Machu Picchu
Black Pond Brews

 

Drank from a 16 ounce can.

Appearance: honey brown in color, 1/4” head, not much lacing.

Smell: hot pepper

Taste: Spicy pepper, but not hot. Thin.

Mouth Feel: finely carbonated, thin, smooth.

A very drinkable beer, if you can tolerate the spicy flavor. I would not purchase again but would drink it if offered.

 

 

The crux of a peppery beer, for me, is always how the heat is balanced, and in this regard, these guys hit it out of the park. There's no disguising this as a jalapeno beer: it's vegetal, hot, and evocative in flavor through the last gulp. However, the saison-style qualities never really fade, resulting not in a total heat bomb, but a bold, flavorful beer which fully embraces its character.

Imagine a blistering, and yet somehow satisfying, day in the garden. Outstanding stuff.

This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a semi hazy brownish yellow color with a thin white semi-foamy head. Subtle messy lace. The aroma had some sweet wheat, sweet corn, sundried tomatoes and then some jalapeno pepper skin. Green peppers too. The flavor leans towards the spicy side of the jalapeno and green peppers. Subtle crisp sweet wheaty malt bill far underneath tried to balance, but stays where it is. Aftertaste and finish is the jalapeno pepper. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a palate wrecking quality about it. Not exactly the most sessionable of beers. Carbonation felt fine. ABV doesn’t seem what suggests what is there. Overall, weird saison if it really is one. Good for what it is, unsure if I would have again, but I have liked the spicy beers thrown into beer bread.

I'm not normally much into the peppery/hot beers, but this one certainly worked for me. The jalapeno smell and taste are the most prominent, with a noticeable heat that's none too overpowering. While the full suite of flavors may be limited due to the strength of the pepper - there's little saison feel/taste here - that's what makes it good to me. A lot of other similar brews have had hints of jalapeno/pepper as more of a blend rather than the main course; Machu Picchu sets up a nice foundation for its fresh jalapeno flavor to burst through.

The aroma carries a potent hint of jalapenos: vegetal, green, and spicy. Very little of the grain sneaks through, but it's a very pleasant aroma.

The flavor thankfully carries plenty of pepper flavor, but very little pepper heat. This adds a lovely dimension to the beer, while allowing a bit of sweetness from the pale malts to come through. Fairly standard saison in the background; in fact, it could use a little more tartness. The saison provides a nice base for the peppers, however. There is a touch of heat that starts to sneak through on the back end, but very restrained.

 

 

 

What made it for me with this beer was the smell... absolutely spot-on green skin from a fresh jalapeno! I could not stop smelling this beer, and that olfactory sensation kept me coming back for more and more of my 32oz growler! It is a nice saison on its own, but with that bit of a jalapeno bite in the taste and its foregrounded smell especially, this is a champion brew that you should definitely try! Focus on the nose!

32oz growler from the brewery. Pours a semi hazy brownish yellow with a thin ring of head. Moderate amount of lacing.The aroma is lots of jalapeños with some green peppers and pepperocinis. Spicy with a light funk to it. The taste is more jalapeño. A lot at first but mellows out a bit into more of a green pepper taste. Some more heat at the finish. Peppery. The jalapeño flavor makes it hard to pick up on any of the other flavors but it still works well. Not much of an alcohol presence. Light mouthfeel. Overall, an interesting beer I'd buy again.