Fresh off the release of their 2016 Beer Camp 12-pack, Sierra Nevada is at it again with their High Altitude Mix Pack 4-pack sampler. Let’s be clear when we say 4-pack sampler, these are four 24-ounce bottles, and they’re four pretty big beers at that. Here’s how Sierra Nevada describes them on the box:
Some folks prefer to play it safe when it comes to beer flavor, but this pack is not for the meek. Fortune favors the bold, and inside this box lie four of the biggest and most intense beers we have ever brewed. We test the extremes of beer flavor-aggressive hops, roasted malts, barrel-aged flavors, and aromatic peppers-for an unmatched beer experience.
To back that up, Sierra Nevada packs these four beers in the box:
· Sierra Nevada Dunkelweizen Bock
· Sierra Nevada Barrel-Aged Bigfoot
· Sierra Nevada Six Rights IPA
· Sierra Nevada Chocolate Chili Stout
When I bought the 4-pack, I had already enjoyed Barrel-Aged Bigfoot as a separate release, and I popped the Dunkelweizen Bock in short order after getting the beers home. For the bottle of Sierra Nevada Chocolate Chili Stout, however, I decided to wait a bit. And I did. Until January 7th of 2018. The beer was packaged on 3/29/16, so that's almost two years. Not quite.
From the bottle label:
By their very nature, imperial stouts are bold beers. This version takes another step toward the dark side with the use of spicy and aromatic dried chilies and rich cocoa nibs for a complex and intense kick. It features notes of coffee, baker’s cocoa, and dark fruit and a slight twinge of heat.
Sierra Nevada Chocolate Chili Stout has an alcohol content of 8.8% by volume with 50 IBUs according to Untappd. This is not listed on the label. I paid $29.99 for the 4-pack sampler, or $7.50 per bottle, not bad at all for beers of this caliber.
Sierra Nevada Chocolate Chili Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a wonderfully dry cocoa nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a rich chocolate fudge character, wonderfully chewy and chocolaty with a hint of peppery spice, but only a hint. The beer finishes slightly roasty with more resonant dark chocolate in the finish and more of the spicy pepper, but just a smidge more than in the palate. The chilis are ever so mild, perhaps a light chili burn on the throat being their most readily apparent appearance. The chocolate, however, is out of this world, and at two years really the star attraction of the beer. Perhaps it is so younger as well.
I very much enjoyed this one, folks, and would love to drink it again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler