Half Pints' Noche de los Alebrijes

Back in 2008, I visited the Oaxacan state in Mexico on a holiday with my parents, one thing I noticed was that the majority of beer sold there was Sol or Corona, ick to say the least! Half Pints released a new seasonal (or one time, who knows with them anymore..) Oaxacan-influenced beer alongside this year's release of their well raved Humulus Ludicrous Double IPA. While in Winnipeg, I was able to find a good stock of both this beer (Noche de los Alabrijes) and Humulus not only at random MLCCs, but also at the brewery. I had to pick up a few to save, sample & review and share with friends elsewhere.

Noche de los Alebrijes is an Oaxacan styled malty dark lager.. I've never seen a dark lager while visiting Mexico, but I will take their word for it. Aside from fresh fruit, and the usual exports, the region is known for having decent coffee production, so this could have a bit of a coffee influence to it, a la Stir Stick.

Appearance: Pours a glistening dark brownwith a reddish-brown hue, a cookie dough to beige head that's not diminishing.

Aroma: Lighter than the usual dark lagers/dark IPAs I'm used to, it does have a slight roasted malt aroma (like coffee), a bit sweet and a bit of bitterness to it.

Taste: Incredibly easy drinking coming from Half Pints, but this isn't something you would push to your uncle who prefers St James, this will be too much for them, still. It has a sweet, roasted malt, slight coffee taste to it. It's quite complex YET incredibly light to the palate. There's a bit of sweet raisin there, a bit of creaminess against the tongue, and just a hint of chocolate.

Overall Thoughts: This is a very complex but light beer, something that would get me drinking this again. I really enjoy the notes of Mexican coffee and chocolate as well as a bit of a roastiness aftertaste on my tongue. To compare this to any other beers, my best guess would be a mashup of Bulldog Amber Ale and Stir Stick Stout to a point, but lighter and a sweet raisiny sweetness popping out of the blue. A decent dark lager and at $4.50 for a 650mL bottle, it's not a bad deal at all. It also has an ABV of 5.2% and 32 IBU so it's not that strong in alcohol, nor that dark/bitter.

www.halfpintsbrewing.com/