Today’s beer starts with the Mexican Hot Chocolate Milk Stout base that ranks #10 in the world on BeerAdvocate, and then Stone Brewing adds tequila and red wine barrel influence for their 2015 vintage of Xocoveza Extra Añejo. Its chocolate-spice complexity has inspired craft fans to rate it 4.13 on Untappd and 4.14 on BeerAdvocate!

Mexican Hot Chocolate is already an enticing elixir of silky cocoa and peppery spices, vanilla, and cinnamon, but Stone takes it further by aging this brew for three months in Tequila and Red Bordeaux Wine barrels for vanilla oakiness, a touch of dark fruit, and a sweet spike of agave.

Spicy mocha aromas arrest your senses even before the first sip. This smooth yet complex body takes your palate on a flavor journey, smoothly drifting from milk chocolate toffee to warm flavorful spices. The barrels impart a subtle red berry quality that floats along with crème brulee notes from the tequila. Peppery heat and cinnamon-spice cut through the richly dark cocoa, with bitter espresso lingering in the finish.

This select stash of Xocoveza Extra Añejo has been cellared for over two years, reaching sublimely silky complexity – sip now to taste how the flavors have developed!

Rated 4.14 on Beer Advocate; Rated 4.13 on Untappd