Smoke & Fire Habanero Stout

• Alcohol Content (by volume): 5.5%
• Starting Gravity (degree plato): 12.7
• Finishing Gravity (degree plato): 3.0
• Bitterness Units (IBU): 25
• Color (SRM): 60+

• Water: Soft, Cleanly Flavorful, Local
• Malted Grain: Beachwood Smoke, Munich, Amber, Black
• Un-malted Grain: Roast Barley
• Sugar: Japanese Korizato (Rock Candy)
• Hops: Whole Flower Cones – Various Varieties
• Yeast: House Scottish Ale Strain
• Other: Locally Grown Habanero Peppers

There’s much truth in the aphorism ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire.’ This aphorism is the genesis of the name of our Fruitful Life seasonal brew – Smoke & Fire Habanero Stout. The label depicts smoke billowing forth from the beer glass while underneath the glass are the fire-colored Habanero peppers which are the source of the beer’s fire. The kanji for smoke (煙) and fire (火) are represented on the label facing.

I love smoky stouts. I also love food featuring the heat from Habanero peppers. A few years back it dawned on me that the two might work well in combination. Sure enough, they do. The smokiness of this stout, courtesy mainly of Beachwood-smoked base malt from Germany, registers first – distinctly yet not cloyingly. The heat, from local garden-grown Habanero peppers, comes last – but gently and in a way that manages to be both lingering and fleeting at the same time. This is a lovely stout and so representative of our ‘less is more’ approach to the crafting of unique and characterful beer.

“Smoke and heat can be so easily overdone. When they are, interesting can turn to annoying without a moment’s notice. You will not experience that here. This is a quintessential example of our ‘less is more’ approach to crafting characterful beer.”