Cave Creek Chili Beer

Brewed by Cervecería Mexicana
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Tecate, Mexico

Probably not the most original name for a beer, but I gave it high scores for flavor, aroma, and palate primarily based on quantity not quality. Would I drink it again? No. Would I switch it with a friend’s beer when he’s not looking? Definitely.

Bottle enjoyed with a fish po’ boy at Sweet Mothers in Wellington NZ; clear bottle housing a pale straw coloured beer and big fat dong of a jalapeno pepper floating in the neck! I’ve had a few chili lagers in my time, ranging from pretty good to bland (Alley Kat’s Aiiiieeeee Carumba falls into the latter category). This version has the usual non-descript lager foundation, but it is the chilli character that really makes or breaks a beer like this. The chilli in this brew is exactly right—fresh jalapeno flavour with some capsicum notes, and enough heat to warm your throat but not put you off. I quite liked it actually.

Yellow pour, no head or lace. Smells like a jalapeno. Light carb, it tastes like a flat pale lager with a chili pepper in it. Hey, this is a flat pale lager with a pepper in it! Has a chili in the bottle. Some heat in the back of the throat, surprising, Salty. Little bit of vinegar, the pepper overtakes everything. Unique but not as bad as I was expecting.

Cave Creek Chili Beer is a pale yellow, straw colored beer with no head that smells like hot peppers. It’s thin, watery and bubbly in the mouth. It tastes like, well, chili peppers. It’s pretty spicy. All I can really taste is the pepper. Yeah, it’s crappy, but any kind of spice excites me, so I ended up chugging the rest of the bottle after everyone else that took a sip screamed in disgust. It tastes like burning. I wonder how this would be with a lime, or lime and salt, or lime and salt and ice... I probably won’t bother to find out.

Wtf....this may just be the worst beer I have ever tasted. Put it this way, I’d rather have Steel Reserve than drink this shit. Aroma is like chili peppers, but far, far worse (maybe piss with chili peppers?). Flavor is flat and then spicy and then just plain awful. Terrible clingy aftertaste with more heat. Someone should be shot for brewing this.

This was not the worst beer I have tasted by far. It is definitely a different taste. I had to rate this one like I did because it is so unique. I actually liked the taste at first but the last few drinks didn’t sit well. Yellow as piss, smells like a hot pepper. The taste has a somewhat spicy finish. You have to drink this beer ice cold if you are going to get any satisfaction out of it. I am giving this one points for creativity.

Bottle. High fluffy white and quickly disappearing head. Clear golden body. Strange herbal aroma with spicy notes. Heavily carbonated sweet barley malt flavor with chili that takes over so that you cannot taste anything else. Very strong chili flavor. High carbonation. Long and strong chili aftertaste. Certainly different.

Bottle. Smells of straw and vinegar. Head is small, fizzy, white with no lacing and quickly and fully diminishing. Color is sparkling clear pale yellow. Flavor starts lightly acidic and finishes the same. Palate is light, watery and has a fizzy carbonation. It finishes spicy hot. A plain Pale Lager, but unique because of some chili heat and the end. This wouldn’t be too bad with some nachos.