New Holland el Mole Ocho

Our exploration into the flavors of mole, the legendary sauce of central Mexico. Malty aroma and rich, cocoa-laden body laced with an invigorating tinge of dried chilies and coffee.

Admin Note:

Previous vintages have weighed in at 8.8% ABV

3.4

256 reviews

Holland, United States

Community reviews

3.1 Dark copper, with a big frothy head. Smells like chocolate, bourbon, some green peppers. Taste is bourbon, vanilla, and some mild peppers. OK, I guess..

4.0 22oz bottle poured into pint glass El Mole Ocho pours a very dark ruby red with a thick light tan head that lasts a good while. The aroma is molasses, chocolate and hot sauce. The flavor is chocolate and molasses. Overall this is a very intesting and pretty nice brew.

3.0 Bottle - Chocolate and some big spice notes. Deep brown with a thin brown head. Spices, cocoa and a tinge of heat. Not the best in this style, a bit disjointed and the body or richness to carry it off.

2.8 This one was a bit of a miss. Aroma reminds me of a cheaper dark chocolate with chili bar I used to buy. This looks like a cola in a glass. There was no head at all. There is a chocolate taste, with a bit of lactose type flavor. The chili comes through very subtly at the end. It felt syrupy on the tip of tongue, but it is more medium to light bodied. I keep sipping to see if I like it or not. I wish I was sharing this bottle as I don’t really want to finish it all.

3.2 650 ml. 2014 vintage 10.5%. Unclouded mahogany body has a lasting spot and ring of bubbles. Nose is whiskey, cola, earthy spice, caramel and dry cocoa. Flavor is complex, but to me an odd mix that just doesn’t do it. There’s caramel, earthy spice, chocolate, booze, raisin, wheat, roast, some vegetal peppery notes and a bit of lactose. Medium-heavy body has medium carbonation and a good balance. Seems to achieve what they set out for, but I probably won’t return to it anytime soon.

2.8 [ Bottle ][ 1oz ][ Tasting ][ ][ Snifter ][ 11.09.14 ] Translucent chestnut, tepid with thinnest white ring. Peppery licorice nose, raisin and sugary. Front is heavy cardboard and raisins, oxidation and under-attenuation. Barky spice and noticeable grass hops emerge mid amongst medicinal booze end, sticky and full with light nut.

4.0 Pours a very dark amber with a medium thick head. Delicious chocolate and coffee aroma, sweet with creamy palate yet not overly sweet. Very smooth and easy to drink, hides the alcohol very well. Does have a little spice to it which gives it more depth, even if I wouldn’t say it tastes like mole. Great beer!

3.7 Bottle shared at the DC Pre-Thanksgiving tasting. Poured a brown cola color with a small off-white head. Aroma was some light chocolate, some licorice, chili spices. Some coffee bitterness in the flavor, with some chocolate, cinnamon and chili heat in the finish. Interesting. Alcohol is hidden pretty well.

3.4 From a 22 oz bottle at the DC Pre-Turkey Day tasting on Nov 9, 2014. Pours a clear dark amber with a scant head. Flavors of cocoa and chilis with some cloves thrown in for good measure. A bit weird, but ok.

3.3 This doesn’t really work out the way they probably imagined. Brown amber pour. Caramel, and some toffee. Light cinnamon. Consistency a little syrupy. Bottle.

3.6 22 oz bottle (2014) at the RateBeer DC Tasting. Brownish black with light tan head. Aromas of cocoa, caramel, light peppers. Tastes of caramel, light peppers, chocolate. Medium body with a dry finish.

3.1 I thought it would have more of a cinnamon spice flavor, however it was still nice tasting and smooth going down. I thought it was going to be darker in color especially when I think of a mole.

3.0 2014 bomber. Medium brown with minimal head. Coffee beans, dirt, dried mild chilies, black pepper, bourbon and cherry licorice. Taste has a dry bourbon sweetness with black pepper finish. Body is heavier with a syrupy feel.

3.7 Poured from a bottle at a dc bottle share it is an amber color a slight head. The aroma is caramel and cinnamon the taste is a strong black licorice flavor and is yummy

3.2 Bottle. Pours clear brown with a medium, frothy off-white head, medium retention with light lacing. Aroma is peppers, chocolate, toast and bread malt, dates and figs. Flavor is sweet malt, chocolate and peppers with dates and a sweet finish. Full body and medium carbonation.

3.3 On tap at Local Cantina. Brown pour, thin light tan head. Aroma of cocoa, pepper. Tastes are chocolate malt, chili pepper, spice.

3.5 Transfer from BA review on 12-20-13- Served on tap in a snifter Appearance – The beer is served a clear cherry reddish color with a small off white head. The head fades rather fast leaving a lighter level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass. Smell- The aroma of the brew is mainly of a cocoa and bready nature with the cocoa smell having a good level of a sweeter caramel aroma mixed within. Along with these aromas are some dark fruit smells as well as a little bit of a hot pepper/chili like smell and an almost medicine like boozy aroma. Taste – The taste begins with a sweeter fruit flavor upfront, mostly of a cherry and plum, but also has some other flavors of a light chocolate and some caramel mixed within. As the taste advances, the chocolate flavors get stronger while the sweeter fruit flavors begin to fade. While the sweeter fruit fades it is replaced by some caramel, which maintains the sweetness up to the middle of the taste. This caramel however begins to fad while at the same time some coffee, more cocoa, and a little bit of chili comes to the tongue. The chili starts out quite light but gains strength as the flavor moves forward. Toward the end, some pepper flavors also join the tongue, and when combined with the chili, the lessened sweet flavors, the cocoa and the lighter coffee, end up leaving a moderately spicy, moderately sweet, and somewhat oddly flavored taste to linger on the tongue. Mouthfeel-The body of the beer is rather light for a brew of nearly 10 % abv with a carbonation that consists of tons of tiny carbonation bubbles the tickle the tongue. The tiny carbonation bubbles are perfect for the taste profile balancing out and calming the chili that greets the tongue at the end. The thinner body is very nice as well, as with it subdues the chili, but still all while, compliments the fruit and sweeter flavors of the brew very nicely. Overall – This was a very interesting brew. The mouthfeel, I must say, was done very well, nearly exactly what is right for the flavor profile. The flavor however, while overall it has nice individual components, all combined together it is not really something I found all that appealing. It was a very good one to give a try to, but nothing I would go back to again and again.

2.9 Well its just gross. Aroma of cinamon and herb and chocolate. Taste of peppers. Somewhat thin for abv. Unique but gross for sure. But then again I dont like mole. Thin fading head.

3.2 Bomber. Pours a dark brown color with white head. Cocoa, syrupy, malty, slight coffee aromas. Chili pepper, black coffee, cocoa, toffee flavors with a little alcohol burn. Alright, but not really my thing.

2.9 Vintage 2013, 22oz bottle. 10.5% ABV. Clear, deep mahogany color, thin ring. Pours like oil. Aroma of fresh spicy peppers & milk chocolate. Hints of spices like cinnamon. Sweet nose, with spices. Heavy bodied. Sweet malts flavor. Big booze, fusel. Hints of chocolate malts, burnt grains. Finishes with light taste of cooked poblano. Flavor is this, body makes up for it. (4114)

3.7 Dark, reddish brown with a thin off white head. Aroma is chilies, slight cocoa and a bit roasted coffee malt. Flavor is a little confusing at first. I get burnt coffee, earthiness from the chilies, and bitter cocoa. Interesting if a little bit muddled. Wife: 3.4

2.9 So this is an interesting beer to rate. The Brewer accomplishes what it he/she sets out to do. The balance in this beverage is fantastic. It all boils down to whether you like peppers in your beer and not much else. When I think molé I think chocolate. I taste no chocolate. Pours a nice mahogany. Aromas are roasted green peppers and picked jalapeños. Flavors are roasted peppers and some sweetness at the end. Not really hot. .. Just a pleasing tingle. This is not for me... There needs to be more chocolate and coffee to balance the roasty peppers. You might like it... But this bottle is too big for me. I will have trouble finishing it.

3.0 2011 vintage bomber. Pours a soda brown with a slight amber hue. No head, just a ring of bubbles that leaves very little lacing. Aroma of chocolate, black pepper, plum and raisin. Rather dank. Taste is black pepper, unsweetened cocoa, plum and caramel. Light but definitely noticeable burn on the tongue and throat. Light body, smooth texture, average carbonation, quick finish of black pepper and toasted malts. The pepper is the definite highlight here. Otherwise you just have a below average brown ale.

3.4 2011 vintage Bottle pour clear ruby hued brown with thin head. Nose some dank, caramel and toffee malt, faint chilies. Taste slight oxidized caramel. Light chocolate roast. Very mild chili in the late palate, have to think about it to taste. Light bitter finish with pepper aftertaste. Flavors were probably brighter when fresh.

3.7 Pours a light mahogany with no head. Has an aroma of sweet chocolate, malts, and I get raspberry, but perhaps that comes from the chili pepper. Taste is dominates by the sweet chocolate and malts, along with the raspberry. The spice is more apparent in the finish. I don’t detect any coffee, but that might be because there’s so much flavor. I really enjoy this unique brew. It has the characteristics of a light sweet stout and balances everything pretty well.

3.7 Bomber shared. Medium dark brown with medium white head. Aroma malt and chocolate and pepper. The flavor is amazing. You get the warmth of the green chilis and bakers chocolate. Meshes very well together not overly hot by Amy means. Overall very good.

2.8 Pours medium brown color with tan head. Aromas of toasted malts, chocolate, chillis. Similar flavors with a hint of smokiness. Medium body with average carbonation. Not all that good.

2.9 I was looking forward to the possibilities of a Mole beer, but this one fell rather flat for me. Poured a brown-amber, with a dense brown head. Looking forward to the complexity but only got the spicy chilli aromas, but not much else. Same for the beer. Spicy finish with a fairly base malt profile. Disappointing.

3.3 Rated on 5-28-2010. This bottled beer pours a small head with a long retention, brown body, no visible carbonation, and one ring of lacing. The aroma is malty, chocolate, smoky, and chili. The taste is peppery, malty, chocolate, hint of coffee, rich, and chili. The palate is tingly with a warming sensation. This beer is medium bodied. Overall, this beer is worth trying and a beer I would drink again.

3.8 22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 9/11/2013. Pours crystal clear deep reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass, with some light streaming carbonation. Aromas of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, pear, caramel, toast, brown bread, brown sugar, chili pepper, light coffee, and herbal/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good complexity and balance of malt, spice, and yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, pear, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, light chili pepper, light coffee, herbal, and toasted/yeast earthiness. Slight pepper heat on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, pear, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, light coffee, light chili pepper, herbal, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance, complexity, and robustness of malt, spice, and yeast ester flavors; with light-moderate chili/coffee presence and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a moderately slick and fairly smooth mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good chili beer. Good balance, robustness, complexity of malt, yeast ester, and spice flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.