The beer geek in me will try any beer, at least once. As was the case with a bottle of Cave Creek Chili Beer, which is now brewed at Cervecería Mexicana. Unfortunately for this beer, it has a stigma of being one of the worst beers ever made coming in at #14 on Beer Advocate’s “Bottom of the List.” Well, my curiosity got the best of me, let’s see how bad this really is.

The bottle in and of itself has red flags all over it: clear bottle, twist-off cap, pale yellow, and oh yeah – there’s a chile pepper floating in it! Yes, seriously there is a pepper floating in the “beer” I’m about to consume. Poured into a taster glass, it reveals what I already knew – clear pale yellow with a brief fizzy white head that was gone in seconds. No retention or lace to speak of, it’s pathetic looking.

Simply put, the aroma is horrendous. Spicy chili pepper, chili powder, black pepper, jalapeño and dill destroy your senses. That is seriously foul and disgusting. There’s nothing from the “beer” base, if you would even argue it has one, that comes out at all. On the palate, huge chili pepper flavors, peperoncini, chili powder and an overwhelming spiciness/burning sensation through the mouth and throat. Honestly, this is disgusting, vile and foul and is simply not drinkable. Two sips and I was finished, a complete drain pour. There’s a body but it’s what you’d expect; bubbly, extremely carbonated, thin and watery. What else would you anticipate getting, though? On par, yes, though it still is a terrible feel. Add the lingering burn for a good 15-20 minutes after I stopped drinking and this is just a complete fail.

I try not to make it a point to post lengthy reviews for beers I dislike, but this needed to be done for the greater good. It’s easily the worst beer I’ve ever had and this one is completely deserving of its score. The simple fact they bottle this and actually are getting sales for consumption (like me!) is mind-blowing. It seems like they tossed as much chili flavoring they could into the beer, and forgot to sample it before bottling. Although, this might be good to cook Mexican food with.

Rating

1
out of 100