303. New Holland El Mole Ocho

This marks our third or fourth beer from New Holland, depending on how you want to count ’em; we’ve previously had Dragon’s Milk and Golden Cap Saison, and I also had Envious as a bonus beer (which is kinda like a bonus beat, except that it is drinkable rather than toe tappin’). El Mole Ocho is another beer from New Holland’s High Gravity Series.

Pouring a crystal clear burnt sienna, El Mole Ocho has luscious ruby red highlights that shine through the glass onto the table. The nose is chocolate and dark fruit—most distinctly cherry—and some Bazooka Joe bubblegum aromas that bring up the rear. El Mole Ocho opens with sweet maltiness followed by chocolate; the middle has dark fruit flavor—again, mostly cherry, like with the nose, as well as a bit of chili bite. The finish is chalky with cocoa and a decent lingering burn, specifically in the back of the throat. There is none of the coffee flavor described on the label that we can discern. El Mole Ocho has a medium to heavy body with a good amount of warmth, mostly from the dried chilies, and there is a bit of chewy stickiness to the mouthfeel. The warmth starts mostly in the middle, and runs through into the end, lingering in the back of the throat. This beer is good, but not so much what we expected—we were hoping for more rich chocolate, coffee, and chile spiciness, and we didn’t anticipate the large amount of dark fruit flavors. Probably the best description of this beer is that it is good, and we would happily drink it again, but not if we wanted a dark chocolate and chile beer.

From the bottle: “Our exploration into the flavors of mole, the legendary sauce of central Mexico. Malty aroma and rich, cocoa-laden laced with an invigorating tinge of dried chilies and coffee. Pairings of poultry, red meat, dark chocolate.”

The New Holland website says pretty much the exact same thing...

ABV: 8.0%
OG: 22° P

(4/29/2010)