Sexual Chocolate - Foothills Brewing Company

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle. January '12 vintage
Unmarked snifter

A: Pours out a pretty much pitch black. RIS style to a T. I got a slight ring of light tan head around the edges of the glass. Ends up leaving some nice lacing bits. Some reddish hues around edges are there. Slight alcohol feet.

S: Dark chocolate. Dark fruit. Roasted malts. Some dark espresso notes as well. The chocolate is there, rich dark cocoa type chocolate.

T: Up front you get some of those big IBUs, 85 to be exact. Dark rich chocolate. Deep dark roast espresso beans. Some roasted malts. I concur with other reviews, this is a fairly bitter stout either from the hopping or the dark roast malts. It's delicious but just a touch bitter. The finish is really bitter from the dark chocolate.

M: Full bodied. Coats the mouth a ton.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 13:14:15 | More by inlimbo77

mdaschaf

Washington

3.13/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2011 Vintage

A: Pours a deep black with a very nice brown/khaki colored head. Great head retention and lacing that forms all around glass. Really nice looking beer.

S: Something a bit different about the aroma that I can't quite put my finger on. It is slightly astringent, with a good bit of roasted/charred dark malt and a bit of chocolate.

T: Wow, extremely roasty. The roasted malt really dominates the flavor profile, really don't get as much chocolate as I was expecting/hoping. There is a little bit of milk chocolate in the mid-palate which comes across slightly creamy.

M: Medium bodied, on the creamier side, no sign of alcohol at all.

O: Really not very chocolaty. Not a bad stout, but seems rather basic. A bit of a let down based on the hype around it.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 00:40:01 | More by mdaschaf

ehammond1

California

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for openings this with me, Wowcoolman!

Black throughout and a substantial, thick-looking body. There's a nicely sized dark brown crown atop that eventually leaves the glass fairly messy on the drink down. Gorgeous imperial stout.

Big, appropriate aroma for the style, with roast and chocolate, very mild smoke and leather, and a coffee component as well. Straightforward, though nice and expressive.

The flavor is similar to the aroma. There's nothing particularly unique or unusual--all the required elements are here: roast, some chocolate, and a little coffee. There's perhaps a touch of smoke or char that differentiates this one somewhat.

Full in body with low carbonation.

Very nice, through straightforward, imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 18:38:37 | More by ehammond1

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Wowcoolman for sharing this one at NoSignsOfPain's birthday bottleshare hosted by mrbubbler.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a thin cap on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, and some char aromas. Taste is much the same with a fairly high level of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp but medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some solid aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 07:19:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

birchstick

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2102 Vintage; consumed a week within the release

A - pours lack in color with a small head

S - nose is dark chocolates and some bakers chocolate. Very one-dimensional, but very chocolaty and delicious smelling.

T - starts off with dark chocolates with loads of bakers chocolate in the mix. A little bit of dark fruits are in there too, but chocolate is the thesis of this beer. Not uber complex, but solid.

M - super dry finish with a medium body

D - really nice cocoa / chocolaty brew. Glad I finally got to try this one - worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 03:03:36 | More by birchstick

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2011 vintage. 22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours a deep black color. It's almost solid black but there are some dark brown hues at the sides and bottom of the glass. A small light brown head develops and quickly settles in as a tan ring of foam around the glass. Not much in the way of lacing.

The nose is roasty and full of some nice chocolate notes. The roasted notes come out first. It's almost burnt and quite potent. The chocolate comes through as some light milk chocolate. There really isn't much else going on here. It's pretty straightforward but done nicely.

The taste follows along with the nose. Huge roasted notes up front. As the beer warms it takes on that burnt character. There is some nice dark and milk chocolate that balance the roast somewhat before a huge, dry bitterness takes over at the finish.

Full bodied with low carbonation. As the beer warms the carbonation seems like it may be a bit higher. The beer is really big but doesn't get to the point of being huge and viscous. Extremely dry at the finish.

This is a good imperial stout. It's pretty straightforward in the nose and taste - it's roasty and a it's chocolaty, in that order. Nothing more nothing less. It's pretty exceptional in terms of being really good and interesting without being hugely complex but in the grand scheme of things it's probably just below the the upper tier of big imperial stouts.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 03:28:09 | More by ms11781

Hophead717

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pitch black, with a thin mocha head, that quickly dissipates to nothing.

S: Cocoa powder, with some light dark fruits.

T: Light roast upfront, yielding to mild chocolate, with slightly sweet fruitiness in the finish.

M: Medium bodied, with low carbonation.

O: I don't totally get this beer. The flavor profile is a grouping of distinct, mild flavors. It's a good beer...but too roasty and too fruity? The combo doesn't work overwhelmingly well.

Apologies for the unhelpful review--I'm struggling with this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 03:23:40 | More by Hophead717

WillCarrera

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours black, little head.

S- Big roasted aroma, lots of chocolate.

T- Very roasted again, chocolate flavor is nice, has some cocoa powder flavor in there as well, mild dark fruitiness, has a dry roasted finish, slightly astringent.

M- Full-bodied, low carbonation, thick feel.

O- A solid stout, has some really nice flavors, worth giving a shot.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 05:35:12 | More by WillCarrera

Agold

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pitch black beer with a short ring of head. Aroma is very roast and kind burnt with nice dry cocoa. Flavor is really similar. I think it could have used a bit of sweetness. Its good, dry toasty, almost smokey. Mouthfeel is medium with OK carb. A bit of a letdown.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 02:59:14 | More by Agold

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark black with a small tan head fading into a wisp.

Lots of roasted malt with a hint of smoke and licorice. Some bitter chocolate, but not as much as the name would imply.

Taste is similar. Definitely cocoa in the profile, but a good amount of hops for the style too. There's a certain smokiness as well that is somewhat odd. It sometimes overpowered the other flavors a bit, but wasn't a complete mess.

Decently thick mouthfeel with low carbonation.

Not nearly the disaster some have made it out to be. It wasn't magnificent, but still enjoyable. The sips that didn't have too much smoke were quite delightful.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 11:41:07 | More by jmarsh123

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottle to CBS snifter. January 2012 Vintage.

A - Poured dark black. Half a finger of bubly espresso coloured head formed on the pour and reduced to a thin layer. Decent lacing.

S - A big hit of licorice, charred malts and some noticeable bitterness up front. A rich dark cocoa aroma is present as well with a touch of coffee. Not as much chocolate as I expected.

T - A big roasted malt profile is present up front with some licorice, char and smoke. The middle brings in bitter sweet chocolate. The finish is dark cocoa, sweet molasses, licorice and a hop bite that lingers slightly.

M - Medium to full body with a good viscosity. Light carbonation.

O - A very good imperial stout. I expected (and would have liked) more chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 01:16:26 | More by TheSevenDuffs

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber of the 2012 vintage, courtesy of Kingkong, poured into a 25cl Duvel tulip.

A: Deep black body under a solid finger of fine light-brown head. Good retention and light lace. Excellent.

S: Rich and roasty, with lots of coffee, dark chocolate, spice, and some aromatic herbal hoppiness. Really nice.

T: Follows the nose, with huge, bitter roastiness up front, rich chocolate midway through, and more chocolate on the long, silky finish. Coffee on the aftertaste. Really, really tasty.

M: Medium-to-full body, with lots of fine, creamy carbonation. Perfect.

O: Wow, I was not expecting to be so impressed by this beer. I've tried a couple past vintages in small samples, and never thought it was anything better than mediocre - too thin, too bitter, and lacking chocolate. This year's is simply the opposite, being rich, strong, chocolatey, and well-balanced between sweet and bitter. Awesome stout!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 01:22:55 | More by woosterbill

bishopdc0

Maine

4.2/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Shared this bottle with my wife. We both used our cantillon tulips.

Very dark thick with a dense head very big tan and hugs the glass 4

The aroma is sweet choc with big figs and a big roasted smokiness at the back not sure what I think.

The tastes reminds me of melted chocolate icecream very light body creamy but the carbonation becomes dry and the roast and smoke lingers 4

Overall great beer

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 22:12:03 | More by bishopdc0

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

January 2011 release

A: Poured into a Captain Lawrence Tulip a frothy mocha head with very heavy lacing.

S: Dark roast coffee, some malt sweetness, and a well bittered cocoa aroma.

T: Taste is very oaky, with some smoked malt, bitter astringent chocolate flavors and a lightly ashy finish.
There is definitely some malt sweetness but they are quickly countered by the hop bitterness and astringent flavorings I am picking up from the earthy dark roasted malts. Seems to be more bitter than I like in an imperial stout, also slightly less sweet than I typically like, but this definitely captures the style well in flavor. I think the cocoa nibs have contributed a more earthy bitter flavor than I may have anticipated.

M: Thick mouthfeel, light to medium carbonation. Very good here.

O: Overall, this comes together nicely. There is a more earthy flavor in here, but I sense it is well attenuated and not leaving behind overly sweet flavors like many of the high abv RIS of today are leaving behind. Recommended, but would not sell your arm and leg for a taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 18:29:22 | More by alpinebryant

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

My girlfriend and I opened this bottle after our Valentine's Day dinner. Poured into a tulip glass.

A: Deep dark black with a very dark brown upper edge. Fluffy, rocky and full tan head. Nice retention cap and big sticky lacing along the glass wall. Great looking beer.

S: Astringent oak, char, slight smoke, dark chocolate and even some faint coffee beans towards the back. It smells nice but all the aromas don't blend very well together. The initial pungent oak-bitter aroma sticks throughout.

T: Well, I hate to say it but this is all hype. Again the initial bitterness of its aggressive hopping (85 IBUs) is still present over a year later in the bottle. Oak, dark malt and more roast come through. There's a nice diversity of flavor but it's not as smooth and easy drinking like others in the style. This is very chaotic in its structure, not very balanced.

M: Slick, smooth and creamy. Nicely carbonated, it feels good in the mouth. Quite dry on the finish though, perhaps from the bitterness?

This wasn't bad by any means although it's nothing world class or even at the top of the Russian Imperial Stout style. And where the hell was the chocolate? There were good amounts of different flavors but they were too choppy, and unbalanced. I have the barrel-aged version which I hear great things about, let's hope that one is a bit better.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 16:29:45 | More by ShanePB

EricCioe

Montana

4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review 300, had at a gigantic chocolate beer tasting on 14 February 2012.

This pours solid black with one of the darker heads I've seen on a beer. On the nose there is a great deal of roasted malt and dark chocolate, without much in the way of molasses or other elements that make up RIS. In the mouth the roasted malt takes over. I was surprised at how reserved the chocolate is, mixing in well with the other flavors rather than riding over them. The body is just on the heavy side of medium, definitely lighter than your standard imperial stout, but to me that was a bonus here. The finish is long on roasted and chocolate bitterness.

Overall, I was very happy to try this, but there are plenty of shelf brews that exceed this.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 02:54:49 | More by EricCioe

brstls4drmrs

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 brew

A - Pours a dark coffee/black color with a light brown head. The froth looks as if its a creamy foam mixed in with cocoa giving it a brown color.

S - Earthy, coffee dry malt bomb. There's actually a burnt malty smell in there as well which is different. Some dark sweet fruit in there too.

T - Hints of dark chocolate with a big malt flavor. Some hints of coffee in there as well.

M - Mild to medium carbonation and a smooth texture.

O - Always enjoy waiting in line for this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 03:03:17 | More by brstls4drmrs

bballmj2k

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Managed to get a couple bottles of this rarity. Had 2011 vintage on tap once last year and was pretty impressed.

A - Hard to describe this style without being redundant. Pitch black, creamy mocha head that sticks around for quite a while.

S - Good not great. Chocolate dominates, dark, bitter notes along with some fruity characters and a hint of alcohol.

T - Huge bitterness up front (85 IBU) - most of flavor has that rich coffee and dark dark chocolate. At the end there's a bit of that fruitiness that tends to come up in this bigger stouts.

M - Creamy, medium-full, but not viscous. It works with that light carbonation - not sticky/sweet.

O - I think this is a really good imperial stout. It's worth seeking out but I wouldn't stand in-line for it at 3 am. Doesn't quite hit that upper tier but is really nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 07:37:43 | More by bballmj2k

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours black in color with a dark brown head which leaves behind a one-finger lacing throughout. Lacked the nice aromatics I was hoping to pick up on with this special-release brew which was the suggested big chocolate aroma with notes of espresso, blackstrap molasses, dark sweet toffee and dark fruit as the brewery suggested. There was a rough dark chocolate backbone with complex notes of coffee, dark toffee and dark fruit that didn’t sit well with me. I was hughely disappointed with this brew as I traded big for this one and Draft Mag rated this a must-try top 10 beer in 2011.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 19:47:52 | More by CuriousMonk

zhanson88

California

3.43/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage poured into some Lost Abbey stemware.

Appearance: Pours out dark brown that looks almost opaque when in the glass. I do detect some garnet hues around the edges, which is unexpected. About 1" of khaki colored head forms, which has nice retention and lacing. Seems a bit light in color and in body, but the head retention makes up for that somewhat.

Smell: Well this is a big smoke and roast bomb. Extremely big smoke component in this. Not really getting much else on the nose to be honest. Possibly a bit of sweetness. Milk chocolate?

Taste: Big smoke and roast component, once again on the palate. There is some sweetness that shows in the form of liquorice notes. Tastes better than it smells, but still too smoke dominated.

Mouthfeel: Body is definitely short of full; more in the medium body range. Moderate to low carbonation, which is the only reason this beer drinks smoothly at all. Overall, this is an interesting take on a RIS. Too smoke heavy and one dimensional. Definitely not my favorite from this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 03:24:06 | More by zhanson88

aasher

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage, courtesy of thagr81us in a massive trade awhile back. Thanks Calton!

It pours a full bodied dark, dark brown with a mocha colored one finger creamy head. It smells of sweet milk chocolate and little else. It's just a chocolate bomb, as to be expected. The flavors are initially very bitter with heavy roast as it eases into sweet milk chocolate. It definitely wasn't this bitter the first time I had it. It's somewhere between milk and dark chocolate because of this. It's solid, but nothing spectacular. It drinks medium in body and is a nice beer. It just isn't very complex and isn't as refined as it could be.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 04:32:51 | More by aasher

oline73

Maryland

3.1/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2010 bottle opened at the tasting this past weekend. Poured into a snifter.

Appearance: Pours almost black with a reddish ring around the edge when the light hits it. There is a layer of tan head that fades quickly.

Smell: Sweet and very smokey with some alcohol heat. Smells like this is going to be a bitter stout.

Taste: This beer is too bitter. Really roasty with some smoke and hop bitterness as well. There is some dark fruit, but the bitterness seems to hide any chocolate that could be found. Not very smooth.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thin side for the style with tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This beer is a lot more bitter than it needs to be. I really would have liked this beer to be smoother and have a stronger chocolate presence.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 04:35:41 | More by oline73

pollox87

California

2.95/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

2010 22 oz

A - Poured black with little head, dark beer with little lacing.

S - Smelled a bit smokey roasted, but a bit of a chemical smell to it.

T - It tasted like smoke and roast, none of the richness that I want in a RIS. There was no smoothness and it was a bit too astringent.

M - way too thin for the style.

O - There are many off the shelve beers that I would rather have, I didn't want to penalize the rating because of how hard this was to get, The beer should stand on it's own rare or common, and this one was just not good.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 22:57:53 | More by pollox87

kzoobrew

Michigan

3.05/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes. 09-11 vertical courtesy of dosbeerigos. Review will describe each vintage, score is an overall rating.

All three years had a very similar appearance. The body was deep brown bordering on black. Each fell short of being opaque, noticeable light breaks the surface. One to two finger malted milk colored head sat atop each. Retention was decent, moderate lacing left behind.

The aroma is where we can first start separating the vintages. 09 was heavy on the chocolate in the nose. Dark sugars and roast fill in just behind, this was the best smelling vintage. The 10 was very smoke forward, nearly to the point I felt it should be labeled a smoked stout. The roast is more prominent and the chocolate subdued in comparison to the 09. The 11 fell somewhere in between the previous two years. The smoke was less prominent but the roast was assertive. The chocolaty sweetness emerged a bit more than the 10. The 09 deserves a good rating, the 10 and 11 were average at best.

The flavor follows the trends identified in the nose for the most part. 09 was once again heavy on the chocolate. Supporting roast and caramel flavors compliment. The 10 still manages to be dominated by smoke. The bitter chocolate and smoke flavor clash, simply not that enjoyable. The 11 once again finds a middle ground. The chocolate flavor is offset my a decent amount of roast. The contrasting flavors work rather well. Based on taste the 09 is a 4, 10 probably a 2.5 and the 11 a 3.

The mouthfeel was rather similar among all three vintages. Medium bodied beer, falling just short of full. The carbonation is on the lower side, this is probably a good thing for this thinner body. Each lacked a viscosity I would like to see in an Imperial Stout.

If you give me an 09, I would happily drink that often. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the 10 or 11. Overall this beer is decent but there are many readily available beers which can match or surpass the quality. Worth trying but not worth going out of your way for.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 14:36:41 | More by kzoobrew

Kaydogg

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

2011 - about a 5-6 oz pour

A - black/brown with a one finger light tan head that fades to a rim of bubbles..looks pretty well carbed.

S- Really not much on smell..was really trying to pull something out..roasted malts

T- What what what...sexual smoke. - harsh coffee roasts through out with a very smokey aftertaste. I honestly cannont taste any chocolate.

Mouthfeel is way to thin, watery and light. Reminded me of Beer Geek Bacon, or a smoked porter

Overall, very disappointing.. surprised reviews are all over the place..this is not a stout let alone a stout with chocolate in it.... thin, and boring. Hype train..choo choo

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 03:26:23 | More by Kaydogg