Harpoon Chocolate Stout - Harpoon Brewery

plaid75

New York

3.4/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

On draft at The Lark, East Northport, NY.

Poured a deep brown hue with a two finger foamy tan head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a full blown chocolate milk.

The taste consisted of a muttled mixture of cocoa, lactose and coffee.

The mouthfeel started full and finished dry.

Overall a decent stout.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2013 00:32:48 | More by plaid75

Onenote81

North Carolina

4.06/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Excited to see City Bev throw this one on-tap. I've wanted to try this one as I am a sucker for chocolate stouts, and the bottles seem to elude me.

Came out a deep black with a thick frothy tan head on top. The aroma on this is amazing. Big milk chocolate, vanilla cream, malt. Really a nice, sweet aroma. The body on this is a little disappointing. Thin and lacking in body and bite. Carbonation is present, but this is too slick for the style and flavor profile.

Nice sweet chocolate flavors start this out. Vanilla sweetness fights its way in and this finishes with a slight dry note. Graham crackers, toffee bars, and more chocolate. This is sweet, for sure, but it's not overbearing in any way. I wouldn't mind having this in my fridge. Another hit for Harpoon.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2013 19:01:08 | More by Onenote81

oberon

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Sticks and Stones.Poured ink black into a standard pint glass with a thin almost non existent head atop.Aromas were all fudge with some underlying roast,a dessert beer no doubt.Big sweetness from the fudge-like chocolate flavors on the palate,some underlying vanilla but the chocolate is the major player here.There is just enough roast and dryness to keep it from being overly cloying.Take this beer for what it is,it's a sweet chocolate stout and it's true to form.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2013 01:44:17 | More by oberon

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This brew was served from the tap at The Ginger Man in Greenwich, CT. It arrived in an oversized snifter glowing the deepest brown color. It held a two finger tall head of dark brown bubbles. This showed good retention, leaving thick sheets of lacing around the glass, and aggregates over a ghostly film atop the liquid. Haze appeared when held to light, but no sediment was noted. Carbonation appeared average. The nose was rich with both milk and dark chocolates, roasty malts, and a faint char. Light vanilla notes and dark black cherry rumbled up from the back with booze. Caramel and a cooked tootsie roll sugariness kept things sweet to the very end. Our first impression was that this tasted like a serious steely chocolate milk. As we sipped, soft sweetness of cocoa, metallics, and a chalky grain came forth, with hollow booze and sour lactics. The flavoring peaked with sour grain, more lactics, and roast, with a new lightness to the chocolatey malts. We finish with cherry, booze, and more of those mild lactics, sitting on a bed of softer, dirtier malts. The aftertaste breathed of smoke and big char, with the deepest roasted chocolate malts, and the faintest aromatic hop. The body was medium, and the carbonation was lighter. There was great slurp and cream to each sip, with a frothy, satisfying smack immediately following. The mouth was left lightly coated, soft, and wet, with a lack of drying that one might expect. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the nose. It was rich, sweet, and had just about everything a chocolate stout should have. In the flavoring, however, we wished that it came on a bit sweeter, as the chocolate seemed subdued and not thoroughly integrated by the end of the glass. Otherwise, this was an easy drinking, and rather tasty stout.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2012 03:47:26 | More by TheBrewo

dtivp

West Virginia

3.03/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a dark brown/ black with a one finger creamy tan head head that faded to a thin ring with spotty lacing.

Aroma of chocolate and dark roasted coffee.

Taste was dominated by dark chocolate and a very slight hint of coffee. This was a dark chocolate bomb.

Mouth Feel was medium leaning light body with light carbonation, a little thin.

Overall the beer beer looked good, great aroma and then the taste was totally dominated by chocolate. I know it is a chocolate stout, however, it was a little too one dimensional to me.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2012 17:31:57 | More by dtivp

devinoconnor

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown / almost black draft with ample brown foamy head.

Smell is intense, and un-missable. It's as advertised: chocolate. I hate when beers are labeled something, and then that doesn't come through... not the case with this one. It's chocolate, and all chocolate.

Taste is... well chocolate of course. Hot coffee/mocha too.

Rather smooth but ya better like/love chocolate!

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 23:30:46 | More by devinoconnor

Dools9

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled at the Harpoon Brewery

A: Dark brown color with a tan head.

S: Armomas of coffee and espresso, light roasted malts and dark chocolate.

T: Sweet chocolate and roasted malts, a bit of an espresso/mocha hint in there.

M: Lighter bodied stout with moderate carbonation. Smooth drinking, dry with a bit of a lingering finish.

O: I found this to be a really good stout. Even better fresh at the brewery and would make for a good sessioner around the holidays.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2011 17:15:26 | More by Dools9

jb413

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark as night with a small lightish khaki head consisting of tightly packed bubbles. Moderate lacing.

S - Nose is dominated by a dark choclatey scent, it's rather unmistakable. Some roasty malt notes as well.

T - Some slightly sweet milk chocolate up front, followed by some roasty malt as well as a distinct dark choclate middle with an espresso note and finished with some underlying earthy hoppiness. Fantastic.

MF - Smooth, good carbonation, medium-full bodied in nature and a nice overall consistency.

O - My first "chocolate". Was great on-tap, with a nice look, fantastic nose, and good balance between a roasted malt backbone and the chocolate and coffee flavors. Would certainly buy again.

EDIT: Got a growler while in Boston later that week. Remember it being better on-tap, nonetheless, it was a good choice again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2011 05:26:22 | More by jb413

UDbeernut

New York

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sample provided by alex at the Dutch. Deep brown color, nice silky tan head, good retention. Semi sweet chocolate arouses thr nose. Thr taste is like drinking cold "hot chocolate." sweet and muted, glad the chocolate is not over the top. I could not see me drinking more than one of these, but rather tasty none the less.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2011 00:40:09 | More by UDbeernut

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes.

From the start, I'll say one thing about this beer--it's totally one dimensional. The second thing? I didn't care. Pours a very nice deep dark brown color with a slight mocha head. The nose is just a straight onslaught of chocolate notes. A bit of dark chocolate as well as some Hershey's syrup. The taste is more chocolate with just the tiniest hint of roast, but, who knows, maybe that's just coming from the chocolate as well. Nice somewhat full feel with good carbonation. Really nice and tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2010 22:53:34 | More by Thorpe429

bjoyce12

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

D'oh! Had such high hopes for this offering from Harpoon. Pours a dark brown as you'd expect in a chocolate, and the aroma is pure chocolate. Like smelling a vat of melted Hershey's. Unbelieveable aroma. Really hoped that the taste would match, but no. Falls very flat. Slight chocolate taste, very light cocoa notes, but if it weren't for the nose I wouldn't be sure this is a chocolate. Maybe Harpoon will refine the taste as it evolves if they keep it as an option, 'cause not there yet. Southern Tier Choklat and Rogue Choc Stout still the best two chocolates by far...

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2008 19:47:01 | More by bjoyce12

TeamMathis

West Virginia

4.06/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black with a quickly dissipating dark, tan head.
Smell: Intense chocolate with roasted coffee beans.
Taste: Chocolate with roasted coffee beans. Bitter aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Watery yet with decent carbonation.

I really like this stout. The chocolate smell is one of the most pronounced of any beer claiming "chocolate" in the title. The drink greets with chocolate near the front of the tongue, but in the back of the mouth there is the roasted coffee beans aspect. It turns bitter as it goes down. I will get this again next Christmas.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 02:37:07 | More by TeamMathis

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

2.18/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 1.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours like dark muddy pond water that isn't that appealing. No head at all, dark and flat, cant see through it

S - Sweet roasted malts

T - Artificial toasty sweetness and the chocolate tastes like bad yoo-hoo, bitter

M - Feels flat, nothing there

O - Pass on this one

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 00:08:59 | More by DrewSnyc667

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A- pours pitch black with a small light tan head that reduces quickly leaving no lace.

S- slightly artificial candy-like chocolate syrup, vanilla bean, grainy malt and so e graham cracker

T- sweet and chocolaty, just a trace of roasted notes, some cocoa. Finish is sweet with a bit if a grainy malt and chocolate linger

M- medium body and carbonation, creamy and velvety mouthfeel, finishes slightly thin and watery

O- simplistic stout, yet very drinkable. Pretty one dimensional but makes a good dessert beer that isn't too heavy. Reminds me of a poor mans Sam Smith Chocolate Stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 03:14:00 | More by Treyliff

fx20736

New York

4.19/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

poured from a 12 oz bottle into a nonic, served at room temp.

oil black with a billowing nougat head

aroma: chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Chocolate brownies, chocolate syrup, chocolate malt. the malt sneaks in at the end is a nice toasty chocolate malt.

mouthfeel: pretty thin, too thin for the style.

taste: rich and malty with lots of chocolate and just a touch of hops for bitterness.

notes: decent, tasty, easy drinking, great aroma. This beer would benefit from a bigger mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 01:29:22 | More by fx20736

hornsup

Virginia

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle with date poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint

A: Poured a deep, dark brown color with a weakish khaki head that keeps a thin layer on the top while you drink

S: Smells like roasted malts, nesquik powder and dark chocolate..not much else

T: Tastes like a melted milk chocolate bar, not overly sweet, slight bitterness and metallic finish at the back end. Very chocolate forward, no booze

M: Thin mouthfeel, no stout characteristic to it but it is refreshingly smooth

O: Overall, this beer achieves its goal. Its a light stout with a very chocolate forward profile, no booze to make it appealing to more than beer connoisseurs and its perfect as a dessert substitute. People have been too harsh on this. Ratings would be higher if people just considered what it set out to do. But...what can you expect of people

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 04:37:03 | More by hornsup

hosehead83

Ohio

3.31/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.
Black in color with a nice cap of tan foam.
Aroma-Dark malt and cocoa powder
Taste-Herbal hop note, cocoa powder, dry finish. Flavors are not quite in harmony as they seem to exist seperately without complementing each other. Interesting but unbalanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 16:21:17 | More by hosehead83

VoodooBear

Puerto Rico

3.19/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12 oz. brown bottle with the "Best by" date printed on the neck. Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: Deep, dark brown, almost black color. Develops a half finger dark tan head that fizzles out into thin ring. Leaves some nice, thick, lacing.

Smell: Smells of chocolate with a hint of roasted malt.

Taste: Almost a mirror image of the smell. Mainly chocolate with some roasted malt in the background a bit of bitterness to balance it all out. Not extremely flavorful or complex, but very satisfying and interesting.

Mouthfeel: Deep and rich, very nice texture. Full bodied with little carbonation.

Overall: "Less is more", pretty much defines this beer. The chocolate hint and roasted malt presence make it very easy to enjoy and a perfect brew for a cold night with some type of chocolate dessert. It gets creamier and the chocolate flavor is more pronounced as it warms, so let it sit at room temperature for a bit the enjoy it better.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 08:12:43 | More by VoodooBear

mcerka

New Jersey

1.7/5  rDev -52.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Bud Light mixed with NESQUICK. Also on the bottle stating "Ale with """NATURAL""" chocolate flavor. Anything that says natural is not quite natural. Limited Edition... thank christ. It's a good thing this beer was free because if I would have spent money on it i would spit it in the closes face near me.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 22:32:40 | More by mcerka

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pint glass pour from a bottle with a black body. Light brown head forms to about a finger in size but doesn't retain well at all. The cap had a bubbly texture and leaves only a thin ring behind. Lacing is pretty much non-existent for me.

S-Reminds me of chocolate milk in a way with a sweet milk chocolate note coming off strong. Besides that just some roasted cracked grains and a slight dark fruit hint. Mostly the milk chocolate.

T- Follows the nose with the massive amount of milk chocolate. Reminds me a bit of Choklat in a way, a rich sweet cocoa/chocolate milk like flavor. Deeply roast grains and dark fruit besides that. Some burnt hints as well.

MF- Creamy and foamy overall feel but a bit on the thin side with lower end carbonation. Burnt and roast bitterness in the finish.

Very rich flavors, especially of decadent milk chocolate. The body isn't as good as it could be but a pretty good beer nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 05:20:29 | More by cbutova

AnitaBrewski

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This is a really lovely beer, I especially love that chocolatey aroma that hits you immediately upon cracking the cap off. One thing that makes Harpoon beers so great is the intersection of great beer and not too expensive. There are definitely better chocolate stouts but they tend to cost more, and for a local Bostonian, ya gotta love a good Harpoon. They need to start serving Harpoon Chocolate Stout at the party at the end of the Brewery to Brewery 148 mile bicycle ride!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:25:22 | More by AnitaBrewski

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

2.25/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for giving me a bottle of this to review after I drank a bottle and complained about it

Consumed 1/23/13

Appearance: Dark brown with a small, light tan head - fades quickly to virtually nothing, leaves a tiny ring, a few spots of lacing

Smell: Doesn't particularly smell like beer, smells more like someone tried to dissolve some tootsie rolls in vodka - overall, it smells like a cheap, chocolate liqueur - oddly artificial aroma, like an artificial chocolate syrup - sweet and sugary - some dark malts, some roast in the background

Taste: Slightly more pleasant than the aroma - artificial chocolate syrup - sweet and sugary - kind of tastes like I would imagine imitation Tootsie Rolls taste like (if there is such a thing) - a strange alcohol flavor that cannot be explained by the ABV - some roast in the background, minimal bitterness, mostly just sweet

Mouthfeel: On the heavy side of thin, slick, minimal carbonation, sticky in a strange way

Overall: A great example of how not to make a chocolate stout

As I mentioned above, this kind of tastes like a watered-down chocolate liqueur with some overly sweet Tootsie Roll extract syrup. It's not the worst beer I've ever tasted (far from it), and it's not the worst thing I've ever tasted from Harpoon (I'm looking at you, Golden Wizard), but it's remarkably not good.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 05:46:55 | More by angrybabboon

fstorey

Connecticut

3.13/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A - Opaque with thin head that quickly dissipates.

S - dominated by chocolate but with milder coffee and hops aroma

T - Initially mild malt and chocolate with a hoppy bitter finish.

M - a little thinner than I expected with more carbonation than typical for a stout.

O - I think the amount of chocolate was just right, but a little short on maltiness in the taste and mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 03:42:27 | More by fstorey

superspak

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 3/15/2013. Pours clear almost pitch black color with a 1 finger fairly dense mocha head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big milk chocolate, chocolate syrup, toffee, vanilla bean, light roasted malt, caramel, and light coffee. Very nice aromas with big chocolate notes and nice balance. Taste of milk chocolate, vanilla bean, caramel, toffee, roasted malt, toast, coffee, and light cream. Slight coffee bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toast, toffee, roasted malt, and coffee on the finish for a good bit. Good flavor balance with a fair amount of robustness; but it feels a little watered down for a stout; zero cloying flavors are present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel that is ok; feels a bit thin. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a good sweet stout. Fairly robust with nice chocolate dessert flavor; and very smooth to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 05:34:33 | More by superspak

Minkybut

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured this exception beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was black and poured a rich full head that was also very dark. WOW!, the smell was supreme chocolate with a hazel nut smell. The taste was terrific, nutty, chocolate warmth that is the best beer I have tasted this winter. I would certainly buy again. Yummy!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 19:41:37 | More by Minkybut