Stone Xocoveza

The aroma for this beer includes lightly burnt roasted malts and no discernible hops, which is fine for this style, though I don’t detect any sort of spices indicated with this beer either (cinnamon, nutmeg nor chocolate). The beer poured a dark amber in color with low carbonation. It had low head retention and the carbonation dissipated quickly. This beer had flavors of chocolate, roasted malts and a recognizable flavor of cinnamon in the palate, but I didn’t detect any nutmeg in the flavor, though I’m sure it just got blended in with the other dominating flavors of this beer. It also had a slight, subtle hint of lactose (milk, cream-like flavors) due to the addition of sugar milk. The malt-to-hops ratio was also balanced nicely with the main focus being on the roasted malts instead of hops. A medium-low hop bitterness countered the roasted malts nicely. The beer had a medium mouthfeel with light carbonation that finished nicely with an alcohol warmth that was smooth and not harsh – something to be sipped slowly sitting near a nice warm fire.