New Belgium: Cocoa Mole

Today’s beer review comes out of Fort Collins, Co. from the New Belgium Brewing Co. it’s their 9% abv chile beer “Cocoa Mole” from their Lips Of Faith Series. New Belgium’s website www.newbelgium.com states: Say Hola to a spiced up ale full of cocoa and ancho, guajillo, chipotle peppers. But don’t fear the heat, because plenty of caramel and chocolate malts bring a smooth, complex flavor to our Cocoa Molé. Scents of cinnamon when poured will have you saying, “¡Olé for molé!”. WIth out further a due lets get into today’s review.

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a khaki head. Maroon, dark ruby edges when held up to the light. It definitely looks light, not thick or murky in anyway. Not a lot of viscosity, very runny legs.

Aroma: At first you get a slight cocoa and cinnamon smell. However, nice spice comes through, almost like roasted chilies. One problem is that alcohol smell rounds out the aromas, almost ruining all the great chili aromas.

Taste: Faint sweet cocoa with big spices, like the aroma without the alcohol. It tastes very reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate like “Abuelita.” The spice leaves a slight tingly mouth feel that does not burn. However, as it proceeds down the throat and into the belly it gives the sensation of eating something spicy. Not a very pleasant feeling.

Overall: I enjoyed the taste simply because it reminded me of “Abuelita,” which brings me back to my childhood. The novelty of this beer and flavors could make this a good beer to bring out for dessert to share amongst friends. Unfortunately, the taste alone could not persuade me to give this beer a good rating. The aromas lacked much of any punch. And, be warned, finishing a bottle could come with risks.  To be completely honest this beer gave me a stomach ache after finishing this bomber. I have never had a problem finishing a beer and have never drain poured any beer. But, in retrospect I probably should have done so with this beer. I’m giving it a 14/20 making this beer a mediocre C+. If you muster up the courage to try this beer let me know if I have been too harsh. I’m curious if anyone else experienced a similar situation as me.