Jalapeno Ale
Steam Plant Brewing Company / Stacks Restaurant

i am surprised by the very low ratings on this one, i understand its likely changed some from year to year, but this is objectively an excellent pepper beer now, regardless of what it was like in past iterations, i was actually really impressed with it. the base beer is simple and clean in the right ways, no real yeast character, not hoppy in the slightest, nothing like that, so the peppers really pop. they seem fresh to me, not roasted, and they smell right out of the garden natural, with the waxy green outsides and seedy fleshy insides, a hint of light smoke to them in the aroma, balanced by a little grain sweetness. the flavor is nice too, the peppers are there through the whole thing, quite obviously jalapenos too, but they never dominate the beer, even in the finish when the heat kicks up a little bit, it stays kind of mellow, very well incorporated to the beer overall. some light honey sweetness helps balance the modest heat the rises up, and i find myself thinking that this is one of the few pepper beers i could, and frankly want to, drink a whole pint of. its subtle in the right ways while also being obvious and distinctive, i think they did a really good job with it. not too hot, but warm in the throat, quick finishing through, and washed away by pretty good carbonation. tasty!