SKA Autumnal Mole Stout
The Autumnal Mole Stout is an ale brewed with cocoa nibs, spices and three varieties of chile peppers: Mulato, Ancho and Hatch green chiles, (also known as Anaheim Peppers.)
3.3
228 reviews
Durango, United States
Community reviews
Appearance: The darkest shade of brown, nearly black, with absolutely no head.
Aroma: a tingling pepper sensation with underlying notes of cocoa. With the beer being nearly black, there is no presence of chocolate or roast. As the beer warms, the heat from the peppers fades away and cinnamon spice becomes more apparent.
Body: Medium bodied
Carbonation: medium- low carbonation
Flavor: The pepper flavor is there but not at all overwhelming. Cocoa is absent. Very minimal malt sweetness and no hop bitterness present. I wouldn’t say the flavor is all peppers, but it is defiantly the majority of it. As the beer warms up it is much the same as the aroma. Peppers aren’t as dominant as before, and cinnamon comes to the forefront. The cinnamon is not as powerful as the peppers were when the beer was first poured.
Finish: As you swallow the beer, the peppers fade away and the cocoa is released, but after a few seconds the heat from the peppers returns. Throughout the whole beer there is always this subtle heat that lingers on the palate from the peppers.
Worth trying, but would only have it again if it was paired with a complementary food dish.
Light brown. Aroma sort of explodes with cinnamon and jalapeño...uh... Why? That’s hatch...ok, what do hatch chiles have to do with mole? Ok so harsh chile and cinnamon. Again...what does this have to do with Mexico? This resembles none of the dozens of moles I’ve had in Puebla or Oaxaca. Just throwing stuff in a kettle for no reason.
Bomber. Pour is a very dark, opaque brown with no head. At all. Smells
Very spicy/peppery, like fresh chili peppers, chocolate. Taste is very chocolately with a peppery cinnamon kick but it is somewhat thinner on the palate than expected. Very tasty.
Draft at the brewery. Pours dark nut brown with almost no head. Tastes like smooth cocoa, peppery spice, roasted malt, and a hint of coffee. Light/medium body and low carbonation. Smells like cocoa, light spice, roasted malt, and coffee.
Backlog from lost & found notes: ARoma of spices, chili and coffe. Roasted malts. Taste is surely chili in tha back and some malty chocolates up front. Some herbal touch in the aftertaste. Not really my stuff, but good.
På flaska som lagrat nåt år. Svart som synden. Tydlig kaffedoft med lite kanel/kryddnejlikodoft. Smakar kaffesump och lite chilli.
(En fût au Blind Lady Alehouse): Un corps mince soutient un bouquet d’épices massif avec une grande présence de la cannelle et du chocolat. Plutôt cohérent et facile à boire malgré l’exubérance des ingrédients.
[Tap] Deep brown pour with very little head on top. Aromas of cocoa powder, molasses, cinnamon and some chili. Notes of toasted grains, lighter hot pepper heat, chocolate, nutmeg and toffee in the taste. The flavors are fine, but somewhat dull compared to the better chili stouts that have hit the market recently. Thin to medium in body. I wasn’t crazy about this one.
Can at home. Pours dark brown with no head. Aroma is chocolate and ancho chilis. Flavor follows with some cinnamon as well smooth and creamy. Nice beer.
Black pour. No head. No lacing. Big coffee aroma. Slight chocolate aroma. Coffee flavor. Bitter.
Black with a tan head. Aroma is a medium spiciness, chocolate, cream, roasty. Taste is a mild spiciness, chili powder, cinnamon, chocolate- typically with these beers I want less heat, but with this it could actually use a touch more.
Can from Total Wine. Dark pour with a dark bubbly head. Aroma is chocolate, peppers, and roasted grain. Taste is coffee, baking spice, and cocoa. Nice pepper finish.
Creamy chocolate and pepper vibe - smooth with the bite of some pepper beers. I often use a pepper beer as a float on a chocolate stout/porter, but this one is complete in itself. Raymee.com uses this can to make fridge magnets.
Tap at Blues Bar. Deep brown with no head. Chocolate, graham crackers, green peppers, and cinnamon. Sweet chocolate with very little spice. Body is lighter with a watery feel.
Pours a dark brown almost black little head. Aroma is coffee and dark chocolate. Taste follows the aroma but is lighter than the aroma. Has a medium mouth feel and a soda pop carbonation fizz on the tongue. Good stout for a hot day.
My Bottom Line:
Peppers dominate spices and dark malts in this otherwise memorable number.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A slice of foam colours the darkness.
-Spices ARE boastful throughout, don’t get me wrong. But chile peppers even more so, to me.
-A light acidity clashes with the spiciness and chocolatey sugars.
-This is nowhere near as delicious as Nogne O’s collaboration with La Chingoneria which plays on the same theme.
-This must be quite good with sausages.
On tap at the Thirsty Monk, Asheville.
A deep dark stout with a very thin brown head. In aroma, sweet fruity chocolate malt with cinnamon, chili, coriander, nutty notes, like moléculaire in your nose. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity chocolate malt with loads of cinnamon, chili, coffee grind, musty and smooth. On tap at Thirsty Monk.
Poured from a can. Small tan short-lasting head. Aroma is very much like that of mole. Flavor is earthy with dried peppers and spice.
Cinnamon, chilies peppers and chocolate are the major aroma coming form a near black pour with little head Na little lacing. The taste is spicy - cinnamon, a nice chile pepper burn and chocolate notes. Medium body and medium carbonation. Overall, enjoyable but I wouldn't want to drink more than one at a time.
Can as an extra. Aroma is immediately spicy with a light chocolate note. Pour is black with a medium brown head that dies almost instantly. Taste is an even balance of chocolate and pepper, with a subtle coffee note. A light creaminess to the body, with a light carbonation. This is really good and easy to drink! like a Mexican cake light, less stout and less heat. I’m a fan.
Keg at Coin-Op Game Room, SD, 12/11/14.
Black with a decent tan covering.
Nose is bitter roast, big green chilli and pepper tones, spice, coffee grinds, chocolate, sweet and sour.
Taste comprises light roast, cocoa rub, green peppers, spice, dark fruit rinds, curry leaf.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Decent stuff for style, retains the characteristics of a stout so I’d have under that style myself, bollocks to the chilli factor!
Aluminum can from Sprout’s: Poured a solid brown opaque liquid topped with a fizzy formation of head. Aroma is fragrant with a bold nose of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and smells similar to a pumpkin pie more so than it does to traditional Mexican mole according to my memory of both. The drink is mild with roast malts but an appetizing taste of spiciness rushes across my tongue and activates several taste buds. The flavors do resemble traditional mole flavors but the drink comes across as very dry and then leaves behind a pumpkin pie flavor in the finish. Okay stuff but a 12 Oz. can is enough.
Very mild, but the pepers, coca and that little hint of green chiles really evens out surprisingly well. Now the bad part is the lack of sweetness and more ABV, malt. But not that bad.
17 Nov 2014, can. black with no head. nose is sweet spices, chocolate, and faint peppers. full body and faintly fizzy. Peppers struck me up front but they quickly gave way to sweet spices, black malt, and maybe coconut. Decent for a mole stout.
Can from Bine & Vine. Pours "black" with a dark tan head. Aroma is very chile. Med body, almost. Flavor is dark malt, chocolate, and chile. Moderately warm chile. The burn is quite light compared to my expectations. It’s a fun drink, and well worth seeking out.
Can from Binny’s in Bloomingdale, IL. Very cool looking can, too. Very dark pour with pretty much no head. Aroma is cocoa and chilis. Taste is similar, albeit a touch bland. Decent heft to the palate. Okay.
Une cannette bue dans mon camp de chasse. Brune très foncée, à la limite noire. Col mousseux qui se retire très rapidement. Arômes de chocolat, de biscuit Graham, d’épices orientales, de chili et de piment fumé, de malts rôtis et de café. Intriguant! Sur les papilles, un constat plutôt semblable avec quelques petites différences. Croûte de biscuit Graham qui rappelle Warlock, chili et autres piments qui ne donnent que de très faibles sensations chaudes, mélasse et pointe de lactose qui laisse une impression surette. En bouche, un corps de moyenne densité avec un pétillement vif fait de bulles très fines et une texture très légèrement crémeuse qui pourrait passer dans une autre bouche comme étant aqueuse. En finale, chocolat noir et effets pimentés qui cherchent en vain à bien s’accrocher. Beaux parfums. Saveurs qui ne suivent pas vraiment. Impression en bouche à retravailler. Les bulles sont celles d’un soda. Finale qui manque de mordant. Une assez belle idée qui mérite d’être peaufinée.
On tap at SKA tasting room. Have had many times in a can. The nose is complex with roasted coffee, roasted chilies, cocoa and cumin. The can is more chocolatey while the tap version is chile froward (no heat). It's a thinner stout with a quick diminishing head.
I like Ska brews to a degree. They have shown up before without enjoy by dates. Glad this can has a date on the bottom! This is prob my 7th diff Ska. First off, I see milk sugar listed in ingredients printed on the can in small font. I’m not a big lactose brew drinker, but it seems many milk stouts are using it now. No matter how I pour, it fizzles out in 20 seconds. It smells complex and strange, not like any chocolate stout or jalapeno ale I’ve ever had. It smells like a Mexican hot chocolate w jalapeno added. By the time I taste it, it is nearly flat with no head at all. The Anaheim and other peppers are subdued behind a bakers cocoa with a dry, flat, sweet finish. This is a fun brew to drink, because all chile brews are fun! Its an okay ale, but its more of a drinkable novelty. For peppers, I can remember many that are better than this and same for cocoa.
On tap, poured a deep dark brown hue w/ tan head. Huge chili pepper aroma. Initial flavor is moderate sweet w/ a light bitter finish. Tastes are chili, cinnamon, coca nibs, and squash. Medium bodied, watery mouthfeel and a moderate heat in the finish.