This is one of New Belgium's Lips of Faith series. It has been my experience with the Lips of Faith series has been very hit and miss. I really enjoyed a Belgian-style Blond, but have not enjoyed any of the sour beers. That said, I will always try a new one. Especially considering my recent experience with Stone's Vertical.Cocoa Mole's description on the side of the bottle says to expect cocoa and spice from ancho and chipotle peppers, so I was expecting this beer to be really outrageous. Usually, when a beer is brewed with spices, they are quite pronounced, or they are completely invisible. I was hoping to be blown away by the spice, because, well, spices are awesome. It is like a variety of life or something.
Cocoa Mole is probably the darkest beer I have ever had from New Belgium. Well, aside from 1554. It pours very, very dark, and has a milk chocolate head. I was impressed. The nose was that of cocoa and a slight tinge of alcohol. No discernible spices. The first sip was potent and brisk. There is a lot going on in this beer, but the intermingling of flavors confused my tongue. Was that cocoa and caramel, or is that the chipotle spice? It is for sure creamy, and has a nice hint of caramel. It tastes like beer, and has hints of cacoa, but beyond that, my pallet cannot tell much more. I can say that my pallet is not refined in the least, but I could not taste either the ancho or the chipotle spice. Sadface.
Although I was not blown away with spice, I was impressed with this Lips of Faith entry. Cocoa Mole is 9% ABV, but it hides the alcohol content very well. It is a very layered beer, and I did enjoy the beer quite a bit. It is crisp, and somewhat challenging. You do not want to chug it, you want to just sip and savor. I strongly suggest trying it out if you are interested in trying something new. Also, the bottle is pretty freaking cool.
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