Day 11 of the 2nd Annual Advent-ure Calendar

Day 11: Stone Brewing Xocoveza

Full disclosure: We love this beer. It is a personal favorite of ours. The first time we tried it is right when it came out and we were at Stone’s Escondido Brewery in California. It’s been awhile since we revisited this beer so we’re hoping it remains favorite. From their website: “Harmoniously layered with cocoa, Mostra coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk sugar, this beer is an insanely delicious take on Mexican hot chocolate.” The beer started as a one-time offering (a winning homebrew recipe from Chris Banker at Stone’s annual competition) but because of the fan demand it turned into a yearly tradition, thank goodness!

REFLECTIONS

Beard & Broad
Beard: I was really excited when I saw they were going to start offering this beer in six packs this year.  It smells and tastes just like I remember it.  I definitely get the peppers and cinnamon first on the nose, then follows the taste of vanilla, coffee, peppers, cinnamon and cocoa all in rapid succession.  It’s smooth, creamy, flavorful and awesome.  To me, this is the perfect craft beer.  They can get pretty crazy now with really obscure ingredients, but if anyone can cram a bunch of stuff into a beer and have it turn out perfectly balanced, it’s Stone.

Broad: I’m so excited this beer is available at least seasonally! It is so good. It’s been awhile since we had this but it still holds up. I taste coffee, peppers, cocoa, vanilla and the flavors blend so perfectly together. I normally don’t like stouts and usually want just one. But I wish this was available all year around. I could drink many of these delicious beers. This is definitely my favorite beer on the list and one of my all time favorites.

Adam & Alex
Adam: This is my favorite beer so far. It has a strong smell of coffee and vanilla and the taste follows suit. It finishes with some holiday spices. The bottle mentions it’s brewed with peppers and I think the after taste might have some of that spice but I might also just want to believe I can taste things it says. I would drink this all the time on a cold winter night or hung over winter morning.
Alex: I really enjoyed this one. It smells like coffee, and tastes like it as well. I definitely get the holiday spices at the end and it’s definitely in the good way. I also can taste the cocoa and vanilla, and I would absolutely drink this again.

Scott & CT
Scott: Here’s the thing, I thought this was the gag gift of our Christmas beer tasting adventure. What screams Christmas, winter or the holidays more than a demon inviting us to have a taste? Don’t be afraid, this beer is delicious, aromatic and plenty smooth. It proves that there’s more to making a holiday beer than putting a snowy cabin your label.
CT: Xocoveza which is first off, so fun to say, is such a great beer. It’s important to note that one of my most favorite things is a spiced dark chocolate brownie AND THIS TASTES LIKE THAT. The subtle bite of peppers mixed with the cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon makes this beer a standout. I love the nose of cocoa and coffee, it smells like a holiday dessert table. And like with dessert, you should have more than one.

Lou & Jen
Lou: Well the weather outside is frightful….but this beer is so delightful! I’m warm inside with the decadent, chocolatey deliciousness of this deep dark stout. Jen and I locked eyes and smiled with glowing approval based on our first taste. Yes ! Yes! Yes! This is my new favorite Christmas beer. The nutmeg after taste is such a nice touch and the vanilla sweetness is just right. A+++! I hope I can find this beer local over the next month, about to stock up for the brutal Cleveland winter.

Jen: This is by far my favorite beer so far! The nose had an instant aroma that I’ve never smelled–peppers with cinnamon! The taste is so smooth with cinnamon and vanilla and a Mexican chocolate. It’s not too hoppy which I’m obviously a fan of and the beer boasts a lovely 8.1% alcohol volume. This is my kind of winter beer folks. I can see why it was brought back by popular demand.