Ska Brewing - Autumnal Molé Stout

For the Ninth Beer of Christmas, we picked a drink that was nearly as black as the can in came in.

Ska Brewing Company
Autumnal Molé Stout

Brewed in Durango, Colorado, just across the border from New Mexico, the Molé Stout was inspired by Mexican and New Mexican cuisine. Along with cocoa nibs and spices, Ska Brewing uses three types of chili peppers (ancho, guajillo and New Mexico's own Hatch green chiles) when brewing this one.

A few people have suggested that on occasion I drink tar. Or, at the very least, motor oil. Pouring this beer into a glass, I can see their confusion. The Molé Stout pours up an opaque black with dark tan head almost half an inch thick. However, the head quickly fades to nothing, not even a ring around the glass. There's no lacing to speak of while drinking it.

Despite being a chili beer, the chili peppers take the background in the aroma. Which is nice. Some chili beers, such as Billy's Chilies from Twisted Pines Brewing in Boulder, Colorado, overwhelm you with the chilies, thereby making it a novelty beer and not one you want on a regular basis. However, the Molé Stout brings toasted dark malts, chocolate, vanilla and a little cinnamon to the forefront while letting the spiciness seep through in the background. It's very pleasant.

The peppers are a little more prevalent in the taste than in the nose. They're well balanced with dark chocolate, toasted malts, and a touch of nutmeg (not the cinnamon that I expected from the aroma.) The body is heavy and rich feeling. There's very little carbonation, which I think adds to the full body feel.

The beer was not only inspired by Mexican/New Mexican cuisine, but also designed to compliment them. I guess I'm going to have to see if I can find some Santa Fe style enchiladas here in Lubbock and try them with this stout.

Stats
Brewer: Ska Brewing Co.
Location: Durango, Colorado
Website: http://www.skabrewing.com
Style: Part Chile Beer and part Stout
Alcohol Content: 5.50% ABV
Interesting Note: Dedicated to their community (along with craft beer,) Ska is happy to donate beer to charitable causes in Southwest Colorado. There are a number of rules (read here) that outline the requirements, but if you're a 501(c)(3) in Southwestern Colorado and you aren't a children's or motor sporting event, you just might score some free Ska beer.

Real Ale Brewing – Coffee Porter

For the Seventh Beer of Christmas, we continue our trek east with a stop in Blanco, TX, for a beer that would not disappoint if it were poured from a coffee pot (I’ll have to see what they think about this at the office).

Pouring the bottle into the glass did not result in a waft of aroma like some of the other beers, including our Sierra Nevada Porter from two nights ago. The scent is more subtle and understated. You nearly have to get your nose into the glass. I think the thin head retention might have something to do with that. During this experiment, I’ve found that the beers that poured with thick head have a more robust scent.

But once you close, Real Ale’s Coffee Porter gives off a smell that combines rich, roasted coffee with bitter chocolate. There’s a light suggestion of vanilla as well as a hint of the strong alcohol content (6.3% ABV).

As you probably expected, from both the name and the smell, the taste is strongly influenced by the coffee used in brewing this beer. Although the strong alcohol content comes through, there’s a smoothness to the brew. I drink my coffee black (unless I’m at Starbucks and then I have to cut the strength with sugar and half & half … or if I’m at a convenience store, where I have to disguise the flavor with half & half and sugar). And I like the sharp, astringent taste of the coffee. But this Coffee Porter has a creamy taste, like a coffee cut with half & half (definitely not cut with the fake stuff).

This was tasty beer that gave me flashbacks to my first (heavenly) sip of coffee that I have each morning at work.

Aubrey says, “It’s decent, but I’d rather have a coke.”

And tonight we have special guest commentators Betty and Lisa.  Betty says, “It tastes like coffee.”  However, I think she would have preferred the coffee.  And Lisa says, “It’s good.”

Stats
Brewer: Real Ale Brewing
Location: Blanco, TX
Website: http:/www.RealAleBrewing.com
Style: Porter (American)
Alcohol Content: 6.3% ABV
Interesting Note: The Coffee Porter is actually brewed with coffee, which comes from Katz Coffee Roasters (http://www.KatzCoffee.com) in Houston, TX.

Sierra Nevada – Porter

For the Fifth Beer of Christmas, we went back to the West Coast for a little California Dreamin’.

After the light to medium beers we’d have the last three nights, I decided it was time to come back in black (I know, I’m mixing my musical genres … just go with it) and the nearly opaque, deep brown/black color of this particular porter was a great selection.

Pouring the glass resulted in a rich aroma, like deep loamy soil mixed with caramel, coffee, and a hint of vanilla. Good head retention from the light tan foam that held up during the photo session and remained as a thin wisp through the entire glass … and foamed up again nicely for the second glass.

Now, I’m normally a “drink it from the bottle” guy (“longneck bottle, let go of my hand”), but I wanted to take pictures of them in the glass so you could see the color of each beer. One of the side benefits of this has been enjoying the rich aromas. The Sierra Nevada Porter has been the best smelling beer of the twelve (so far). As I tipped the glass for each drink, I took a big whiff just to revel in the scent. When you buy this beer (and you should), it deserves a glass.

The taste starts off just a little sweet and finishes with a bittersweet chocolate flavor. The dark, roasted malt comes through strong between the start and finish for a warm and friendly drink (despite the beer’s cool 38° F temperature when coming from my refrigerator). The lush, thick taste translates to a rather filling beer. I finished three and felt comfortably full … like Thanksgiving before I hit the desserts and move on to uncomfortable and sleepy.

Speaking of desserts, Aubrey thinks this beer would go great with cheesecake.

Stats
Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Location: Chico, CA
Website: http://www.SierraNevada.com
Style: Porter (American)
Alcohol Content: 5.6% ABV
Interesting Note: Apparently I’m not the only one who likes this beer:

• California Brewers Festival (2000) – First Place
• Colorado State Fair (1996) – First Place
• “…there can be little doubt that this is one of the best porters being brewed anywhere in the world today.” – Christopher Finch, A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best Beer