Our fourth version of Luna & Fuego Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout (11.6%) has been aged for 10 months in cognac barrels. We started with a whopping imperial stout with cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla, then spiked it with a trio of chilies – sweet ancho, tangy guajillo and smoky chipotle.

The beer pours a thick, viscous black. The vanilla and cinnamon lend notes of horchata, while the cocoa and chili marry to create a decadently sweet and lingering spicy flavour. It’s impossible to tell where the warming alcohol begins and the chili heat ends. Did we mention it’s smooth? Ridiculously so.