B4TW - New Belgium Cocoa Molè

Some of you may be surprised to hear that there actually are other chocolate beers on the market besides Boulevard Chocolate Ale. One of the newest chocolate beers to hit shelves is New Belgium's Cocoa Molè, part of their Lips of Faith series. Cocoa Molè is unique because not only is it brewed with chocolate, but it's also spiced with ancho, guajillo, chipotle peppers and cinnamon.

At first, I was pretty hesitant to try it. Between being mentally exhausted from hearing about chocolate beers lately and having horrible experiences with pepper beers in the past (I'm looking at you, Lil Lucy), I wasn't sure what to expect from this chocolate chili concoction, especially after being disappointed with Samuel Adams' The Vixen.

But when I sat down at Flying Saucer the other night and saw that Cocoa Molè was one of the new taps, I decided I'd go ahead and give it a shot. And I am incredibly glad I did. A taste of chocolate up front without being overly sweet, and a little bit of heat and spice on the back of the tongue, this beer is incredibly balanced and easily drinkable for something that, on paper, seems like it would be way too heavy-handed. Not too much chocolate, not too much burn, this beer does what many can't accomplish by letting the flavors compliment, rather than compete, with each other.

You may not necessarily want to drink more than one or two glasses of Cocoa Molè at a time, but those one or two will be incredibly satisfying. And I believe that for many of you, it will leave you craving more as time goes on. I just had it Wednesday night, and I'm already itching to get back and have another on tap or go grab a bottle from the store.

So go ahead, wash away bad memories of chocolate beer riots and diarrhea-inducing hot pepper ales by trying a beer that perfectly combines the sweet and the heat. Make Cocoa Molè your beer for the weekend.

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