Braxton’s 2025 Dark Charge Release Details: Chili Spice Imperial Stout?
Written By: The Gnarly Gnome
Photos: Provided
11/21/2025
I know why you clicked, and we’ll just get it out of the way. Is Braxton’s Dark Charge Chili Spice Imperial Stout as incredible as you want it to be? Yeah… yeah it is. We’ll get to that, though. Before diving into individual variants, let’s talk about what Dark Charge is, because we have to assume that there are folks here who might not know.
Your Brief History Of Dark Charge And Why You Should Care
We used to line up for beer, I swear. Beer geeks would get up early, hang out in a long line around the block, make breakfast together, drink some beers, and then buy whatever the latest release from that brewery was. This was a weird, beautiful time for beer geeks, and Dark Charge day is a bit of a throwback to that experience.
No, people aren’t lining up in person to purchase their bottles of Dark Charge anymore. These days, we get online, preorder, and pick up at our own convenience… but the day? The day is very much about that same spirit of those “line shares”. There’s incredible beer on tap all around, great food, excellent music… but the gathering of people who are just as geeky about the beer, and the communal sharing of that beer experience? That’s what Dark Charge is all about.
The very first Winter Block Party (now called Dark Charge Day) took place back in 2015 where they released four Imperial Stouts to eagerly waiting fans. Since that day, there have been (if my math is right) somewhere around 60 DIFFERENT releases. That’s a whole bunch of Dark Charge over the years… and Braxton uses the event to put some of their most innovative and creative projects out to their fans.
In short… this release is a great example of why we fell in love with craft beer years ago.
About This Year’s Dark Charge Variants
I’m going to skip to the point here – there’s some great beers on this release list!
Dark Charge: Base
This variant shouldn’t be strange to you; it’s been released every year, though it’s certainly evolved over time. This year is a blend of multiple years of Dark Charge, but it differs in that it’s MOSTLY older Dark Charge. Braxton co-owner Evan Rouse didn’t feel the new Dark Charge was quite what he wanted for the base blend, so he leaned heavily on beers from multiple past years in barrels. This year’s blend contains beer from 2025, 2023, 2022 and even all the way back to 2021.
Dark Charge: Chocolate Buckeye
This Imperial stout blends Dark Charge with a mixture of Cacao Nibs, Peanut Butter and Vanilla to create a beer that mimics MY favorite holiday treat… the Buckeye. My Grandma made the BEST Buckeyes that exist in the universe and while I don’t think she would have liked the beer, I ancipate that I definitely will.
Dark Charge: Cookie Butter
This one sounded like the process in crafting the recipe was probably a lot of fun… it involved eating a LOT of cookies to get things perfect. The end result? Imperial Stout with Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger and Cardamom that you’ll LOVE. It was on tap for ‘Builder’s Preview Night’ and holy smokes… yes.
Dark Charge: Creme Brulee
While I haven’t gotten the chance to try it yet – This might be the one I’m most excited for (that I HAVEN’T tried) They used a combination of caramelized sugar and vanilla to craft the perfect boozy dessert beer – which I think is a role that Dark Charge settles into very, very nicely.
Dark Charge: The Cobbler Series
Every year, Braxton creates a box of several beers that while definitely individual releases, all follow some kind of a theme together. This year? Cobblers.
- Dark Charge: Peach Cobbler
- Dark Charge: Blackberry Cobbler
- Dark Charge: Cherry Cobbler
Each one of them takes fresh fruit flavors and smacks them over the head with the big, bold booziness of Dark Charge. 13.4% Imperial Stout for dessert? This is the natural progression of where mankind has been trying to take cobbler, and I’m proud that Braxton is carrying that torch.
Dark Charge: Chili Spice
This is the crown jewel of this year’s release, if you ask me. Partnering up with Skyline Chili, Braxton crafted a beer that goes perfectly with their Cincinnati-style chili. It pairs up perfectly because this was also one of the beers that we did get to try during their builder’s preview night. I’ll say this about the beer: if you enjoyed the way the Graeter’s Ice Cream/Skyline collaboration used the flavor profile to do something unique – you’ll love this beer. It’s definitely a huge step beyond a “chili beer”.
Oh… and it comes packaged with a can of Skyline Chili – as it should.
The Event
I hope it’s already on your calendar, but if for some reason it’s not, I’ll give you a few reasons to block out Saturday, 12/7 this year. The first, obviously, is that beer release. If you are a fan of big, dark, beers… I shouldn’t have to convince you to stop by Dark Charge Day any year. The folks at Braxton definitely know what they’re doing in that realm.
Food. If you’re a sucker for great food, this is a great event to attend – I’d suggest snagging tickets for the ‘Stave’ event the night before Dark Charge Day if you’re really into it. The event features a bunch of dishes from Chef Mitch Arens each paired up with cocktails or Dark Charge variants. It’s a wonderful way to to celebrate both sides of what makes Dark Charge incredible – the booze, the beer… it’s awesome. Of course, at the event itself they also always line up some great local restaurants or food trucks, and I have a sneaking suspician that Skyline will have a presence at the event this year, too.
Music. It’s not a party without live music, and Braxton brings a full day of great bands (and DJs) both inside and outside of their location. It’s a great place to see some (FREE) live music… that’s right, free stuff still exists in this world.
The event starts at 11 in the morning and runs until 11 in the evening. It’s a full day of excitement, and regardless of what time you swing by, you’ll have a great time. Order the bottles you want ahead of time, but you’ll be able to grab a pour of whatever you want at the event without worrying about them running out.
Listen, the point is simple: mark it on your calendar, be there, try the beer… I’ll see you there!