Chocolate is Hot Tasting Notes

November 1, 2011 By Rick Lyke

Brutopia Au Chocolat Stout

This Montreal brewpub turns out a rich creamy chocolate stout that has a dark brown color with a nice tan head. The beer has a slight cocoa nose and the flavor delivers a nice roasted base with a non-sugary chocolate flavor.

Flying Fish Exit 13 Chocolate Stout

This brew from New Jersey pours black as a moonless night with a thin tan head. There is quite a bit of roasted character to the nose. The beer does not start off overly sweet and it is pretty balanced throughout. As you progress through the big bottle, there is a slight Yoo-hoo note to the finish.

Foothills Sexual Chocolate 2011

This Russian imperial stout creates a pilgrimage of beer fans to Winston-Salem, NC, for its annual release. The beer pours an opaque black and has solid chocolate notes created when it is infused with organic cocoa nibs. The 2011 edition has more roasted qualities and hints of smoke than I recall in the previous vintages.

Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout

The beer pours a dark brown with a decent tan head. There is a coffee-like aroma and the roasted grains really take control of the flavor. You can find chocolate around the edges of the beer, but they do not dominate.

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout

This brew is very dark, with a light tan head that sticks around. The aroma is a welcoming milk chocolate scent. The beer is lighter in texture than it appears and very drinkable. It ranges toward the sweet end of the spectrum, but has some good balancing hop and roasted grain notes.

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout

Poured from a bottle, the beer has a different feel about it than the nitro-can. It is a dark black color with a decent tan head. Clear chocolate syrup notes in the nose. The flavor still has a good stout base with a chocolate-milk quality added to the finish.