Chili Pepper Pale Ale
Broken Compass Brewing

 

 

Perfect pepper balance

Poured as part of a four-brew flight at the Broken Compass Brewery in Breckenridge (from notes)

Most "chili pepper" offerings tend to come from the "dark side." I was intrigued by a shot at a pale offering and was not disappointed. The base beer is clearly solid, and pours a nice slightly-hazy gold with good head and lacing. The aromas of the base beer shine through, with a good balance between malt and hops. But the star of the show is the chili pepper, and it's pretty good. We actually got to talk to the brewmaster, who indicated that Anaheim, poblano, chipotle, serrano, jalapeno, and habanero peppers all take a turn at spiking the base brew into this wonder. The flavor is predominantly "mild" pepper (though there aren't any Hatch peppers in this, that flavor immediately came to mind), but there is a deceptive bite/burn that sneaks up at the finish. This may be a bit strong on the pepper flavor for a pint, but it's still pretty tasty. The finish is crisp and dry, but not boozy or bitter. A nice experimental pale ale.

 

 

this is generally a style i dont really get into, but i am always curious to see how different brewers tackle it. this is one of the better ones out there right now, i think they use 5 different chili peppers, all roasted up beforehand, and the result is a rather complex and compelling beer, although its still hotter in the finish than i would want if i were going to drink a whole pint of it. really light in color, pale yellow with a very active fizzy white almost soda looking head on it, slow to recede. the aroma is sharp, more fresh than roasted peppers, its striking. i get the citrus notes in the habanero right away, some of the more earthy smoky poblano richness too, with the other peppers sort of filling in more of the vegetal and heat components. the flavor has the same sort of division of the spectrum, but i really works well. i like it being a little less malty, the beer stays light and the pepper flavors come out clean as can be. well carbonated too, helps the heat move on just a little quicker, but its still too hot for me to drink much of it. they like to blend it with other flavors in the tap room to cut it, and i could see this working well. not really my style beer, but i have to respect one this dynamic with the different peppers. well done.

 

 

 

 

 

A spicy, yet very drinkable beer. This well balanced , light bodied, novelty flavored beer is one you won't get sick of, even after having two or three. You can smell a faint scent of pepper, not so much that it will scare you from taking a sip. For those of you like me who don't care for pale ales, you will find this quite palatable.

 

 

 

It's a good tasting beer but it is also VERY spicy. If that's what you enjoy you're in for a treat.