My most recent print article for The Bulletin, out the week before last, spotlights a pair of summer specialties from Kobold Brewing—Hyperborean Expedition, a dry-hopped lager, and Searing Smite, a spiced stout brewed with five different chili peppers.

You might wonder how a chili-spiced stout works as a summertime beer, particularly in light of the recent heatwave. Even though it might seem to be more suited to the cooler holiday season, I recently tried each beer and found them both to be strong summer contenders.

Hyperborean Expedition
This popular returning lager is also a brewer favorite, with a description highlighting aromas of tropical fruit and citrus. I reached out to Kobold to find out more about the dry hop additions, and was curious if the highlighted fruitiness indicated any real fruit.

Searing Smite
A new beer from Kobold, Searing Smite’s spice profile draws inspiration from Mexican hot chocolate. I asked Reynolds what spices were added.

“Searing Smite is packed with a lot of different spices and nine different malts to achieve the level of complexity present,” he said. “It is flavored with chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and five different peppers: guajillo, negra, mulato, morita and habanero.”

You’ll have to read the article for more details on each beer, including my tasting notes and how I fit them into summer drinking. They’re good! Definitely ones to try if you’re visiting either of Kobold’s locations in Redmond and Bend.