Half Acre — Catch Hell Ancho Ancho

Technical Details

Tasting Profile

The nose opens with intense dark chocolate and espresso, layered with smoldering ancho chile heat and bourbon-soaked oak. Molasses and vanilla bean weave through the aromatic complexity. On the palate, massive imperial stout richness delivers waves of bittersweet chocolate, dark caramel, and roasted coffee, while ancho pepper adds earthy, gentle heat that builds gradually. The bourbon barrel influence contributes warming vanilla and charred wood tannins. The finish is exceptionally long and warming, with lingering dark chocolate, espresso grounds, residual sweetness, and a subtle, pleasantly smoky chile warmth that extends well beyond the sip.

Food Pairing

Pairs magnificently with dark chocolate flourless cake or espresso-rubbed beef short ribs, where the beer’s roasted depth and gentle chile heat complement rich, savory-sweet flavors. Equally compelling alongside aged manchego or smoked gouda, allowing the bourbon barrel vanilla and molasses notes to harmonize with nutty, crystalline cheese textures while the ancho warmth cuts through fat.

About Half Acre Beer Company

Half Acre Beer Company was founded by Gabriel Magliaro in 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, establishing itself as a pioneering force in the city’s craft beer movement. After initially brewing their recipes at an out-of-state facility, the company opened its own brewery on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood in March 2009, marking a significant milestone in its evolution. The brewery’s commitment to both quality and community quickly garnered recognition, with its tap room being named Chicago’s eighth best bar by Chicago magazine in 2013. Half Acre’s approach extends beyond brewing, demonstrating environmental responsibility by partnering with Northwestern University engineering students to minimize waste and find innovative ways to reduce or reuse brewing byproducts. The company’s growth trajectory led to opening a second, larger brewhouse and pub on Balmoral Avenue in the Bowmanville neighborhood in 2015, eventually consolidating all operations there in 2021. Today, Half Acre produces six year-round beers, three seasonal offerings, and regular special releases, while maintaining strong ties to the local community through sponsorship of Half Acre Cycling since 2007.