The PastryArchy Edition #15: Mexican Hot Chocolate Brown Ale
DuClaw Brewing Co.

Poured into a chalice: color is slightly murky brown, light tan head, head presents 1/4 inch thick (2 fingers on the second pour), then dissipating quickly to thin top, no lacing.

Smell is light brown ale, then chocolate/cocoa, hint of cinnamon, light creaminess.

Taste is chocolate/cocoa, cinnamon, cream, limited malt character at first but as the cinnamon burn wears off a lingering maltiness reminiscent of a brown ale.

Mouthfeel is lower carbonation, moderate-strong sweetness, no real bitterness but a drying, slight burn from the cinnamon heft. Interesting the cinnamon provides this much presence.

Overall an interesting brew built on of my favorite styles but the cocoa and cinnamon out shine the base beer, but it does live up to its pastryarchy status if thats your sort of thing (sweet).

 

 

Look: Poured a nice cola brown with an off-white head that melted to a quarter inch ring around the edge with thin scattered clouds in the center. Foam finger lace that hangs on the glass for an eternity.
Smell and Taste: Chocolate cake with cinnamon. The “HOT”s got some POP. A very pleasant warmth comes off this brew. Perfect level of sweetness.
Feel: Slightly dry and very refreshing with a pleasant warmth. I’m not sure if it comes from the cinnamon or Mexican peppers?
Overall: This has to be one of the best Brown Ales I have had up till now.

Appearance:
A brightened, caramel brown; like the color of sunlit coffee. Its head is a fickle fizz—the kind that laces deeply in crackling sheets but is destined to dwindle before long. It’s colored like the cream that rises from an ice cream float. Swirls of unappealing sandy silt, sink to the bottom.

Bouquet:
The watery, grainy cocoa scent of traditional Mexican “Chocolate de Agua.” Thinned chocolate zips straight up the olfactum, while feathery wisps of cinnamon float bashfully round the rim of the nostrils. Distantly, brown malts cheer a fragile sort of encouragement to the rest of the aroma; supportive but not really there. Aromas of malt and milk chocolate do mature as it breathes but it’s a slow process.

Feel:
Light, splashing ale inundated with scratchy, inexorable fizz that’s exacerbated by spiciness. In the aftertaste, those spectator malts meekly make their presence known the feel gets a tad creamier.

Taste:
A literal spoonful of powdered cinnamon—if that sounds appetizing, maybe get your head checked. Its dry, omnipresent spiciness engulfs the entire flavor profile the way fire swallows up a burning building. When the cinnamon blaze eventually burns down, ashes of milk chocolate and brown malts can be parsed from the smoldering ruin. As with the bouquet, if you're patient enough to wait 20+ minutes after pouring, those traumatized flavors will slink forth from the wreckage where you can get a better measure of them; although they’re still shot through with hot cinnamon.

Overall:
Did someone at DuClaw accidentally knock 600lbs of atomic fireballs into the brew kettle?

Received a can from a fellow beer lover in my neighborhood. No canning date. Sampled 5-13-2021.

Beer poured brown with a beautiful long lasting off white head.

Nose is malty with a touch of chocolate.

Taste is as advertised, a chocolate malt base accentuated by a nicely infused hot pepper that finishes balanced with a moderate zing; 6/10 on my spiciness scale.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light bodied and easy to sip.

Overall an interesting beer, a fun one to try for sure!

16oz can poured into a tulip

A- pours brown in color with a ruby hue, one-finger creamy light khaki head that has great retention and leaves some lacing behind

S- initial aroma smells just like a tootsie roll; cocoa powder and candy sugars. Undertones of nutty brown malts, milk sugars, nougat, a bit of a Snickers vibe

T- nutty brown malts up front give hints of caramel and maple candy, followed by a big wave of cocoa powder and creamy chocolate. Mid-palate brings out light undertones of cinnamon, vanilla cream, milk sugars, and pepper skin. The finish gives more creamy chocolate with plenty of pepper heat sticking around on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a creamy finish

O- the flavors are all there but don't seem to mesh all together, I think this would have been better suited for a porter or stout

 

Dark pour, creamy head but fades quickly. Nice choco smell and taste; can’t tast cinnamon; spicy aftertaste

 

Nothing new to add here - I love this one, & hope it does not disappear into oblivion like most coffee & similar limited ed. stouts & porters here in NYC. Very hard to find here - my only complaint is that it was $17 for a 4 pack! But would I buy it again - yes.

16 ounce can poured into a Duvel tulip glass. No freshness dating to be found.

L---Rich, clear, dark brown color with a frothy, off-white head that faded quickly to a ring and left nice lacing.

S---Absolutely ridiculously strong milk chocolate. Nothing else going on.

T---Same as the nose. Very, very strong chocolate. I got none of the spice/pepper, but Wifey found it deep in the aftertaste.

F---Medium bodied with good carbonation. No Tang from peppers.

O---A bit of a one-trick (chocolate) pony, but still good. And Wifey liked it, so there's that.

Dark brown color. Thick, foamy, lingering white head. Strong flavors of cinnamon and chocolate up front. The cinnamon seems poorly balanced. Finish is sickeningly sweet and alcoholic. Vanilla and pepper notes are absent, which goes against what I’d expect from a beer that evokes the Mexican hot chocolate theme. Medium bodied with a strong carbonation. The flavors just don’t go well on this one.

16 oz can from the Wall of Beer in Clemson SC ($2.89).
This brown ale has about a much chocolate flavor as I have experienced in any beer. The aroma suggests chocolate milk but the flavor carries a richer and moderately darker chocolate. Just as notable, and perhaps more noticeable, is chili pepper which lend enough heat to warm both the mouth and the stomach. Fans of brown ale and Mexican hot chocolate will not be disappointed.

I don't see any date listed on the can.

Appearance: It has a dark brown body with various shades of lighter brown in the middle and darker at the edges. It has good clarity and a short, creamy textured, light tan colored head. Decent retention and nice strings of lacing.

Aroma: It smells like chocolate immediately. It flip-flops between smelling like a chocolate candy bar and cocoa powder.

Taste: Up front it tastes like a chocolate tootsie roll. Towards the center of the palate it brings in dark chocolate and an earthy chili powder-like flavor with just a bit of heat. It finishes with a bit of cherry and plum character mixed with a dark chocolate at the end.

Mouthfeel: The body feels a bit thin; it's on the upper edge of light but it's not much to support the beer. The beer has good carbonation and a nice bit of heat.

Overall: It's a pretty solid chocolate ale. The can states that this is a "BROWN ALE BREWED WITH CANE SUGAR, LACTOSE, COCOA NIBS, CINNAMON & COCOA POWDER." The cinnamon seems to come across like hot chili powder rather than a sweeter cinnamon, which is interesting. The beer is enjoyable to drink but it feels a little light on the palate. Overall I'd still drink it again and recommend it.

 

 

 

Really nice that they went with a brown ale for this iteration, instead of a stout; the PastryArchy series is consistently thin bodied, and this fits much better.

The nose is exactly what I expected: peppers, chocolate, maybe a bit of coffee and brown sugar. Similar on the palate, with a fairly thin body, but a very nice heat level - more pepper heat than I've had in a beer in a while. Not a mind-blowing beer, but it definitely delivers on the premise, and is quite enjoyable.

Tasted 3/4/21. unknown brewing date. Poured into standard pint glass

Pours to a... well, dark chocolate, color, off white head with dense foam. Nice persistent lace remains on the glass.
Aroma is chocolate-forward, but not overly so.
Tastes bittersweet at the start, with some roast. The initial flavor was a little muted for my expectations. Latent heat that builds as you drink it. Finishes a little harsher than I would like.
Mouthfeel is a little thin and slightly hot (spicy, not alcohol). Could dial down the spicing a little bit, or balance with more body.
Overall, I expected a little more out of this beer based on reading other reviews and the description on the can. I expected it to be a little bigger, chewier... not bad, but I would make some changes to round this one out a little more.