Cucapa Obscura

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

It pours a very dark-brown with hints of redness and a very thin light-tan head. A robust aroma of roasted malts, coffee bean, chocolate, light hops, orange and citrus, molasses, and light spices. The mouthfeel is smooth and rich. Flavors of roasted malts, coffee, unsweetened chocolate, hops, orange/lemon, and spiciness. Muy bueno!!!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

This brown ale pours a deep brown color from a 12oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is dark malts and nutty with a touch of hops. A medium bodied brown ale. The malts are caramel and sweet, touch nutty and a little fruity. The hops are earthy. It is kind of sweet and fruity with a touch of hop bite at the finish. This beer would probably make a good session ale, although it would be a little sweet for me. Good carbonation. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A vigorous pour produces a three-finger thick, lightly brown tinged, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a dark, black leaning, burnt, super concentrated opaque, red color that shows a brilliantly clear, rich, ruby hue when held up to the light. At first whiff this beer smells, unsurprisingly of hops; lightly herbal with a bit of a sweet citrus / berry component added in for good measure. Richly toasted malt notes add an almost roast note and there is a fair amount of caramelized character that has toffee over-tones. Dark malt notes end up being the most noticeable part of the aroma, which is aromatic, but not all that rich or deep in complexity.

A medium carbonation, when combined with the lighter body create a bit of a fizzy texture to this beer. Flavors of toffee in the middle take on a lightly roasted character and the beer finishes with a bitter, roast grain note. The bitterness in the finish is also contributed by hops, but the roast grain is what seems to linger on the tongue with a bit of astringency. While quite light bodied, the beer is actually fairly sweet, though not at all cloying. The lightly burnt, caramel sweetness helps to offset the dry roasted notes. A touch of herbal hop character adds just a touch of hop flavor to this beer.

The malt can get a bit astringent at times especially in the finish. This beer is lacking an overall integration and smooth balance; everything doesn't quite mesh. I like that this beer is quite light, it makes this beer quite quaffable and the flavors are, for the most part, quite nice.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours with a golden-amber body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s sweet and malty with a grassy hop note. Medium bodied, smooth and a touch dry.