Boulevard Imperial Stout X --- Aztec Chocolate

Last year, around this same time, I reviewed the rather excellent Boulevard Imperial Stout, a delicately balanced blend of fresh Dark Truth imperial stout and Dark Truth aged in whiskey (mostly bourbon) barrels.  The regular Dark Truth is already stellar; so stellar, it seems, that Boulevard has determined it can be used for pretty much anything.  This year they're releasing four different beers with Dark Truth as the base: a coffee version and a chocolate-chile version that are already out, plus tart cherry and coconut versions for later this year.

Now, regular readers of my blog will know that I have a thing for spicy stouts, despite not being very keen on other spicy foods.  One of the first beers I ever reviewed on here was a smoked porter by Stone made with chipotle peppers, and last year I raved about Stone's take on the recent fad of "Mexican hot chocolate stouts."  As this is Boulevard's take on the spicy-chocolate stout trend, I was more than happy to give it a try.  According to the brewery, it's actually a blend of two beers: one is Dark Truth made with coco beans and two types of chile peppers (ancho and pasilla), the other is spiced with cinnamon. 

Imperial Stout X Aztec Chocolate looks pretty much like any other imperial stout.  The liquid is dark as night, crowned with foam a few shades darker than 90% of other beers.  As is the case with Dark Truth and Imperial Stout, the carbonation on this variation appears to be quite excellent.  Hundreds of tiny bubbles can be seen floating around, and when I popped open the bottle there was visible champagne smoke.

The aroma here is markedly milder than most other chile stouts I have tried.  As with the regular Dark Truth, the aroma is mostly smoke, plums and roasted barley.  I can't smell any cinnamon and the chocolate scent is consistent with that found in roasted barley (rather than actual chocolate), but I can smell some chile pepper underneath everything.  The chiles serve as a slight accent here, not the main attraction.

The spices assert themselves more on the taste buds than in the nose.  Nevertheless, Aztec Chocolate remains one of the milder takes on the trend.  The tamest component (not counting cinnamon, which I can't taste at all) is the chile.  Normally known for intense heat, the peppers here actually contribute more flavor than burning; I would describe the flavor as earthy.  The plum and smokey flavors of the base beer are obviously apparent, blending quite well with dark chocolate.  Here I can now discern actual coco flavor, not just roasted barley. 

To the extent that any kind of imperial stout can be considered "entry-level," Imperial Stout X Aztec Chocolate would serve as an excellent introduction to spicy imperial stouts for those who have never had one.  Indeed, when I shared with my family (who don't normally drink beer) one of them remarked they couldn't taste the peppers at all.  As with all things spicy, the hypothetical Scoville assault is the primary obstacle for a beer novice to overcome in a spicy stout.  Boulevard does a marvelous balancing act here.  I highly recommend this.