Fuego
Cabin Brewing

Single 12 ounce can - canned October 2021.
Pours a very dark brown/verging black with a half finger of reddish brown head.
Nose of vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate with a slight vegetal note - hint of oxidation (I did keep it four years).
Taste follows with an up front vanilla and chocolate sweetness, cinnamon, a bit of a fruity note, followed by a gradual spiciness that builds to a pleasantly gentle burn.
Medium mouthfeel with a nice creaminess despite a less than expected richness; lingering soft spicy pepper burn.

Appearance: Pours as black as night with half a finger of head that immediately disappeared. I always find Stout the hardest beer to judge because you can only really judge the head.

Smell: Vanilla, cocoa, cinamon and ginger that didn't need a lot of time to warm up. The honestly smells more like an pumpkin beer minus the pumpkin as I'm not detecting even a hint of chilies, even after warming up.

Taste: Starts with sweet chocolate and vanilla note that turn to the cinamon and ginger before the spicey chilies come to party, and they are strong but they seem to have a slight touch of something that's keeping them at a certain level. I'm guessing wood or smoke of some kind maybe? It's mild but something is reigning it back. It's a fun experience that I enjoy, but I do have to say I'd struggling to pair it with something...maybe Oysters?

Mouthfeel: The chilies take over the aftertaste, which frankly is to be expected. They hit a great level for me, but I could see this being too spicy for some, but there are some chocolate and spice notes in the background. The carbonation does fall a bit flat near the end, but I think it may be serving it well all the same, as I wouldn't want to accentuate the spice even more. Transisitoning is exceptional. Pefect score if the chilies were pulled back slightly and some other notes were a bit more present and if the carbonation lasted.

Drinkability: One complaint here is we are at Medium body and is probably a bit too much into Porter territory for me, but given it's potency, a mild complaint. It does have a desert sweet note to begin, the spicy notes quickly chase it away leaving a wonder spiciness. Settles down exceptionally well.

Final Thoughts: I wish I had a constantly reliable chili stout available to me in Hamilton. About the only one I ever see make occasional rounds is Merit's South of Nowhere. I wish I had a can of the aged version of this, because this stuff was great. I would happily pick this up again, and heck if I could I think I'd consider getting this stuff shipped. Thumbs Up.

Poured from a 12 oz can, an opaque, dark brown into a tulip glass…looks like a barleywine. We’ve got a strong, creamy tan head that disappears quickly into a fizzy ring around the glass. No noticeable legs. Being outside in the sun, the turbidity really stands-out, guessing there are some adjuncts in this here beer.

Nose is vanilla, cocoa, maybe a cherry note? Don’t detect any barrel or a lot of booze. Aromas definitely lead me down the stout or Porter trail.

Taste is cocoa powder, vanilla, and cinnamon–definitely cinnamon. Something vegetal, and there’s some heat! I’m positive there’s some chilis and or peppers in this bad boy. Absolutely love it!

Mouthfeel is thin for a stout, with good cola-like carbonation. Leaning Porter here.

ABV is tough, not a lot of booze detected, but I am starting to detect a buzz. May be just the first beer of the weekend…

Overall this is an excellent beer and hits the spot on this cool autumn afternoon. I love spice in my beer, and this one delivers.

Never had this style of brew before....lets see what we have!

A- This pours a super rich dark brown color, and appears to be clear according to me not seeing suspended particulate, but of course its hard to tell once in the glass. The head is brownish in color, and settles fairly fast into a ring around the inside of the glass....carbonation seems to be somewhat aggressive with plenty of small bubbles popping at the top of the liquid in many thin columns. The lacing is watery, and no foamy film clings to the inside of the glass, so nothing too impressive to look at here overall....just a regular looking stout.

S- Huge huge huge freshly ground cinnamon bark wafts into my nose intensely, followed closely by sweet and smooth vanilla bean, cocoa powder/dark chocolate, and I can also sense some spice, as the back of my nostrils are picking up on something that is causing a bit of an itch. There is also a tequila like boozy woodiness from the barrel aging process, along with some dark chocolate malt, barrel char and hints of hop bitterness on the finish. Overall this is strong smelling, and would seem to have all the right characteristics of a Mexican Hot Chocolate.

T- The chocolatey qualities are most prominent right after the first taste, with fairly intense cinnamon vanilla spice right after this. As soon as I swallow, the back of my throat and tongue are introduced to a peppery spice that wakes the senses up so to speak, however, it is not super spicy or anything like that, but one definitely knows that chili peppers were used in the making of this brew.....the more you have of this, the more the spice builds too. There are also background notes of tequila booziness, wood char, astringent cocoa/dark chocolate and a reasonably clean finish, aside from the slow building scoville unit heat....actually quite good!

M/O- The mouthfeel is of a medium/full body and the carbonation is different than it appeared, with a lot of creamy smooth carbonation happening, allowing the flavor and spice to shine through on the palate. This isn't a knock against the beer, but I do find it to be quite spicy the more I have of it, and the burn starts happening further down my esophagus into my gut, and as someone with heartburn issues already, I am feeling what might happen later. With all of this said, it is drinkable?....yup! Is it tasty?.....yup! Would I have this again?.....yes but only if I was sharing. Give it a try, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised....I know I am!

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours jet black with moderate head. Bubbles running up the sides of the glass. The nose is incredible. Chocolate, peppers, fudge, nuts, roasted malts, and a slight metallic note. The taste is where this is at. Incredible heat. Just enough to provide a slight burn on the way down. Mixes perfectly with the chocolate, anise, and toffee flavors. A bit of dark fruit and a touch of maple. This is incredible. The heat definitely dominates, and I love it. Mouthfeel is fairly thick. Overall, probably the best Mexican stout that I have tried.