Sonoran Cordillera Blanca
Sonoran Brewing Company

Sonoran Cordillera BlancaSonoran Cordillera Blanca
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From:
Sonoran Brewing Company
 
Arizona, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.29 | pDev: 15.2%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
18
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 05, 2013
Added:
May 30, 2008
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by funkel81 from Colorado

Aug 05, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by Zaphog from Michigan

May 18, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Exiled from Texas

May 02, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

Nov 23, 2011
Photo of LilBeerDoctor
Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

3.03/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Reviewed on 2/6/2010. Bottle thanks to daknole. Pours a clear light orange with a small white head. Aroma of chocolate, pale malts, floral hops. Flavor is sweet initially with some chocolate in the finish. Definite herbal/spice presence and plenty of citrus. Not exactly what I expected...this was just alright for me -- rather sweet and not enough chocolate. Overall, it was an odd beer.
Dec 23, 2010
Photo of Lucklys
Reviewed by Lucklys from Arizona

4.32/5  rDev +31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had I known that such a thing as chocolate beer existed, I may have learned to enjoy beer much quicker and easier. My lovely fiance plucked this beauty off of the shelves for me earlier this week and I have been both slightly frightened and anxiously curious to try it.

There's not a whole lot to say about the color, as it's your typical burnt gold, thin and watery-looking with very little haziness. But the head? That is the best head I have ever seen. Can't beat 3-fingers thick. Thick, fluffy, white, and it stuck around for a good long while, losing very little weight as I let it sit. I took about 10 photos of it and would put them in my wallet to show off if I had a wallet. Or anyone to show them to. Or if I was a crazy person...I'm not crazy.

As I got over the awesomeness of the foam, actually, even before I became preoccupied with the foam...CHOCOLATE! Seriously, my nose was overcome with chocolate. I buried my nose in the glass and immediately was overcome with warmth and happiness; it was like holding a mug of hot chocolate on a freezing winter night. Only everything was literally in reverse. Either way, the smell was unmistakably white chocolate and cocoa powder with a light hint of wheat.

Once it was in my mouth, it more closely resembled the aftertaste of dark chocolate but in a lighter chocolate. To make more sense, it was a tart white chocolate. And although the ale has quite a thin mouth feel, it never really falls off into the watery category. Closely followed by the immensely pleasurable chocolate is the light wheat again. The best part about this beer was that the chocolate was not overwhelming and allowed it to taste like a hefeweizen infused with chocolate, rather than chocolate dipped in beer.

I would definitely try this again, though with some dessert, like crème brûlée or chocolate covered strawberries or fondue. This is a mid-winter beer, for 50º and below only and make sure there are going to be plenty of sweet, sweet after-dinner delights to pair with the already sweet company you'll hopefully have.
Oct 19, 2010
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Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

3.2/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A: Pours a nice pale yellow hue tall fizzy head. Little retention and lace.

S: White chocolate for sure. Real not extract either. Light wheat notes round things out.

T: White chocolate extract, light vanilla, wheaty grain, and citrus, and a hint of tartness.

M: Light fizzy hefe like.

D: It's kind of all over the place. I like the vanilla, wheat, and extract. The citrus takes it into left field.
Feb 07, 2010
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.7/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
White chocolate in a hefeweizen, experienced at The Yard House, Scottsdale as not on at the Pinnacle showcase restauraunt for Sonoran. Better than described. I liked the white chocolate flavour, it came through. Why in a hefe? I don't know, but places about town were putting various flavours in their hefe, Phoenix's idea of extreme beer. The aroma of the sweet white chocolate. Not super drinkable, a sipper. Some lace. Looks like a hefe.
Feb 07, 2010
Photo of allforbetterbeer
Reviewed by allforbetterbeer from Colorado

3.12/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
No freshness date on bottle, poured into two pint glasses (one for my dad).

A: Cloudy orange body and a nearly non-existent white head that initially foams a bit and then dissipates to a slight layer.

S: A bit of sweet vanilla and chocolate, but (remarkably) the chocolate smell actually smells like white chocolate.

T: Initial taste is very bitter, sour, and a little astringent and rather non-descript. What follows is a very dry hint of chocolate. This dryness continues into the slightly malty (but still very dry) aftertaste.

M: This beer bites a little, with little smoothness to balance.

D: If this beer is drinkable largely depends on your tastes for sour beers.

Overall: For those sour lovers, this ale might be a pleasing brew. For those who prefer sweet beers, this will not please. Even as a sour, it is not outstanding, but certainly is worth a shot. Interesting, but might not be worth the $5 spent on the single bomber. Try this if you are looking for something unusual.
Jan 17, 2010
Photo of jujubeast6000
Reviewed by jujubeast6000 from Texas

3.2/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Reviewed 9/12/2009 (bottle):

Pours a golden orangish colored body, with a big white head, quickly diminishing. Spicy aroma, some orange citrus. Sweet spices strongly present, a little hoppy. Not too strong overall an aroma. Carbonated taste, smooth, strong chocolate taste. White chocolate. Refreshing. Interesting combo of white chocolate and not stout.
Dec 05, 2009
Photo of RedPorter
Reviewed by RedPorter from Arizona

3.24/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2
wow... this beer poured almost all head with a very gentle pour. big fluffy white head that took a long time to calm down but it did lace down the sides of the glass. golden in color very nice.

there were hints of certain thing in the aroma and the taste that quickly faded away and all that was left was a very sour ale.... like an old sweet lemon. but i do like that kind of thing from time to time.

but not all the time.
Oct 30, 2009
Photo of Mora2000
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas

3.69/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Picked up on a trip to Arizona and sampled once I got back to Texas.

Beer poured a semi-dark yellow color, but much lighter than I was expecting. I don't know why, but when I read chocolate on the label I was thinking this would be a porter or stout.

The smell is like hot chocolate. The label says white chocolate and it definitely smells like milk chocolate.

The beer also tastes like cooled down hot chocolate. While that sounds bad, the beer is actually very tasty. Much better than I expected after seeing that the average review was C+.

I have read that this beer is hit or miss on quality control, but mine was definitely a hit. I would recommend it to anyone.
Jul 17, 2009
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

3.22/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
From notes (consumed first week of May):

Out of curiosity, I picked up a 22 oz. bottle at T's in Tempe on a visit back in late March. Straightforward label, white on black: "Cordillera Blanca, Hard to Pronounce, Easy to Drink!"

Emptied less than half the bottle to a pint glass before pausing, see below...

A: Pours a bright golden yellow with a huge tuft of white foam atop, nearly 4-fingers. Waited a couple minutes for enough head to winnow away, then continued the pour. Beneath the crackling fizz, several streams of carbonation wriggle upward. Eventually the head fades to a clinging patch of bubbles to one side. Clarity is compromised by a dusting of silt. No lace.

S: Simple aroma: a vaguely sweet cocoa, something like a glazed donut. A little bread, twinge of tartness. Not bad, just one-dimensional.

T: Don't expect a burst of chocolate - it's subtle almost to a fault. Not necessarily sweet either; there is a malty dough, a touch lemony-tart. The dusty cocoa fades and awakens from sip to sip. Mildly intriguing, though I'm still not quite sure of the concept.

M: Wow, very crisp! A biting carbonation, tingling on the tongue like mineral water. Body is light, finish is mostly clean but for the finest grit. As refreshing as any summery witbier.

D: Despite fairly mediocre scores across the board, I found this oddity rather easy to drink. It disappeared rather quickly and was surprisingly refreshing. Not one I'd have to have again, but paired well with a bowlful of ripe strawberries. Good enough on this evening...
Jun 22, 2009
Photo of Hunter
Reviewed by Hunter from Arizona

2.12/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
appearance: light golden ale topped with an insubstantial white head which disappears almost instantly.

smell: the chocolate is there, between male and faint hop notes. Curious, but not unpleasant.

taste: I'm reminded of old hot chocolate and stale Easter candy.

mouthfeel: thin and wispy

drinkability: Certainly worth a try for the novelty factor, and since I live in AZ I find it a good thing to support the local breweries. But this is not the sort of thing I'd buy again.
Dec 30, 2008
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
1 liter flip-top bottle acquired in a couple of trades.

Opened to a loud and audible pop and proceeded to pur with a huge sized white head. Settled down to a mdeium yellow color. Aromas of vanilla, some citrus, and if I stretched it, some lighter chocolate. Tastes follow suit. This one was just kinda thin and all around boring. I dont know if that fancy bottle lead me to expect something more, but I was somewhat dissapointed.
Dec 29, 2008
Photo of BretSikkink
Reviewed by BretSikkink from Mexico

3.57/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Clear, golden color. Head is pure white, tightly packed for less than a finger, with the full finger rounded out by larger, soapy bubbling. With no idea what to expect from just the packaging, this is not what I expected, but my score is based on the fact that it's better than many light lager-styles, but not better than a good pils or summer beer.

Light-beer aromas of sweet, pale grains, topped with a large smack of chocolate perfume. I'm impressed with the quantity of aromatics from the white chocolate.

Again, very simple and straightforward from the malt and hops standpoints. The added dimension is quite interesting. Big wallop of chocolate, apparently white chocolate - it could go either way really - along with auxiliary baking goods flavors. I am strongly reminded of vanilla bean ice cream as well as hazelnut coffee while I drink this.

I love white chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut. As such, I enjoy this brew. I wouldn't be hasty to recommend it to others, but to me this conjures up sitting by the fire in the middle of winter with vanilla hot chocolate or hazelnut tea. Only without the freezing cold, and with beer. So that's nice.

Standard mouthfeel for an American blonde ale, acceptably full, and filled out a bit by the aromatic nature of the white chocolate. The finish is very clean, leaving traces of the perfume in its wake, but no bitterness of stickiness. The low abv makes it easy to consume, but there's not much keeping me coming back. Put it this way, I wouldn't drink a six pack, but I'm very much enjoying the liter that I have.
Jun 24, 2008
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Reviewed by mikejk305 from Illinois

3.12/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Bought a growler just because I know they don't put this out much, and to try and get my wife to drink beer.

Poured a slightly hazy golden color with very light foam.

I smelled the chocolate right away, but it didn't really remind me of white chocolate. Actually, the smell reminded me of starbucks hot chocolate.

There was a slight chocolate taste, otherwise nothing much going on otherwise.

Same with the mouthfeel, it was forgettable.

I really couldn't drink much of this beer. I actually gulped down the end of it because I didn't want to drink it anymore. Not that it was bad, but a small amount would suffice.
Jun 21, 2008
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.21/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Sampled on tap at 1702, Tucson AZ
Arrives from the tap with a lightly hazy, light gold color and is topped by a thin pale head. The nose mostly has beer-like notes to it with a light, sweet, white-chocolate note to it that provides more a perceived sweetness in the aroma than anything.

The taste is much like a clean, simple blond beer with white chocolate added. Very light hop character and a light malt character make this simplistic and quaffable. It has quite a light mouthfeel, though I wouldn't say it was watery. The white-chocolate adds a sort of perfume-like note as well as a touch of vanilla notes. Not bad, but not really my cup of tea, this might have been really interesting if the base beer was more interesting (I am imagining a thick, white chocolate infused stout).
May 30, 2008
Sonoran Cordillera Blanca from Sonoran Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 18 ratings