Jalapeño Weed Ale, a Spice/Vegetable/Herb Ale by Mt. Shasta Brewing Company.
22 ounce bottle served in shaker glass
?% abv
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I love jalapeños. I love their flavor. I love their spiciness. I love their heat.
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Not every food item needs to have a "bacon" version or "chili" version or "jalapeño" version.
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But, back to Jalapeño Weed Ale...
The pour is a clear yellow body, so much so that it resembles a macrobrew. There is no head. It is lightly bubbly.
The nose is jalapeño peppers, so much so that I am simultaneously salivating and a bit scared to taste it. The smell reminds me of opening up a jar of jalapeños. Exactly.
The flavor has a spicy heat to it, but less than I expected. The initial taste is of licking newspaper, followed by a bit of dirty ashtray. Then the jalapeño flavor kicks in, with a bit of nettles for good measure. The heat continues on the finish, along with light jalapeño flavor.
This ale is a bit watery, especially considering the peppers and "smokiness."
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The jalapeño flavor in this ale is too harsh on the front end, and not because of the peppers; it's just a bit too grossly smoky.
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Not too many beers meet the dump bucket at TWT, but this one did. I can't even recommend it to someone who likes jalapeños.
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On the other hand, I was given a sample of a jalapeño pepperoni stick from a booth at the Puyallup Farmer's Market. It tasted like a "regular" pepperoni stick for about two seconds and then the jalapeño flavor made its self known and a slight spicy heat appeared. The jalapeño was a welcome presence here, primarily because it was understated. I purchased a package and enjoyed a stick each night as a snack before bedtime.
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The guy working the Linds Custom Meats booth explained that they only use the skins of the jalapeño peppers in their meat, which provides flavor and a bit of heat, but not the intensity that the seeds deliver. My guess is that if similar restraint was shown in the brewing of Jalapeño Weed Ale that it might be a beer I could enjoy.
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