Mexican Cake - Westbrook Brewing Co.

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.28/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Chris for sharing this one.

Pours a dark black with a nice tan head and pretty solid lacing. Smell is pretty interesting, an interesting combo of chocolate, roast and chilis. Taste is really impressive, the chilis and the roast of the stout come together quite nicely, very chocolatey and tasty. Mouthfeel is full bodied with nice carbonatiom. Overall this is a great beer, but drinking it next to Hunahpu's it just isn't quite on the same level. A well done beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 03:21:40 | More by starrdogg

jriggins6

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

06-19-2013 19:42:15 | More by jriggins6

heavenlyStash

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

06-19-2013 05:55:49 | More by heavenlyStash

Grant35

California

4.75/5  rDev +10%

06-18-2013 07:35:57 | More by Grant35

CadetGCBD

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +10%

06-17-2013 23:35:13 | More by CadetGCBD

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

4.21/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: dark almost opaque brown. Full mocha head and lacing.
Smell: chocolate fudge. Some vanilla. Hint of cinnamon and peppers. Mexican cake indeed.
Taste: much like the nose. A slight habanero burn in the finish. This lingers but isn't pronounced. Very nice.
Overall: very unique and outstanding creation. After Shane's big dipa and this, Westbrook stock going up in my book.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 23:07:42 | More by cindyjeffsmith

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

06-17-2013 19:28:55 | More by jmarsh123

pisano

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

06-17-2013 14:00:00 | More by pisano

cosmicevan

New York

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 5/15/13

Had the first batch of this and loved it but i guess those notes haven't been added yet so reviewing the newest batch that i found locally. Enjoyed from a westbrook snifter. brew poured a rather stunning rich thick black. generous phone meet and head that was gone relatively quick leaving patches of mocha bubbles and its wake. smells like a Mexican cake chocolate vanilla Peppers great sweetness on the nose is perfectly complemented with cinnamon. taste is complex. this beer can easily hang with hunah. everything is in its right place. body is fairly full but you would expect that from a stout this size. the peppers make it feel lighter and the cinnamon tames down the peppers. make no mistake though there is some spicey heat on the finish. definitely worth a shot for any fans of hunah.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 03:19:43 | More by cosmicevan

ox1574

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

06-17-2013 02:26:25 | More by ox1574

illy0sis

Texas

4/5  rDev -7.4%

06-17-2013 01:22:07 | More by illy0sis

Anonymous1

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.4%

06-16-2013 21:57:50 | More by Anonymous1

RayUF07

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +10%

06-16-2013 02:02:01 | More by RayUF07

Amalak

New York

4/5  rDev -7.4%

06-15-2013 21:39:15 | More by Amalak

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The beer pours a nice viscous black color with really not a whole lot of head to speak of, just a tan ring, slight lacing with a swirl that goes down quickly.

The smell honestly just smells like a normal imperial stout with some dark malty roast notes and no hops to speak of, some cocoa powder and maybe just a slight hint of the earthy oily peppers, I don't get any cinnamon at all but there is some vanilla bean too but I oldnt have called it if I didn't read it on the bottle. Mostly just a better than average stout aroma the additions unfortunately don't do a lot for the aroma for me.

The taste does come through ith some rich notes of flavor: creamy vanilla chocolate ice cream like notes, a slight cinnamon overtone, just a bit of heat from the peppers in the lingering semi biter sweet aftertaste. Defiantly a big roasty mid palate on this beer no doubt this is a stout with the malt bill as well.

The feel is good, it has a bit of heat but a smooth silky feel that is nice. The aftertaste is surprisingly dry on my palate which isn't a plus for the style IMHO. Decent body.

Overall a good but not great beer, not in the ballpark of some other beers in this vein.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 02:00:19 | More by Dreadnaught33

Jacurdy60

Alabama

4.61/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a growler into a snifter. Freshness date read 5/15/13.

A-Pours a viscous, motor oil color black with a thick, rich and smooth toffee colored head. Brilliant. The head retains fairly well and the foam cascades down the glass when I sip it leaving behind almost no lacing, surprisingly.

S-The booze and habanero peppers hit you at first but it fades smoothly into a symphony of chocolate cake, dry wheat, cocoa nibs, and flour. A lot of depth and nuance to this brew.

T-The booze isn't as present here as it was in the nose, thankfully. This tastes exceptional. The spice is aggressive at the front but is countered by a lovely sweetness. The middle and the back of the palate combine to introduce a lovely taste of bitter dark chocolate, subtle notes of coffee, sweet chocolate cake, and then a lingering spicy bite. The nuances in this beer are incredible.

MF-Not as thick as I typically like my stouts, and I assume thats because of the spice. It finishes a bit dry. My least favorite aspect of this brew.

O-World-class. It's an annual summer release so if you see it, buy it. It's up there with the other imperials. Plus, it's very unique.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 01:43:03 | More by Jacurdy60

Ak555667

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

06-14-2013 23:52:00 | More by Ak555667

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

06-14-2013 23:50:48 | More by ChugginOil

Rand_ale_Thor

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

06-14-2013 15:24:56 | More by Rand_ale_Thor

jbuddle

New York

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

06-14-2013 13:00:53 | More by jbuddle

RochefortChris

South Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +10%

06-14-2013 04:10:07 | More by RochefortChris

nesarebad

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

22 oz. bottle poured into my FW Bottleworks Teku - courtesy of ThreeFishes, thanks Jim!

A - Pours jet black with a thick dense two finger coffee color head. No faults in the appearance, perfect for an Imperial Stout - not much more can be said about that.

S - This is where the beer scores the lowest for me. The underlying flavors are there but muted, get a little chocolate, some heat, and some roasted dark malts. Opens up as it warms, spicy notes appear as the cinnamon and habanero welcome themselves to the party.

T - Complexity abounds. As the beer pulls you in, you literally can see your self with a luscious slice of dense chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and cinnamon and habanero in the fold. This is flavor layered upon flavor, with the spicy notes coming at the end of the taste. Remarkable and memorable.

M - Not to thick and not too sweet, the flavors meld in a glorious interplay of contrasting tones. Coating but not cloying, this is a very drinkable big beer.

O - One of my favorite non-BA Imperial Stouts. The label says to drink fresh and I don't think I can disagree with that. Aging this beer runs you the risk of severely muting one of the flavors that brings the contrasting re-freshness of this beer. Would love to have again, but happy that I had the chance to get this now.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 04:56:41 | More by nesarebad

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.11/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass from a 22oz bottle.

Pours a pitch black color. Like an abyss of darkness were no light can escape. A somewhat aggressive pour yields a nice 1.25 inch head that is pretty dense like an espresso and of a nice light tan almost cream color. The head is dense and retention is pretty impressive with some slight sticky notes.

Aroma starts off with some midl vanilla notes with nice deep rich coca notes that are almost hard to detect 'cuz they are so intense (figure that one). There is some mild grainy notes and slight sweetness to the brew with some peppery notes as well. As it warms the coca nib notes seem more appreciable and there is some slight coffee roast as well.

Flavor starts off nice coca notes; rich, slightly sweet and bitter dark coca notes. This is then followed by some nice cinnamon notes mixed in with midl vanilla notes that smooth the cocoa notes out. Some slight espresso is present. Then the real fun starts prickly and spicy pepper notes beging to coat the tongue and the whole mouth. Once all these flavors are perceived a nice combination of coca and cinnamon and the spicy peppers interplay with each other and linger on the palette for a long while. There is some nice espresso and dark bitter chocolate that is noted on the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit light for the style and a thicker body would compliment the flavor profile better.

Overall this brew was interesting and is pretty delicious. Quite intense pepper notes compared to other "spicy" stouts I've had. Body is not as thick as I would like. Other than that solid brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 01:37:55 | More by JoEBoBpr

Treebs

Illinois

4.19/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

22 oz. bottle served in a Westbrook snifter. Bottled

A: Pours a dark, deep black color with a dark tan head forming on the pour. It recedes to a thin cap with a slightly thicker collar.

S: Deep chocolate with a lot of roast. There is mild dark fruit character with a gingerbread cookie type sweetness to it. A light touch of mild pepper on the nose. Very inviting as it's not as intense as I would have imagined. It makes me want to dig in more.

T: There's the pepper! Not entirely fleshy, but a nice balance of pepper flesh and spicy. It lingers in the back of the throat for a little while after each sip. The dark fruit character is there from the nose and there is a slight hint of the fruity house yeast that I've come to expect from Westbrook stouts. Heavy roasted malts with with some unsweetened chocolate.

M: Medium bodied with a medium low carbonation. Carbonation is spot on, but I'd like a little bit more chew to the body. Finish has some nice spicy heat.

O: A touch more body would have been great, but overall this is a really nice beer. The ABV is well hidden and it's pretty balanced. It's still not in the realm of Abraxas or Hunahpu, but it's still a great beer that I'd gladly have again.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 00:49:04 | More by Treebs

beerbalance

South Carolina

4.9/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This beer was an absolute pleasure! So complex, so rewarding. The flavors are expertly layered in so you can taste them all. The finish is long and wonderful with the spiciness coming on at the end. The more you drink the warmer you feel from the spice. Next year I will purchase an entire case of this wonderful beverage! There are so many beers out there that are trying to make "gimmick" beers with all sorts of odd ingredients, but this beer is a symphony of taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 21:07:38 | More by beerbalance