hops in the background. Normally I don’t like lactose, but it’s ok here. I’m also picking up some coffee notes. I wouldn’t describe the combination as tasting like a churro. To my palate it comes off more like a vanilla chai. Overall I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but half way through I’m kind of digging it as a one and done.