Not long ago I had the pleasure of finding a rare bottle of H.E.R.O  Chocolate Chipotle Stout from Duclaw Brewing Company.  I apparently stumbled on the winning result of a home-brew submission contest.  This was an entry bottled in limited fashion in 22oz bottles.  My palate-lust for spicy brews combined with my longstanding passion for rich stouts drew me to this offering.

Having shared the bottle a few weeks ago, and enjoying it immensely; it gave me great pleasure to learn of the mass distribution of Cocoa Fuego.  This new DuClaw libation seemed  the result of a decision to release, on a broad scale, what was initially a limited run beer.   Having greatly enjoyed the 22oz limited bottle, I threw one in the fridge and prepared my taste buds.

Cocoa Fuego – This brew pours an obsidian murky black with a thin wispy and virtually nonexistent head.   The nose is predominantly spiced smoke with and undertone of roasty malt and burnt caramel toast.  The body is a little thin tasting considering the stout style.  The taste though, while prominent with the fuego, is considerable lacking in the cocoa department.  The smokey chipotle overpowers this beer.  While I enjoy the heat and campfire smokiness, I wish also for a bit more chocolate and dark malt body to round this out.   Overall a quality offering if not a balanced one.  For those with a taste for heat and peppery flavor, this is a win.  For anyone expecting chocolate and subtle peppers, this isn’t the right offering.  It certainly warrants a try, however. 7/10

Humbly yours,

J