Beer of the Week: Habeerneros

Remember when adjunct IPAs were all the rage? It seems like only yesterday that craft brewers were adding all manner of citrus, stone and tropical fruit to their hop-bombs. Not just that, but berries, botanicals and herbs, too. Then came the haze craze, which slowly – and inadvertently – nudged fruited IPAs out of existence. With hop-born fruitiness, added sweetness and soft, parfait-like textures, there was little need to add purées to achieve many of the flavors they could impart via this emerging style. And while I wasn’t big on adjunct IPAs, there’s one type I do find myself missing: IPAs infused with spicy peppers. These flash-in-the-pan firebombs ranged from zippy to downright scorching, and became popular enough that Ballast Point Brewing went national with a habanero version of what was, at the time, about the most popular IPA in the country, Scullpin. It was just one of many chile beers the then Miramar-based business regularly had on tap, as former Specialty Brewer Colby Chandler crafted peppered versions of many of the company’s staple beers, pairing smoky-sweet chipotles with the house porter, Thai chilies with their wheat beer, and so on and so forth. Going through a flight of those beers was a delightful experience that is sadly no more. But thankfully not every local brewery has abandoned chile beers, as evidenced by this week’s featured beer, Habeerneros. A version of one of Dos Desperados Brewery’s IPAs infused with habaneros, this one is not for the faint of heart, which in my opinion is how it should be. Drinkers who want a pepper beer crave it for the singular, anti-instinctual reason that drives all heat-seekers: heat! If you’re going to add something with the Scoville strength of a habanero, I say go all in. So does the team at Dos Desperados, and that approach has won over many of the San Marcos business’ regulars. Few peppers are as well-suited for inclusion in an IPA as habaneros. They possess a clean, honed heat and an almost citrus-like flavor which intermingles nicely with the fruity characteristics of numerous hops, from classic Cs to newer arrivals like Citra and Krush to tropical varietals such as Mosaic and Riwaka. Taking a sip of this beer not only awakens my senses, but takes me back to a different time and place where just about anything went in the craft-beer world. Cheers to that adventurous time and those who still have the chutzpah to throw caution to the wind.

We add fiery habanero peppers to our Hops Breath IPA. The result is a beer that bursts with exotic tropical aromas, followed by flavors of smoke, mango, pineapple and citrus fruit. Beneath the blazing heat lies a surprisingly smooth sweetness, where the pepper’s fruity character mingles perfectly with juicy hop flavors ahead of a bold yet balanced finish. Each sip delivers vibrant capsaicin-driven warmth that lingers just long enough to awaken the palate without overpowering the beer’s refreshing tropical backbone. Intensely aromatic, slightly sweet and unapologetically hot, this IPA is crafted for drinkers who crave both flavor and fire.”

Steve Munson, Owner, Dos Desperados Brewery

Dos Desperados Brewery is located at 1241 Linda Vista Drive in San Marcos