The Event Horizon: Spectrum 4 (2018)
Olde Hickory Brewery

First thing I will say about this beer is I did not realize it was a different version than the “normal” one. Because the unexpected spicy hotness from the peppers surprised the hell out of me. Bottling date is from 2017, and damn, this beer still has a lot of heat. Normal stout appearance. Smell presents with a spicy forefront of cinnamon and pepper, but a sweet chocolate/vanilla presence wraps itself around a dark malty base. But then, the taste. Oh shit, the taste. I start with sweetness... mmm, rich cocoa and vanilla-no wait.... cinnamon slides in with a gentle spiciness that teases the tongue, and then... oh crap.... what’s that? The habaneros take over like a neighbor who plays music you kind of like but don’t need to hear at such a loud ass volume. Jesus. This shit is four years old? If I drank it when it was fresh, I may have lost my tongue. This beer is making my head hurt with the spiciness. I had to start drinking a strawberry hard cider to help cool me off. Okay, back to the review. Feel is boozy, medium bodied, and, because I want to give it credit for something, it’s not thick nor oily.

In summary to maybe the longest review I’ve written here out of over 1200 to this point: If it was a few years ago, I may have treated it like Pipeworks End of Days and drain poured it after half a glass from a bomber. Tonight, I may get through half a bomber of it, just because I’m a bit more developed of a beer drinker, or more of a masochist. Take your pick.

Bottle @ Brouwerij de Molen (volunteers gathering), thanks for sharing John & Petra! Pours a black colour with a beige head. Aroma's of cinnamon, sweet malts, a bit vegetal pepper. Flavour is moderate sweet with some peppery fruitiness. Medium bodied. Increasing pepper heat. Long finish with chocolate, lasting pepper heat - a bit too much for my liking.

An authentic feeling and tasting mexican cocoa stout. The peppers really give some heat on the finish in an authentic way, the honey, melds in perfectly with the cocoa, cinnamon, and vanilla, and the bourbon, malts, and wood provides a hardy backing for it all. Robust, sweet, spicy, and chewy. Smell is more focused on the cinnamon, cocoa and peppers all soaked in bourbon, where taste is more well rounded.

 

 

this is fantastic beer, i didnt know they did all these variants of this one, lucky me getting to try this one! its got cocoa and vanilla in it, as well as hot habenero peppers and cinnamon, which sounds kind of strange, but its delicious and it works great. the experience starts for me as a reminder of how good the base beer is, i like that i get honey in it even with everything else going on. there is a lot of barrel too, but its in service of all the dark grain and honey character in here, not covering up flaws or hiding anything, it accents the beer in a wonderful way, lots of bourbon here, but still tastes like beer. in a way, this reminds me of the eclipse stout from fiftyfifty, the honey makes it. the added ingredients are cool here, a ton of cinnamon and chocolate in the nose, sweet but tempered by the oak and char. the flavor is more well balanced between them all, and while i can definitely taste and appreciate the orange fleshy pepper, its somehow not too much, and the warmth it contributes on the back of my throat going down is actually really awesome. the cinnamon is pretty robust here but its nice with all the dark grain. some coffee notes and sweet vanilla later on, very complex but well integrated, desserty but delicious. i love this, and now am really keen on trying some of the other variants, hopefully i get the chance some day! this was divine!

 

 

Had this at a share right after Double Barrel Mexican Cake. This was pretty darn close. A lot more heat (which I loved) and got all the adjunts. Very impressive

Appearance: Arrives dark chocolate fudge colored with a tan head; decent lacing and good retention

Smell: Chocolate and cinnamon prominent, with Bourbon and habanero tones wafting

Taste: The chocolate and cinnamon emerge quickly with the Bourbon and vanilla building through the middle; the habanero explodes on the tongue, after the swallow, and brings the heat

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet and heat on the tongue

Overall: Clearly the crowd favorite, my palate is sensitive to the heat and I found that the habanero tones overwhelmed after the first few sips; an intriguing beer nonetheless