Chocolaty Brew Line Up

With dark chocolate almond brownies waiting for me, I decided to scour my backlog for chocolaty brew notes. I was surprised to find a few over the past months.

I'm starting out first with a completely not beer beer. I have a friend that gives me her crazy leftovers. It's like when someone says something smells gross and you take a whiff. It's always an adventure. From contaminated pumpkin ales to not-so-typical nutty pecan brews, I never know what I'm going to taste.

Shake (Boulder Beer Company) Our twist on the traditional robust American Porter, Shake Chocolate Porter is dark black in color with rich, sweet aromatics and flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and caramel. This unique brew blends five different grains, including Chocolate Wheat, that along with cacao nibs create a devilishly delicious chocolate finish with a velvety mouthfeel. | ABV: 5.9% | IBU: 39 Look and Smell: This blackish brew had a frothy chocolate-colored head after a vigorous pour. It smelled like burnt caramel and vanilla. It smelled like chocolate syrup as it warmed. Taste: This was more light bodied than I was expecting. It had an initial bitterness that didn't match the milky sugar flavors. It had a chocolate syrup aftertaste. This was more milkshake than beer.

I had this brew on a long layover in L.A. We went out to Simmzy's in Manhattan Beach for lunch, brews, and a walk on the pier.

Sin Tax (Mother Earth Brew Co.) You know that feeling when something is so good, it has to be bad?  Much like the sumptuary tax placed on the beverages we love so much, at times we feel we must limit ourselves in the wants and needs of our strongest desires.  Desires like that of the full bodied and robust flavor of an imperial stout both dark and rich, paired with the creamy essence of peanut butter, twisting and tangling over your taste-buds until you truly comprehend that it just may be too heavenly NOT to be a sin. | ABV: 8.1%  Look and Smell: This black brew had a coffee-color head that stuck around as I drank it. It had a strong cocoa aroma. Taste: It tasted like a thick dark chocolate milkshake.

This chocolaty brew was one of the first ones on tap when Hunter's opened up their lineup to guest brews. I ordered a little pour of this rich brew to give it a try. This brew would be perfect with my warm fudgy brownies.

Death by Coconut (Oskar Blues Brewery & Shamrock Brewing Co) Death By Coconut is an Irish porter aged on dessicated coconut and dark chocolate from Robin Chocolates in Longmont. (from Beerpulse.com) | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 45 Look and Smell: This black-brown brew had a tan-coffee head that stuck around as a ring as I drank it. It smelled like an Almond Joy. Taste: It had a sticky sweet coconut flavor. It tasted very much like an Almond Joy.

This rich brew was a balance to some of the light brews Big Island Brewhaus had to offer.

Tall Dark & Mandarin (Big Island Brewhaus) A sensual imperial stout brewed with love, chocolate and mandarin oranges. This beer had many complex flavor flavors. The chocolate and oranges add icing to the cake of mocha-like malty was...a creamy, cold, yet warning dessert in a glass. | ABV: 6.8%  Look and Smell: This black brew had a rich and bubbly coffee-colored head. It smelled like rich chocolate. Taste: It was creamy, roasted, and simply delicious. It was a great way to round out the tasting flight of their brews.