Bear with me today, I'm going to give you a little history lesson. I promise it's related. If you know the story, indulge me anyway, it's interesting.
Now, I love chocolate. I'm a "choc-a-holic". I firmly believe that if a dessert does not contain chocolate, it is not worth the calories. Controversial, I know. That said, if there's one group of people who have ever had me beat in the chocolate admiration department, it would have been the Aztecs. The Aztecs not only loved chocolate -- they believed that cacao was given to them by their gods. The Aztecs enjoyed consuming it, yes, but they also used cacao as currency. Cacao, at the time, was a currency more valuable than gold.
Legend has it that Aztec ruler Montezuma II drank gallons of chocolate every day for the energy it gave him (that's caffeine, bud. How did his heart not explode?). The way Montezuma consumed these gallons was in an Aztec form of hot chocolate, called Xocolatl -- a mixture of ground cacao beans (cocoa powder), hot water, and chili peppers. See how it relates now?
Chocolate as a sweet treat was not invented until Columbus brought Cacao to Spain, and then the French brought it from the Spanish to the rest of Europe. This was when it was first sweetened with sugar cane, and this new method of consumption eventually gave way to the Hershey and Nestle companies, and Swiss Miss, and Kit Kats and Twix -- you get it. There's a lot of history there that I'm skipping to make this more readable. Essentially, this Aztec form of chocolate consumption got a little lost along chocolate's journey, but the Mexican people did their best to keep it alive in Mexico. As the world became more globalized, we learned of this spicier way to enjoy chocolate, and we started more commonly adding chili to chocolate again. As it turns out, it's freakin' delicious.
So that's, in part, where West Sixth's Mexican Mocha comes from. The name is because adding chilis to chocolate is a traditional Mexican way to enjoy a chocolate beverage. Additionally, this beer is a coffee stout -- so the kick of caffeine Montezuma II got from his Xocolatl is also represented in this style of beer - pretty neat! Now that our history lesson is over, I can tell you about the beer.
West Sixth Mexican Mocha Imperial Coffee Stout is an American Stout with Sumatra coffee beans, chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, pasilla, and ancho chili peppers added. These additions compliment throughout and make for a tasty treat, worthy of an Aztec king. Get it cold, enjoy it, and IDK maybe watch some drunk history while you're at it? Or make your own. Heck, use this as a script. You have my blessing.
See y'all tomorrow!
