“In Mayan mythology, Hun Hunahpu was the father of the Mayan hero twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Hun Hunahpu, along with his brother Vucub Hunahpu, was tricked by the Dark Lords of the underworld and slain. Hun Hunahpu’s corpse morphed into a cacao tree, his head becoming a cacao pod, which in typically awesome mythology fashion, spit upon the hand of a young maiden named Xiquic who promptly became pregnant with the hero twins. The twins would ultimately grow up to avenge their father and uncle and defeat the Dark Lords and ascend the heavens to become the moon and sun.”
Glassware: Tulip.
Appearance: As black as the ace of spades. It only manages a finger of dark brown foam which snaps back to a ring. Some spotty lace work as we hook in.
Aroma: Wow, wow, wow. Saying it’s intense doesn’t do it justice it’s best described as a punch in the face by molasses, leather, peppers, soy sauce, pickled ginger, Asian spice, licorice and beef jerky. Something kinda smoky in there…similar to burnt wood and roasted coffee beans. More spice coming to the front as it warms. Quite salty as well, didn’t really expect that to be honest. So much happening.
Flavour: It’s an absolute onslaught to the taste buds. Extremely rich, salty and roasty with mild smoky/peaty tones on the flank. Roasted cocoa, peppers, leather and blackstrap molasses is boosted by a warm surge of alcohol (11%). As the intensity softens it reveals dark chocolate, black pepper and soy sauce before a bitter, toasty and boozy finish endures on the back end.
Mouthfeel: Dense and kind of oily. Very aggressive. It’s like thick engine oil that has been spiked with chilli and then fermented for years.
Overall: Lethal! The slight downside is that it suggests a higher ABV than it actually is. The upside is it’s absolutely jam packed full of rich and decadent flavour that totally inundates the palate. Brilliant beer.