This is a slightly confusing beer.
Confusing because it is absolutely lovely and yet doesn’t really give you the stuff it advertises.
You see, this is an Agave and Chilli Stout and it is a delicious and immensely satisfying beer, but all the way through it I struggled to find any agave or chilli.
The aroma is packed with honey and molasses and the beer sits a heavy mahogany brown in my glass.
Taking a swig you find molasses in the flavour too, along with digestive biscuits, rum and raisin chocolate, black coffee, candy canes and honey from the malts and a big hit of herbal hedgerows, hazel and nettle tea from the hops.
There’s also a very good boozy brandy warmth as you head toward the finish, but I’m struggling to find any chilli heat and the agave might be there with a subtle water melon sweetness, or it might just exist in my head because I’m told that I should find it.
Ah, but then right at the end, after working my way down the bottle and thinking that everything was over a tiny chilli prickle develops, just adding a pinch of spice to the end of the beer.
Lovely, slightly confusing, stuff.

Source: Cotteridge Wines