You could give her roses or chocolates or diamonds, but that’s all been done before. This Valentine’s Day, go with a girl’s true best friend: chocolate beer. Below is a sampling of some chocolate beers we tried. Oh, it was a struggle.
We first tried Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, a sweet stout with an abv of 5.2%. This beer is as dark as they come. In fact, it’s completely opaque, with a thin brown head. Though the smell is not overwhelmingly sweet or even chocolaty, the taste of the good stuff is definitely there. It is reminiscent of chocolate ice cream; actually, it’s more like the ice cream soup left after you’ve finished your bowl. It feels smooth and slightly creamy. The sharpness of chocolate wears away a bit as it warms, leaving a milky feel much like a milk stout. There is a reason the word “luxury” is printed on the label.
Continuing down our line of black beers is Rogue’s Mocha Porter, though the color is slightly more reddish than Young’s. Little head and virtually no smell. The taste is surprisingly hoppy at first, adding some bite before finishing with chocolate. Somewhat bubbly, it has a thinner, less creamy feel than the first beer. It is neither overly sweet nor chocolaty; the perfect beer for someone who doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by a thick chocolate bar in a bottle.
More chocolate delights after the jump!
Photo courtesy katutaide on Flickr using Creative Commons License.
Harpoon’s chocolate stout pours black as well, unsurprisingly, at this point. The smell is wildly more vibrant than the first two beers though, like strong chocolate syrup. It’s kind of a tease, unfortunately, as the taste itself is not very chocolaty, especially after having tried the first two. Rather, it is a heavier taste, syrupy like soda, and a little cloying. Though it goes down smooth, it’s not creamy, and one wonders if they could drink an entire bottle of this in one go.
This next beer makes us sad that it’s only brewed in the wintertime. Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout, an imperial stout, packs a chocolate punch at 10% abv, but doesn’t overpower. Another dark brown, opaque beer with a slight lacy head, this stout has a light chocolate smell with hints of caramel. The taste echoes this with chocolate followed by a hoppy caramel tang. Feels creamy and tingly (but not the go-to-the-doctor kind). The hops diminish as the beer warms, leaving the chocolate to mingle with the caramel in harmony.
Lastly we tried the Southern Tier Brewery, which always seems to turn up at the end of these tastings. We save the best for last, for this is what you expect a chocolate stout to taste like. Again dark with virtually no head, the Blackwater Series Choklat Stout lives up to its reputation as a drink for the gods with a first sip reaction of “mmmm.” It tastes like a rich chocolate bar, isn’t bitey, and as an imperial stout with an 11% abv, is surprisingly easy to drink. It comes in a 22-ouncer and is to be served in a snifter; the perfect beer to share a romantic toast with a loved one.
We know there are other great chocolate beers out there, so share your true love with us.
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
