Purchasing a six pack of Mexican Cocoa Death beer was definitely an impulse buy, but if you have been around here long, you will have figured out that I’m a sucker for products that are new, cool, and potentially really bad or really good. Iron Horse Brewing’s Mexican Cocoa Death beer absolutely hit that button.
Walking through the store, I was confronted with an end cap of very distinctive artwork for beer with the word cocoa on it. That garnished a solid “WTF?” reaction out of me, so into the basket it went. The box promised me a “dark smooth cocoa ale” so how could I resist. I mean if nothing else, it was a rare find of a non-IPA beer, which in the land of hipsters that only like beer as bitter as their personalities, is a score.
Is Mexican Cocoa Death Beer Good?
The million dollar question is if this funky chocolate ale is any good. Unsure of what to expect from a beer promising from a beer offering “hints of vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and pasilla chiles” I threw some in the fridge got get cold. I didn’t even know what a pasilla chile was.
To keep it short, Iron Horse Brewing’s Mexican Cocoa Death beer is very good. Definitely not a light summer ale for chugging after a hot day’s work in the yard, but not quite a keep you warm on a soggy Seattle winter’s evening either. The overall flavors definitely are reminiscent of Fall.
What I think they have done brilliantly is not let any one flavor dominate. Too often in beers with a horchata lilt, that flavor blows everything out. Iron Horse has done an excellent job of getting all the flavors to show up to the party, without any of them getting drunk and puking everywhere (proverbially speaking.)
I would not hesitate to say that Mexican Cocoa Death is a perfect beer for sipping with friends by a fire on a Fall evening.
Where Can I Find Mexican Cocoa Death Beer?
A seasonal beer with limited distribution, you may get lucky and find it in your local store in the Fall if you live in the upper left of the USA. Alternatively, if you are in the area, you can swing in to their brewery and pick some up if you going through Ellensburg, WA.
They do have a button on their website for ordering online, but as of the time of this writing, it didn’t look like it is doing what it is supposed to do.
If you can’t find it locally, I’d just get in touch with them and see if they can get you set up with some!
