El Mole Ocho
New Holland Brewing Company

El Mole OchoEl Mole Ocho
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From:
New Holland Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
10%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.52 | pDev: 16.48%
Reviews:
157
Ratings:
420
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 10, 2019
Added:
Apr 04, 2010
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  31
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 dries chilies and coffee.
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Ratings by Metalmonk:
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

4.02/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Gusher alert! Would have never guessed a beer like this would explode, and no reason that it should have (I didn't open it right after a 7.2 earthquake or anything), but it did. So be careful.

Not sure if the poor head stamina is a result of or linked to said gushing, but it fizzles and crackles quickly away. It's a dirty tanned white while it lasts, and the liquid is a rust-inflected brown, glowing and jewel-like. And looks like it'll be a thin beer, texturally. Looks like a danged root beer.

Nice aroma, a bit mellow, but then you don't want chilies setting your nose on fire, not in a beer anyway. They're there, but apparently excellently balanced by the cocoa, as both of those elements play out perfectly with, and against, one another. A lightly metallic/mineral smell, but in a clean way, not a bad way as is more often the case.

Taste-wise this is a remarkably balanced beer. It doesn't have great depth or complexity, but for what is happening here, it does the trick nicely. And let's cut right to the chase: hardly any beers made using chili (and of course, mole is a mixture of cocoa and chili) are that great. This one, if not great, is very very good. The chili is certainly present, but somewhere between subtle and well-behaved, while the cocoa side of the equation offers a sweet balance, but not too sweet. Always found mole to have a kind of comfort-food mellowness to it, despite a flash of heat, and that's exactly what is achieved here. Malt provides a perfectly soothing, semi-rich accompaniment to the main mole flavor, a bit of vanilla shows up, some fig and plum too, but that's really all there is to this beer. And that's not to say it's not good, because it is totally good, it's just uncomplicated while offering a strong personality.

The bubble texture/factor is great here; carbonation is certainly present but only in a softer, smoother way. Beer has a thinner texture, but in saying that I mean it feels positively buoyant, not hopelessly thin. Just a bit of stick and we have here a subtly sensational mouthfeel that went from a "meh" first impression to probably my favorite aspect of this beer after several more sips. I dunno, it just works perfectly for the flavors its carrying. Sue me.

I like that the 8.4% (that's what is says on this bottle, 2011 vintage) props up the chili heat, with neither facet overdoing it. This is a different and enjoyable beer that is more subtle than you might expect, and exhibits way more balance than most beers made with chili. Unique and enjoyable all the way.
Dec 18, 2011
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El Mole Ocho from New Holland Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 420 ratings