Mayan Mole Stout
Beachcrest Brewing Company

cocoa, cinnamon, and chilies in this clever stout, probably the most ambitious offering i have had from beachcrest to date. lots to like about this one, its on the dry side which is rare for these, and uniquely, i taste everything in its place, in waves of flavor, not all at once, its sort of segmented like that, but its cool how it flows from one thing to the next. its matte black, or deep brown in the outside light with a stout little tan head on it, creamy and rich. its not overly viscous and i like this coming in at this abv, not huge, doesnt need to be. the aroma is coffee and roast, cocoa and earthiness, and warming kind of wintery cinnamon, light smoke, raisin, and licorice too, not a ton from the peppers to my nostrils. the flavor starts with chocolate, its not sweet but its obvious, not super bitter either and this seems less roasty now than it smells, so the cocoa jumps out, earthy and dry and enriching still. the cinnamon comes right on its heels, compatible yeah, but then its the most obvious element as soon as it hits, nice against the bitterness of the grain and the other spiciness starting to ramp up, just a little bit of a caramel note in the grain supporting this making it kind of desserty for a flash, finally the peppers, which hit on smoke, warming spice, and deep old world flavors, raisin and heat too, so good, not even hot just warm and rich and delicious. the beer finishes a lot faster than most of these do, and the belly is nice on it. good carbonation, not too much body for the style, and nicely nuances, its not over flavored. impressive complexity and refinement, more fall than summer, but i dug this!