People's Pint Pit-Stop: El Chupacabra Ancho Cinnamon Porter

El Chupacabra Ancho Cinnamon Porter is a 5% spicy dark ale named for a legendary creature. Brewed, as your expect, with ancho chilies and cinnamon, The Chup comes, in 500mL bottles, from Toronto’s People’s Pint.

A dark beer with a thin cover of creamy head The Chup has a punishing nose rich in cinnamon and spice. The flavour has some heat, primarily driven with cinnamon up from and chili at the back, built around a modest, malty midsection.

Spicy porters tend to be an oddity, but El Chupacabra is a pretty fair one, with heat on repeat enriching a very mild dark beer. It’s not subtle, but it isn’t overkill either. The beer is a bit of a novelty, but it isn’t any less well made for that. It sure could have been stronger, though.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.