Are “Mexican Stouts” actually Chile Beers?

Bravo! A thoughtful reply. As Marie purportedly exclaimed before the blade dropped, “Let Them Drink Mexican Cake!”…Cheers!

 

For me, Chile beers were always of a lighter style with a huge chile / peppery component as THE main focus of the beer. IS with chile’s was always an IS, chiles might be prominent but it was typically part of a larger profile.

Also, I think there are way too many chile stouts these days. What was once innovative is now, might I even say, lazy. Even CCB who was one of the originators with Huna now puts chiles in like half or more of their El Cat beers.

 

What about a beer with pumpkin and chili, a la New Belgium’s Atomic Pumpkin

 

Personally find the chili flavor off-putting so avoid these. Therefore, I am in the camp of Chile Beer so I don't accidently run into the chiles in a stout.

 

Keep jalepeños out my IPA!

 

Yeah, what @REVZEB said

 

IMO chile beer shouldn’t even be a style. It’s just “name the actual style” with an added ingredient provide spice. Should be labeled accurately by the brewer that the lager, stout, ale variety etc has jalepeno, habenero, chilie added.

 

Maybe Todd should create a new beer style “Chaos”, and throw all the abominations in there to help kill themselves off.

 

If the brewery labels it stout, it's a stout.

 

I'm an endorser of chili beers all day & night. Inline with @Todd's reply, My finding is that for a chili beer, chili pepper has to be the main added ingredient other than beer itself. If chili is one of many added flavors/FX then IMHO it wouldn't go into the chili beer category. When I try a new chili beer I sort of expect a lot of chili taste over top of the beer. But when I go for a Mexican Stout w/ chili I know the pepper will be (usually) more subdued. In all, I prefer very hot Chili Lagers and am happy I found Kros Strain Habanero Jalapeno Lager. Cheers!

 

I would not endorse that...

 

So awful it turns to diarrhea before it even touches your lips….

 

Just a note, I'm not disagreeing with your post. Though Milk/Sweet Stouts, and especially Oatmeal Stouts have a history as British styles. They aren't historically these junk styles American brewers are making now A good Oatmeal Stout on cask is a beautiful thing.