Mexican Stout - Ship Bottom Brewery

I love me some dark beers from Ship Bottom Brewery. I truly have enjoyed the Barnacle Bottom Stout, the NYD (Russian Imperial Stout), and the Baconator Stout. I believe that I now have a new favorite from Ship Bottom Brewery - the Mexican Stout. The ingredients read as follows: brewed with coffee, mexican chocolates, cinnamon, ancho chipotle peppers, vanilla beans, and lactose. There's so much going on there that I couldn't wait over 24 hours to crack one open. Now, I'll admit that I had cheated and had tried a sample at the brewery itself, but the small sample glass wasn't the full experience I wanted to indulge in at home. I wanted a nice big glass that would be able to warm up and give me the full experience with all of the aromas.

Upon opening the can, the smell of cinnamon and coffee greats the nose. It's a very pleasant welcome to this fantastic brew. The very first taste of the beer is so good. Cinnamon and the peppers dominate in the front end with the coffee and chocolate rounding out in the back end. I was a bit worried with the inclusion of ancho chipotle peppers that the beer might be TOO hot, but honestly, what I found was a well-balanced heat that worked in perfect unison with the cinnamon. The coffee isn't heavy-handed and works well with the mexican chocolates. A part of me would have loved a richer stout, but I'm sure if that had happened, it'd just drown out the cinnamon and pepper aspect of the beer. Honestly, I'd prefer it the way it is right now. The Mexican Stout is one of the rare beers that I enjoyed almost the same straight out of the can and 20 minutes after it warmed up a bit. Not much changed and I loved it.

If you have a chance to grab this at the brewery for pours, do a full pour or else take a 4-pack home to sample. The experience was much, much better upon having a 12-16 ounce sample to have to truly enjoy the complexities of this beer. Well done Ship Bottom, this is a hit for me. Salud!

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The Shack - Ship Bottom Brewery

As the summer quickly approaches and with it, Memorial Day - it's time to revisit a classic beach town IPA. The Shack from Ship Bottom Brewery is probably one of the most underrated IPA's brewed in New Jersey. Although I love keeping beer secrets to myself sometimes, there are some that just need to be shared. The Shack has everything that an IPA loved looks for in a beer. Sure it might not necessarily be a juice bomb or a haze monster, but that doesn't mean that it is without its merits... besides, I'm not always in the mood for one of those and sometimes just want an easy-drinking beer hovering at 7% ABV that has the perfect blend of piney with juicy.

As you can see in the pictures, it's got that perfect yellow color going for it - completely into the East Coast style with very little malt presence to it. It is absolutely perfect for summer sipping and will satiate people looking for a hoppy beer. There's some bite to it, something that seems to be prevailing within Ship Bottom beers and in the 12oz format, I love that I can have this beer and just sip.

Give Ship Bottom a visit while you're down by the shore this summer and grab The Shack if you want a very, very solid and well made IPA. And if you want to enjoy your experience even more, get The Shack AND the Barnacle Bottom Stout. Drink The Shack and by the time you finish that, BBS will have hit its utmost point of temperature excellence. Salud!

Barnacle Bottom Stout - Ship Bottom Brewery

I love highlighting some New Jersey beers, here on Hops & Horns. Even though the original recipe for Barnacle Bottom Stout was originally concocted in Pennsylvania, we can now claim on this magnificent stout from Ship Bottom Brewery. Canned for the first time, I just couldn't pass up the chance to go get some and bring it back home. I know I've spoken about this specific beer before, but for those who might have not read my thoughts on this beer before - here goes: I love it.

At 8.4% ABV, it comes in clocking a bit higher than most stouts, but because of that, it doesn't taste thin. Trust me, as well, it doesn't taste like the 8.4% ABV which makes it a bit dangerous. I love it in this 12oz format, because I can enjoy just a bit of it without feeling too guilty about the extra added carbs from a beer. Barnacle Bottom Stout is pretty much a dessert beer. Right off the bat, the nose was all chocolate and without being aggressively so. The coffee is a bit more muted, but works well in combination with the chocolate within this beer. The oats round out the beer to give it a silkier mouthfeel that is definitely enjoyed.

In a world full of bourbon barrel aged stouts trying to take over, it's always nice to come back to a New Jersey made stout that is no gimmicks and all delivery. Give Ship Bottom Brewery a look and make sure you grab this stout. Even if the temperature is beginning to warm up, dessert beer always comes in handy! Salud!

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