Warm up ya insides with our Mexi Molé!

Welcoming Burnt Ends Smoking Co into the Beerfarm family as a permanent fixture was well and truly been overdue. So we brewed a big, exciting beer to warm the soul AND the palate, while simultaneously celebrating the merging of two mates with the same ethos. 

Mexe Molé was brewed with Nathan and Eileen of Burnt Ends Smoking Co and is a muse of our permanent kitchen collaboration 'Burnt Ends at Beerfarm', which unites our love of big imperial stouts and smoked foods into one.
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Ahead of its release this Friday, July 23rd at Blazing Brews, we sat down with the brains behind the brew, Brit, along with Nathan and Eileen, to suss some of the finer details about this beer and why it's so damn special. 

How and when did Burnt Ends Smoking Co and Beerfarm first meet?

Nathan & Eileen: We did our very first ever gig as Burnt Ends Smoking Co at Beerfarm’s very first Rodeo 2017. George gave us the benefit of the doubt that we would supply the goods as a vendor with no previous history, ha ha. Thankfully we nailed it and the relationship has been ongoing from there.

What is a Molé and how does it translate into beer?

Nathan & Eileen: Molé, to put it simply, means sauce or concoction. It comes from a family of sauces prepared throughout the Oaxaca and Puebla regions of Mexico and is characterised by a complex, layered flavour derived from intricate blends of dried chiles, spices, fruits, and seasonings.
 
Brit: A lot of people think that almost anything can be translated into beer these days so why not Molé? In all seriousness though, Molé is essentially sauce and we challenged ourselves to nail a flavour combination that would compliment a dark, chocolatey imperial stout. This resulted in a smoked chilli and burnt orange juice reduction that we added late in fermentation. We could have played it safe but with two amazing teams we knew we could push the boundaries and create something that everyone would appreciate.

Burnt Ends at Beerfarm has kicked Beerfarm's menus up a few notches, with the addition of Raise The Steaks and Smokin' Saturdays. How did the concept behind this partnership come about - and why do you think it works so well!?

Nathan & Eileen: Well it all kind of just happened. Smoked meat and beer are a match made in heaven really. Lots of chats and quite a few beers and wines later and the partnership came to and we realised we could do something super special. It just works. Good humans, good beer and good food...pretty hard to fail on a model like that! We are all very open and honest with each other with what works and what doesn’t and I think that will just continue to help us grow and get better at what we do.

What are the most prominent flavours in this beer and how do they complement one another? 

Brit: This beer has captured everything we were going for which was essentially chocolate, orange and chilli. There is no doubt that those flavours already compliment each other but getting the right balance in such a big beer was a work of art from both teams.

Up front you get a massive hit of classic chocolate aromas you want from your stout, complimented by smokey, earthy burnt oranges characters. On the palate expect big hits of dark chocolate balanced out by a real pleasant warm smoked chilli finish. We used smoked Ancho and Guajillo chillies to ensure we weren't blowing fire out your ears rather, warming your heart and soul on a cold winter's night. 

How does Mexi Molé and this style of beer reflect YOU guys / Burnt Ends at Beerfarm?

Nathan & Eileen: The obvious choice would be to smoke the malt or rye for beer. This is the one thing we didn’t really want to do and instead, we brought in another element of fire. Burning oranges over fire is something we have been doing for a while now, as it brings a unique flavour to the oranges flesh and juice by removing some of its sweetness and bringing through a really earthy flavour.  Combining burnt juice and smoked chillies with some of the best cacao the southwest has to offer from Gabriels chocolates speaks for itself. We’ve made gelato out of the juice before, so why not a beer?

Why did you guys decide to launch this beer at Blazing Brews?

Nathan & Eileen: Cold winters night surrounded by fire pits and some of the best live music…couldn’t think of better time really.

Why did you decide to brew this style of beer and how does it reflect your own personal tastes? 

 
What kinds of foods would you suggest this beer is best enjoyed with?

Nathan & Eileen: Smoked meat of course! However if I was at home relaxing, I would be happy to sit around a fire with some delicious shadows of blue or a good stilton, or just a really well charred ribeye simply sliced on a board.

Can you give us a little hint about what we can expect on the menu for Blazing Brews? 

Nathan & Eileen: We have to say the beef cheek croquettes will be a hit with the Mexi Molé, but of course there is always brisket. The smoked mushroom burger for the vegans and vegetarians will of course go down a treat with stout as well.

Mexi Molé will be making its big debut at Blazing Brews. Tell us how you will be enjoying this beer?

Brit: There is nothing better than enjoying a stout around the fire on a winter's night, so you will definitely find me sipping one (or two) around the fire with my mates at Blazing Brews. 

Didn't make it to Blazing Brews this Friday? No worries, you'll be able to dig into some Mexi Molé at a tap near you in the coming weeks!

Check out all the specs on the Mexi Molé here!