Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8.1%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Hops – English Challenger and East Kent Golding. Brewed with cocoa, coffee, peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg

Brewer Description: (from bottle) There’s nothing like making a beer so beloved that people feel compelled to campaign for its return. So, in the spirit of the holiday season, we are very pleased to give our fans the number one item on their wish lists. That, as illustrated by the avalanche of social media requests, is Stone Xocoveza, an insanely delicious take on Mexican hot chocolate brewed with cocoa, coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. First brewed in 2014 with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker after his recipe was named the winner of our annual homebrew competition, this beer is layered with smooth roastiness, chocolate and a touch of spice. This creamy, semisweet mocha stout has gone from initially being a one-time offering to a yearly tradition thanks entirely to you. Happy holidays from all of us to all of you… and feel free to continue enjoying it long into the winter months, as this gem will age beautifully and is definitely not exclusive to the holidays!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 2nd October 2016, and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing.
Aroma: Milk chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, nuttiness and peppers.
Taste: Lots of cinnamon upfront with nutmeg and mild chili pepper spiciness. Chocolate, coffee and vanilla follow.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: I was worried that this would be too sweet, but that turned out to be unfounded. The adjuncts were nice and gave it a nice winter/holiday feel to the beer. I would get this every winter and perhaps even age a few to see what happens.