Elkhead Blast Zone

Brewed by Elkhead Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Buckley, Washington USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

Light bronze with a somewhat wet sock nose, but not much spice. However, the body sizzles with rabid jalapeno heat. Though I tried, I failed to discern any subtler nuances, certainly not cilantro, nor any oak.

Growler thanks to Tom. A sweet super peppery flavor, smooth oak, and man is this hot! Rich vegetable notes, super hot peppers. Poured a dark amber color with almost no head. What is this? Pure fire, smoke, roasted malts. Somehow it works. Very interesting and some serious balls on these guys.

Ominous aroma of wet jalapeno and cinnamon. Amber gold, no head from the growler pour. This beast is all flavor. I mean really. Overdone heat is lost on me, somewhere after meeting ’the man’. But I still love the flavors that different peppers provide and I’m impressed when they can be expressed without a white hot heat that distracts and punishes. This beer is awesome. Spice, heat, flavor, are all perfect. It’s everything I want (but didn’t know I needed). Light golden ale base, hodgepodge of jalapeno, anaheim, habanero, etc peppers, provide the right amount of heat and character. Killer.

draft at the tasting room, surrounded by heaps of locals in a warehouse on a gorgeous friday afternoon in october. how in holy hell is this place not better known? pours a cloudy, toffee colored light golden amber with light head. big tangy hot peppery nose, like roasting peppers in the kitchen before cooking them into something. brewed, evidently, with five different smoked and roasted peppers. hard to pick them apart, but theyre very present. creamy medium body, subdued carb. sweet green pepper flesh, some chipotle roast, and lots of nettly capsaicin sting on the mid palate. long hot finish. not habanero hot, but way hot for a beer. yum. yum. yum.

The brewer here makes several really off-the-walls specialties, and does funny things with many of his normal brews as well. For this one, he smokes five kinds of chiles. Cloudy gold colour. Well-balanced...bready pale malts come first and then you get hit with a smooth, lingering smokey finish. Heat level is moderate, balanced. Nice.

Draft @ Strange Brewfest 07: Clear copper color, nice head and lacing. Nose of light roasted pepperjack, chipotle, wood and sweet fruity malts. The flavor blends the vanilla and roast of the stout soaked wood with the bright vegetal notes of the peppers and cilantro while the heat from the peppers and some smoke from the chipotle blend everything together. Marvelous chile beer, best to date I’m thinking.