Central Waters La Petite Mort

This little curio of a beer is, per the brewers themselves, a "Belgian-inspired" doppelweizen aged in bourbon barrels.  I have previously reviewed some doppelweizen beers; they are among my favorite styles, and one of the most under-appreciated in America.  I am not exactly sure how one makes a "Belgian-inspired" doppelweizen, but I will play ball.  My readers in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes areas---specifically Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota---should know Central Waters deserves the chance; this is a brewery that knows what it's doing.


La Petite Mort is substantially darker than any doppelweizen I have previously encountered.  Darker than chestnuts and a bit more opaque than many of its cousins.  The degree of carbonation on display is considerably low for a doppelweizen or Belgian-inspired beer, no doubt a result of the barrel-aging.  Foam formation and retention are almost non-existent.

The smell gives no indication of anything remotely German or Belgian.  This is very much a barrel-bomb, with oppressive bourbon aromas of burnt sugar, cherry, wood, and char. 

The flavor follows the nose almost exactly.  Big burst of whiskey at the start, with the signature bourbon flavors of caramel, burnt sugar, burnt wood and a wee bit of smoke.  Some brown sugar and cherry comes out as the beer warms a bit.  A small degree of alcohol warming is present throughout the sipping, though it never comes close to being an obstacle.  At no point do any hints of typical doppelweizen flavors---wheat, clove, bread, banana---peak through the barrel assault.  I would love to try the base beer without any barrel-aging.  Most American attempts at German wheat beers plainly fail to capture those flavors; it's more than possible Central Waters simply missed the mark and the barrel isn't covering up those flavors, they simply aren't there to begin with.

The texture oddly retains some---some---of the fluffiness of a German wheat.  It is also not as thick and sweet as most barrel-aged American beers.  I would rate the mouthfeel a medium-full.

La Petit Mort is an interesting beer that is tasty enough in its own right.  As a bourbon barrel-aged beer that's much drier than most other barrel-aged strong beers, it also benefits mightily by being quite drinkable.  It shares this trait with Central Waters' two barrel-aged imperial stouts, Bourbon Barrel Stout and Peruvian Morning.  That being said, if they were trying to marry the flavors of German and Belgian beer with the characteristics of American whiskey, they plainly failed.  The bourbon barrel dominates everything else.  I am happy they don't openly advertise this on the bottle as a doppelweizen (Belgian or otherwise), as I would have felt deceived.  Nonetheless, this is a worthy beer for any fan of bourbon-barrel aged ales.

Stone Xocoveza Mocha Stout

Another new stout from Stone, and unlike the last one they made I will be very upset if they don't make it again.  Simply put, Xocoveza is the best beer they have ever made.   It's part of a recent fad of so-called "Mexican stouts;" these are stouts loosely-inspired by Mexican hot chocolate (often made with vanilla and cinnamon) and Oaxacan mole negro sauce (which contains some combination of peppers and chocolate).  For this particular beer, stone started with a very strong cream stout base and then added coco, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pasilla peppers.

As was the case with Stone Coffee Milk Stout, a local place had this on draft.  After tasting it once, I decided to come back almost every day until their keg kicked, then I bought two bottles for good measure.  It is that good. 

The appearance is fairly typical for a stout.  A mocha-colored crown of foam rises above a menacingly black beer.  The lacing is excellent and the foam retains pretty well.  All in all, carbonation looks more than adequate.

The aroma smacks of chile, cream (lactose) and chocolate upfront, with a touch of cinnamon.  Faint vanilla and coffee in the background.  No hops, but I didn't expect any.

The flavor starts off with chocolate, cream, and a dash of nutmeg upfront.  Chile pepper comes in mid-palate, where it is met with a flash of cinnamon and vanilla.  The more typical stout flavor of roasted barley makes an appearance here.  The finish is a long wave of mild pepper heat mixed with stronger tones of nutmeg and chocolate.  There is a kind of afterglow of warm chile and nutmeg.  Throughout all of this, coffee is more faint.

As for the texture, Xocoveza is creamy smooth and crazy easy to knock back.  Using a cream stout as the base beer was a wise choice on Stone's part.  Every single occasion I drank this, I had to force myself to slow down and savor it.

Overall this reminds me a bit of Ska Mole Stout, which isn't surprising given they have the same inspiration.  Xocoveza is creamier and fuller than Mole is, with a greater emphasis on the chocolate and other spices; Mole has more pepper heat.  I prefer Xocoveza though.  Yummy all around and if Stone doesn't brew this again I might legitimately need a prescription for antipsychotic pills.