American Craft Beer Week: Clown Shoes' Luchador en Fuego

This week - May 12-18th - has been designated as American Craft Beer Week. What does that mean? It means we'll be trying some new-to-us craft beers and enjoying some old favorites.

A friend from high school recommended Clown Shoes Beer out of Massachussetts. It took me awhile to track down a bottle other than Muffin Top, the hoppy IPA they carry at Whole Foods. I'm not a huge hop-head, so I wanted to steer clear of an IPA.

I finally found Luchador en Fuego, a Mexican-style Chocolate Stout. [Luchador is a Lucha libre wrestler.] I've always liked the combination of chocolate + chili. Remember my Drunken Chocolate Pudding?!?

This beer combines chocolate, ancho chili, cinnamon, with vanilla and ages it in a bourbon barrel. The resulting brew is unbelievable. It's bold and malty with nice heat. I was blown away at the first sip. Wow.

Thanks for the recommendation, Shannon. I'll be tracking down some other Clown Shoes brews.

We paired the Luchador with a 72% bar from Trader Joe's for a truly decadent kick-off to American Craft Beer Week. Cheers!

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