Mocha Stout brewed with cocoa, coffee, peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg

Collaborators: Chris Banker, Winner, Stone Homebrew Competition / Iván Morales, Brewmaster, Cervecería Insurgente / Mitch Steele, Brewmaster, Stone Brewing Co.

This year’s winner of our American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned homebrewing competition, Chris Banker, helped keep us grounded to our homebrewing roots by introducing flavors consistent with our regional palate. His chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, chile pepper and coffee-infused milk stout was built to mimic the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate, a beloved specialty from our neighbors to the south, as our collaborators from Baja California, Cervecería Insurgente, will attest. Layered with earthiness, spice and roast, this creamy, semisweet blue-ribbon beer confirms that the spirit of the American homebrewer is not only alive and kicking but thriving at an all-time high.

When we tasted Chris Banker’s winning beer at our annual AHA rally back in March, I think everyone on the brewing team was blown away by the multiple layers of flavor in this beer. Chris’ inspiration was Mexican hot chocolate, and he was able to perfectly replicate the flavors. The inclusion of Cervecería Insurgente for this collaboration was a fun addition. We first met co-founders Ivan and Damian at the 2014 Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, and given their brewery’s proximity to us in Mexico, and their approach to brewing, we thought they’d be a perfect fit for the third collaborator.