Steps Of Knowledge (2024)
Wren House Brewing Company in Phoenix, Arizona, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Series|
Score
7.48
|
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BARREL AGED MOLE NEGRO STOUT
In 2023 we sourced the best ingredients we could find for Steps of Knowledge, and the result was spectacular. We are excited to introduce this new blend of Steps of Knowledge by taking what we loved about last year's batches and tweaking ratios of what we think would enhance the final product.
First up, hefty aromas of fresh Mexican hot chocolate and a subtle heat lingering alongside it from the very aromatic Chilhuacle negro chiles and Guajillo Mexican peppers. The roasted Chilhuacle negro chiles had an incredible fruit leather-like flavor that definitely is peeking through in the first sip. This turns into a balanced spice from the cinnamon and allspice rounding it out. Intense dark cocoa flavors with a beautifully integrated pepper heat from roasting all these ingredients before resting the beer atop them. The bourbon plays well with this mole negro medley, with 50% aging in Buffalo Trace for 40 months, and the remaining 50% aging in Rip van Winkle for 12 months. Lastly, a faint oak-y vanilla is enhanced by the copious use of New Caledonian and Brazillian vanilla beans, all the while having a tasteful heat throughout its enjoyment.
In 2023 we sourced the best ingredients we could find for Steps of Knowledge, and the result was spectacular. We are excited to introduce this new blend of Steps of Knowledge by taking what we loved about last year's batches and tweaking ratios of what we think would enhance the final product.
First up, hefty aromas of fresh Mexican hot chocolate and a subtle heat lingering alongside it from the very aromatic Chilhuacle negro chiles and Guajillo Mexican peppers. The roasted Chilhuacle negro chiles had an incredible fruit leather-like flavor that definitely is peeking through in the first sip. This turns into a balanced spice from the cinnamon and allspice rounding it out. Intense dark cocoa flavors with a beautifully integrated pepper heat from roasting all these ingredients before resting the beer atop them. The bourbon plays well with this mole negro medley, with 50% aging in Buffalo Trace for 40 months, and the remaining 50% aging in Rip van Winkle for 12 months. Lastly, a faint oak-y vanilla is enhanced by the copious use of New Caledonian and Brazillian vanilla beans, all the while having a tasteful heat throughout its enjoyment.
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7.6/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Green waxed bottle served at Benny’s place, Kuala Lumpur. Poured almost black in colour with little life. The aroma is roasty, aromatic. The flavour is moderate liquorice bitter, with a super smooth, rich, roasty, aromatic, spicy chill, liquorice bitter palate. Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Jan 2026
at 18:34
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9
no vintage on the 33cl black waxed bottle with a purple chili on the top right.
They change the reicpe each year so make sure you'r rating is placed correctly.
Aroma is like sweet dark chocolate cake, also some bourbon, a bit of flowers or honey, a lot of roasted malts, the flavors are super smooth and exceptionally well balanced, it's rare that a pastry stout aroma is this good. in the end perhaps a tiny bit too coconut perfumey but that is a subtle detail , in general super great aroma.
pours dark brown to black, settles dark brown to black with a smoot nice looking brown head.
flavor has a bit of chilies bite, chocolate, toffee, roasted malts, instead of a sharp hop and roasted malts driven and coffee driven bitterness towards the end, there is more like a chili pepper driven stingy bite as balance - it's super gentle but certainly there. Works very well, like dark chocolate with chili. Tastes in a way like the most well done hot chocolate with chilies you could possibly imagine. only a bit of coffee and roasted malty notes added. Mouthfeel is thick and smooth. the bottle was close to 300dkk so this is crazy expensive, but I do feel that it is in another league compared to the extremely good imp stouts you can get around 100dkk per small bottle. The chili just works SO good. The velvety smoothness is off the scale
They change the reicpe each year so make sure you'r rating is placed correctly.
Aroma is like sweet dark chocolate cake, also some bourbon, a bit of flowers or honey, a lot of roasted malts, the flavors are super smooth and exceptionally well balanced, it's rare that a pastry stout aroma is this good. in the end perhaps a tiny bit too coconut perfumey but that is a subtle detail , in general super great aroma.
pours dark brown to black, settles dark brown to black with a smoot nice looking brown head.
flavor has a bit of chilies bite, chocolate, toffee, roasted malts, instead of a sharp hop and roasted malts driven and coffee driven bitterness towards the end, there is more like a chili pepper driven stingy bite as balance - it's super gentle but certainly there. Works very well, like dark chocolate with chili. Tastes in a way like the most well done hot chocolate with chilies you could possibly imagine. only a bit of coffee and roasted malty notes added. Mouthfeel is thick and smooth. the bottle was close to 300dkk so this is crazy expensive, but I do feel that it is in another league compared to the extremely good imp stouts you can get around 100dkk per small bottle. The chili just works SO good. The velvety smoothness is off the scale
Tried
from Bottle
from
Kihoskh
on 01 Aug 2025
at 13:25
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle, 355 ml, shared with MiroB, Luka and Bojan. Black with beige head. Chocolate, loads of peppers, cinnamon, nice burn in after, quite spicy. Moderate sweetness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2024
at 23:00