Judge's Review: 92 Rating - Pan a Flores by SouthNorte Beer Co.

Pan a Flores by SouthNorte Beer Co is a full-flavored holiday treat for your senses. While there are a few quibbles, this brew delivers Holiday cheer quite admirably. This beer is being evaluated as a Category 30A Spice Herb and Vegetable beer as per the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines with “Porter” as the base style. 

Cinnamon, chocolate and coffee character dominates in the nose, leaving the impression of a spiced cappuccino or even a cinnamon brownie. This aroma is very rich and attractive and practically begs you to go ahead and indulge! The beer is a deep opaque black color, with a tan small-bubbled head that lingers well into the drink. The head retention is quite remarkable considering the level of chocolate that is evident in this brew. Even though the beer is opaque, it still does have a slight murkiness to it – probably due to the use of chocolate. 

From the first whiff of the aroma to the aftertaste, the same cinnamon, semi-sweet chocolate and coffee character from the aroma also dominates the flavor, which is quite impressive. Very little hop character of any type is noted, which, unfortunately, is a bit of a quibble for the overall flavor delivery. Without any real bitterness in the finish, the end of the drink is a bit flabby with all of the sweeter spice characteristics. It takes a little while for the palate to recover before the next sip – which does allow one time to ponder and savor all of the rich flavor character that you just tasted. The fermentation is very clean, with a medium-full body leaving a substantial impression.

The good brewers at SouthNorte have delivered a very impressive holiday offering in Pan a Flores with expert use of a complex blend of spice flavors. Cheers and enjoy!