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<\/a>Stone Xocoveza<\/strong><\/p>\nBlogger:<\/strong> Daniel Fisher Commercial Description:<\/strong> Why I selected the Stone Xocoveza:<\/strong> The beer itself! What would you pair this beer with?<\/strong> If you are coming down to New York City, please reach out and we can hit up some local spots for some excellent food and brew! lifeontap@lifeontap.com<\/p>\n
\nWebsite:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.lifeontap.com<\/a>
\nTwitter \/ Facebook \/ Instagram<\/strong>: T: @danontap F: danontap IS:\u00a0danontap
\nAbout Dan: <\/strong> Craft beer advocate. Fine wines, spirits, & dining enthusiast. Business\/Marketing Strategist. Proud husband and father. Anime\/manga\/sci-fi otaku.<\/p>\n![\"danontap\"](\"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/danontap-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Beer<\/strong>: Xocoveza
\nBrewery<\/strong>: Stone Brewing – Escondido, CA
\nWebsite<\/strong>: http:\/\/www.stonebrewing.com\/<\/a>
\nTwitter<\/strong>: @StoneBrewingCo<\/p>\n
\nOur chocolaty, winter-spiced mocha stout is back. This insanely delicious take on Mexican hot chocolate is crafted with cocoa, coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. First brewed in 2014 with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker after his recipe was named the winner of our annual homebrew competition, it quickly became a cross-country sensation as craft beer media and fans cheered for Stone Xocoveza\u2026and clamored for more. We too loved this beer, so of course we caroled \u00a1Claro que s\u00ed! Now gifted with a new name, Stone Xocoveza for the Holidays & the New Year has joined our eminent lineup of special releases. We\u2019re releasing it just in time for that time of the year when the joyous spirit of giving is in the air and good behavior is generously rewarded.<\/p>\n![\"xocoveza](\"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/xocoveza-label-300x268.png\")
<\/a>Beer Details:<\/strong>
\n-Style: Mocha Stout
\n-ABV: 8.1%
\n-IBU: 50
\n-Hop varieties: English Challenger & East Kent Golding
\n-Specialty ingredients: cocoa, coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, lactose<\/p>\n
\nOnly a handful of holiday-related seasonals made it to my local store and many were out of stock by the time I got there. I then remembered two beers were in the back of my fridge: the Xocoveza and the Yulesmith (Summer) Holiday Ale. I was initially intending to sample the latter due to the heat wave (it\u2019s in the 60\u2019s this weekend, so it\u2019s almost like summer). After seeing the bottle date I unfortunately realized I held onto it a little too long and felt I couldn\u2019t do it justice…so the Xocoveza it is! Stone is available pretty much everywhere, so if you head out soon there should still be stock.<\/p>\n
\nThe beer pours deep, dark brown with a thin, tan and frothy head and clean persistent lacing on my glass. Mexican spiced chocolate leads on the nose for me, with nutmeg and vanilla following close behind and the peppers cleaning up. My mom and her Chilean family make a drink called \u201cCola de Mono\u201d (Monkey\u2019s Tail) which uses some similar spices in a coffee, milk and liquor (rum) mixture that is traditionally served during the holidays or in winter months. The nose totally reminded me of it. All the different ingredients come in and out of focus, resulting in a truly complex flavor, though the coffee and vanilla notes played the strongest on my palate. On the finish, I tasted more of the coffee interspersed with hop bitterness and a hint of spice\/heat from the peppers. What really makes this beer, though, is clearly the mouthfeel – it is true to style in this end, having a milky consistency, similar to Cola de Mono, that coats the tongue while warming you from the inside out.<\/p>\n
\nWhile this beer may be better suited for dessert, there are plenty of savory dishes I would go to such as bacon-wrapped dates, medium-strength blue cheeses, dry-rub spiced meats, various preparations of mole and any type of pepper dish featuring serranos or poblanos. On the dessert front, one could go with chocolate or spiced cakes and pies, but I for one would love to have this with powdered and spiced doughnuts…or better yet? CHURROS! The milky consistency from the lactose would definitely work for Santa after cookies or whatever you happen to leave out for him.<\/p>\n![\"lifeontap\"](\"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/lifeontap-300x300.png\")
<\/a>About Life on Tap<\/strong>
\nInspired by the podcasting friends and new media junkies, my wife Sheryl and I decided to tread into The Podosphere on 7\/3\/2006. \u201cLife On Tap\u201d is just that: our lives through the eyes (or rather all senses) and the appreciation of some of our favorite interests: craft beer, food, and occasionally some fine wine and liquor. If there\u2019s one thing I want readers\/listeners\/viewers to take away, it\u2019s that craft beer is communal and best shared as often as possible with those you love. Remember our mantra: \u201cLife\u2019s a tap\u2026drink up \u2019til it\u2019s dry.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a>About Stone Brewing:<\/strong>