No Label Brewing Co. Don Jalapeño

May 15th, 2013 by Scott in Other Beer Reviews

This week is American Craft Beer Week across the country, and many places are holding special events and tastings with various beers. Often rare beers are released around this time; around here Saint Arnold just released Bishop’s Barrel #3 to bars and restaurants, while Karbach released another batch of its Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter.

One thing I’ve learned is that craft beer is an adventure, and sometimes a beer you don’t expect much from is outstanding. Other times, you get burned.

Let’s be clear, I’m a huge fan of spicy food. Boiled crawfish might be my all time favorite food in the world, especially when they soak in a ton of spices.

Some people brew beer with raspberries; others brew beer with blueberries. No Label Brewing Co., a fairly new local brewery just outside of Houston in Katy, TX (most famous for the Katy Mills outlet mall), decided to brew a beer with raw and roasted jalapeños.

Don Jalapeño pours a hazy orange with a small white head. The scent, unsurprisingly, is full of jalapeños. It might have a bit of a tortilla chip scent in there as well; maybe it’s the jalapeño causing the association. The taste is pretty much the same; full of jalapeño and a little bit of a malty backbone. Not much bitterness at all. It’s a fairly thin beer; the jalapeño flavor burns in the back of your throat for quite a while.

While I appreciate what No Label is trying to do with this one, it’s tough for me to recommend it. If you don’t like spicy food, then you definitely won’t like this beer. For those who do like it spicy, it’s practically a one note wonder. It might be good for a one-time tasting, but I wouldn’t suggest grabbing a six pack from the store. Don Jalapeño is more of a novelty than a beer to kick back a few with.