Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

Mitchster

Michigan

2.1/5  rDev -50%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

$5.29 for a 550ml bottle. Pours out to a clear dark mahogany, forming a tall soapy tan head with very good retention and lacing. Moderate strong carbonation, ~3.0 carbs. The nose is redolent with tootsie roll fake chocolate smell, not really much more than that....Carob. The mouthfeel is medium-light bodied and somewhat cloying. The taste begins with tootsie roll, has some peanut in the middle, then tootsie roll in the finish. Very mild bitterness, quite sweet considering the lighter body. Minimal to absent roast flavor. Metallic finish with an aftertaste of saccharin.

This is a pretty gross beer. The obviously fake chocolate extract flavor doesn't sit well with the saccharin aftertaste and the metallic finish and the absolute lack of roast flavor. Would not buy it again or recommend it unless you're into "beers" like this. Ugh.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 23:32:52 | More by Mitchster

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.35/5  rDev -44%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours jet black with a light tan head. In the aroma, sweet chocolate, kind of like Hershey's syrup. In the taste, like Hershey's syrup, uber sweet. A small bite, but mainly smooth, and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, and a small dry sweet chocolate in the aftertaste. Uber sweet and sticky, kind of Hershey's syrup like, kind of icky.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 18:01:54 | More by OWSLEY069

Groucho75

Georgia

2.8/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I've spent plenty of time in the company of Samuel Smith products but alas, this one isn't one I'll visit again.

Picked this up last week from my go-to guy; he was quick to flag me down and pull this off the shelf. I had seen the box the day before and was looking forward to finally giving it a try.

The pour into a nonic pint left a healthy, creamy, gorgeous looking tan head afloat a deep, deep chocolate brown stout. Lovely appearance.

Here's where things go pear-shaped: the smell. Maybe I grabbed the one bad bottle out of however many barrels they made, but the aroma kept me from enjoying this. It literally smelled like bad imitation chocolate flavoring. I picked up some of the fruits (plummy, a little fig, perhaps some lactose from milk sugars) but overall it smelled terrible.

Once I made it around the nose, the taste was only so-so. There was almost an oily-ness to it. Chocolate (natch) and some coffee notes were there, but lacking the balance I come to expect from SS.

Mouthfeel was above average; it settled smoothly down the gullet and had a nice chewiness. Not as oily as the initial taste.

I hate to bring the average down, and if I had a bum bottle, I'd be happy to try this again. But overall this was a drain pour for me. I tried to like it, I really did.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 15:37:51 | More by Groucho75

TappaKeggaBrew

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Very dark, reddish-brown (not as dense as most stouts, as I could see light from the other side when I held the glass up to the light). The head was 2-fingers of cafe-au-lait colored froth, that lingered a long time, but left scant lacing.

S: Some roasted malt grain malt, and a hint of dried fruit, but dominant aroma was chocolate -- not cocoa or baker's chocolate, but Yoo-hoo chocolate drink.

T: Very sweet initially, with a hint of toasted malt; then chocolate; then more sweet chocolate; then some bitter-sweet chocolate toward the end (so I guess they must have thrown in a couple of hops cones at the end of the boil...). No complexities or subtleties; just chocolate.

M: Moist and decently carbonated up front; slightly chewy in the finish.

O: Heavy on the chocolate, light on the stout. In fact, nothing stout about it other than the color (and even that was more in the porter family). It wasn't bad, but definitely didn't live up to my expectations, either from the labeled style or from the Samuel Smith brand (which has rarely let me down). I've had chocolate beers before that I really liked, but they weren't so overwhelmingly sweet as this one. If I ever get one again (unlikely), I'll drop a scoop of vanilla ice cream in, as dessert is all this one is really good for.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 04:58:11 | More by TappaKeggaBrew

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

(Served in a nonic)

A- This beer pours a jet black body with a thick creamy tan head that last a good spell.

S- The big nougat chocolate syrup aroma dominates and covers any other possible aromas.

T- The taste of cream gives way to a big hershey’s syrup and chocolate nougat flavor with some tootsie roll hints leading to a slightly dry finish. The hershey’s syrup flavor lingers after the finish aswell.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a slippery finish and no alcohol heat.

O- This is like drinking carbonated hershey’s syrup. The stout flavors are overpowered and don’t even come through the artificial chocolate flavor. It was tough getting through this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 22:01:08 | More by rhoadsrage

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -25%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

500ml bottle $3.99. Dark black color, cream colored head, sticky lacing. Aroma is cocoa, kind of sickly sweet, hints of vanilla. Flavor is full of chocolate, cocoa, but that sweetness if there and its cloying. They captured the chocolate well but this tastes like it has sugar added to it, not my thing at all.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 00:19:11 | More by ArrogantB

warrenout330

Ohio

3.3/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 550ml

A- pours a deep black color, huge 5 finger head.. good retention... very nice blotting of lace to the glass

S- smells of sugary chocolate syrup, milky chocolate, faint roasted barely

T- super sweet chocolatey syrup, faint barely taste.. low bitterness... the organic chocolate almost masks everything

M- thin and a tad oily on the tongue... super sweet lingeringness... minimal hop bitterness in the finish

O- very odd take on this milk stout... this is seriously a dessert beer if I have ever had one, and I have many times.. but this really just tastes like super syrup chocolate beer... geez

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 07:39:26 | More by warrenout330

JohnFatAss

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Extreme Chocolate beer.
Pours an almost black color. Tan head. A little light comes through when held up to a bright light.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate.

It has a milk chocolate smell. Sweet and pleasant.

Of course, the taste is of chocolate. This beer is too syrupy sweet to be enjoyable by its self. An overly sweet chocolate flavor dominates the taste. Sweet up front, and it does have a mild bitternes in the finish, but not enough to balance things out.

Yeah, it is just too sickly sweet.
If I were to drink this again, I would probably want only a small glass served with dessert.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 02:28:18 | More by JohnFatAss

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I scored the last bottle in the cooler at The Fridge last night. I did not realize that it was a limited release, but I have reviewed most of their other beers and I definitely wanted to get this one in also.

From the bottle: "Brewed with water from the original brewery well sunk in 1758, the gently roasted organic chocolate malt and real organic cocoa used in this ale impart a delicious, smooth and creamy character, with inviting deep flavors and a delightful finish - this is the perfect marriage of satisfying stout and luxurious chocolate that will lead to smiles and refills. Samuel Smith's brews in traditional coppers, uses stone 'Yorkshire squares' for fermentation, and ships every bottle from the brewery with great pride."; Captioning a picture: "A brewer caring for a batch of ale during open primary fermentation,where the centuries-old Smith yeast strain produces the rocky white foam."; "Samuel Smith's brews at a small, traditional British brewery, the oldest brewery in Yorkshire."

My pour produced a finger of dense, mocha-tan head with great retention. I was mesmerized while watching it slowly fall on top of itself. Nose was definitely sweet chocolate, probably much sweeter than I will care for, but we shall see. Color was a deep dark-brown with cola highlights at the edges. Mouthfeel was more medium than creamy and the flavor was more like chocolate extract or chocolate liqueur than any chocolate beer that I can remember. Finish continued to have an odd sweetness to its chocolaty flavor. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but it is not leading to either a) smiles or b) refills.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 20:04:05 | More by woodychandler

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.43/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

New to me beer picked up at Whole Foods this afternoon.. Pours dark walnut brown.. almost black but not quite... tannish head with decent lacing.

The nose is chocolate and vanilla extract... seems very VERY artificial.. No "real" beer qualities at all... more "SODA".

Flavor is the same.... vanilla soda with a chocolate extract addition.. Very light "stout" qualities..

Mouthfeel is better.. but the body and carbonation are still like an alcoholic "POP".

Disappointed for sure.. throw away... dumping.

I rated this one waaay too high for my liking.. but I did not want to destroy the curve.. I just don't like beers with additions.

4/3.5/3.5/3.5/3

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 05:37:59 | More by JohnGalt1

templar316

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thick and rich and chocolatey!! Pours a nice full stout the head falling back quickly and only a hint of ruby at the edge of the glass. Smells like candy! Chocolate sugar rush! The easily drinkable soft over the tongue finish is what really stands out; it'd be easy to drink a dozen of these. Strickly average if your average is world class stouts...

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 06:16:03 | More by templar316

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

550 mL bottle, allowed to warm a bit before being poured into my Brooklyn Brewery tulip.

Sam Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout pours not quite entirely black, with one or two scant ruby highlights barely poking through. Two plus fingers of light coffee foam crown the beer, before slowly fading away. A decent amount of lacing is left in its wake. The nose is straight milk chocolate. It's one note, but it's extremely spot on for what it is. Similarly, the flavor profile consists almost entirely of syrupy milk chocolate. It's almost like a less intense version of Southern Tier's Choklat. There is a bit of a nice fruity ester presence in the finish though. Still, there's nothing to balance the sweetness of the dominant chocolate presence. A light touch of hops, or roast, or even booziness would have been welcome. The body is full, and just a little bit slick. In general I like my stouts to tend towards being lowly carbonated, but this one takes that a hair too far. I had high hops for this chocolate stout, as I'm usually a fan of Samuel Smith's, but this one doesn't quite live up to the quality of some of their other brews. This would definitely be a good bottle to split with a couple people after a meal though.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 06:28:45 | More by axeman9182

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle split with a friend; poured my allotment into a snifter. As the beer pours it looks thin like muddy water, but as the beer sits in the glass, it take son a much more foreboding blackness. A small beige head rest atop. The aroma of this beer is insane. Sweet cream, vanilla beans, chocolate syrup, butterscotch - crazy sweet smell. This reminds me of an overly-sweet coffee drink.

Super creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation is light, but not overly thin. The sweetness carries over to the flavor quite so. A huge wallop of vanilla, chocolate milk, syrup, marshmallows, whipped cream, etc. Bordering on cloying. This is too much for me I think. I can't find any aspect of this that makes it a 'beer.' There are better example of sweet stouts that carry some residual sweetness, but don't compromise on the base beer flavors. I'm glad I split this bottle. An entire bottle would have been a chore for me. This has 'dessert' and 'ice cream' written all over it.

Now on to check my blood glucose...

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 14:22:18 | More by Onenote81

Naters333

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was served from a 550ml bottle with no born on date.

A-Poured a jet black color with a nice light tan head. Has some nice lacing for a stout as I drink it down the gullet.

S- Has a very sweet smell, almost of sugar water. I do get the chocolate smell. Smells like cheap chocolate, similar to a Milky Way candy bar. Nothing else here that sticks out.

T- Very very sweet. Sugar, chocolate, sweet. No real developing flavors here. Sweet taste on sweet taste for me.

M- Mouthful is kind of nice. Good mouthful for a stout. I might even prefer it to be a bit thicker for a milk stout. I really get more of the chocolate taste in the mouthful.

O-Well, first of I'm not a huge fan of milk stouts or sweet stouts. This one is really just too sweet for me. Not much going on here to balance that sweetness. Pretty low alcohol, which maybe if it were a tad higher it might make this beer more to my liking. Anyways, I will say that this just isn't my favorite beer or type of beer, but I'm glad I tried it. Comes from a brewery that for the most part I really enjoy their offerings.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 07:32:41 | More by Naters333

maxk

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

550mL bottle, chilled, poured into a pint glass.

Dark brown beer, nice two finger head, good retention and lacing. Looks tasty, albeit not extraordinary.

Strong scent of milk chocolate, smells VERY sweet. Tiny aromatic hint of resinous/earthy hops.

Well, this beer is definitely a chocolate stout. Unlike some beers which are aged on cocoa nibs or brewed with chocolate, which have just slight hints of chocolate, this beer tastes more or less like a chocolate soda with a stout-y aftertaste. Very creamy and smooth, big body, sweet.

I enjoy this beer, but barely view it as a beer. It's a tasty chocolate flavored malt beverage. Definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 22:51:58 | More by maxk

MEsquandoles

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

550mL bottle, new to Austin.

Big chocolate aroma, nutty as well, not much roasted malt, doesn't really smell like anything but hot chocolate. Perfect carbonation.

Creamy, sweet but still drinkable, tastes more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate, but they say it's Vegan. Great mouthfeel. Somewhat fruity, tastes like a tootsie roll. Slightly metallic, mostly in the finish. Could be more complex. Sweetness detracts from drinkability, but still something I think people would love.

Definitely worth trying. A bit strong on the chocolate flavoring, but Sammy Smith makes some great dark beers. I could have used some more roasty bitterness to balance and improve sessionability.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 06:36:36 | More by MEsquandoles

barnzy78

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

550mL bottle, pours black with a tall, bubbly, beige head, good head retention, leaves some lacing on the glass. Aromas are sweet chocolate, vanilla, cream, Kahlua. Tastes are delicate cocoa, vanilla, cream, sweet not roasted, very White Russian-like, kind of reminds me of vanilla ice cream with a dash of chocolate. Mouth-feel is creamy & smooth, medium bodied. Overall, this is a little too sweet for me. It's good, but i like some roast in my stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 04:18:16 | More by barnzy78

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours a dark brown. Can't really confuse this one with black; it is a definite brown. Looks more like a lighter Porter than any sort of Stout. Head is frothy and thinnish. Head leaves chunky belts of lacing. Body seems to be clear.

S-Chocolate all over. Smells like a chocolate ice-cream soda. Has a sort of root beer/cream soda/cola aspect to it. Tootsie Rolls, chocolate muffins, Cocoa Puffs. Milk chocolate more than dark chocolate, but I get a substantial amount of both. Maybe the most or second-most chocolatey noses I have come across.

T-Aggressively chocolatey! Blew me away at first (not necessarily in a positive manner). The initial chokehold of chocolate sweetness fades into a more pleasurable and complex medley of secondary chocolate flavors. Tastes like the richest hot chocolate in the world left to chill down to room temperature. Milkier than the nose. Buzzing yeast. Chocolate chip pancakes. Its all chocolate, but it is also somehow complex.

M-Feels more like a Stout than it looks. Full bodied as far as a 5%er goes. Very soft carbonation. A bit sticky.

O/D-A bit too chocolatey for me. My palate really began to lose interest over time and I even began to dislike some sips. Reminds me of when you're a kid and your Mom lets you make your own glass of chocolate milk and you squeeze about seventeen too many squirts of Hershey's Syrup into your glass; incredibly stimulating. However, as you age, you find in some areas of life that less is more.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 03:12:58 | More by VelvetExtract

fountainofyouth

District of Columbia

3.66/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: It created a head the size of the moon on my first pour. The head is light tan, and the body is very dark brown. A teensie bit of deep red-brown gets through when held up to light.

Smell: Chocolate right up front, cocoa nibs galore. Very sweet although a bit of roastiness hidden in the back. Almost like hot chocolate. Hops is very light, adds a bit of citrus.

Taste: Also very chocolatey. Some folks say they have a chocolate stout and leave out the chocolate -- Sam Smith did not. Somehow the flavors don't quite mesh for me. There's also some malt sweetness and maybe a little bit of yeast sourness. It's tolerable, but I think it needs something dark and charred to balance out the sweetness better. Or add a more rounded chocolate flavor profile. Just a little too sugary for me.

Mouthfeel: It's pretty thick and moderately bubbly. Leaves a bit of dryness in the back.

Overall: It's decent for the price, but like I said -- too sugary. Definitely a dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 00:14:55 | More by fountainofyouth

pweis909

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

I am so impressed with how much chocolate they got in this beer that I want to it more than my ratings reflect more. But it is too sweet, too one dimensional.

This is black and opaque, with just a twinge of cola-like transparency at the bottom edges of the glass when held to the light. The top oc the glass is covered with a dense tan happy foam.

It smells really chocolatey. REALLY.

It is a sweet syrupy chocolate taste. As in chocolate syrup. Big chocolate up front. Finish is sweeter than I prefer.

The mouth feel is smooth and creamy, but I've had creamier, and I sort of want to have creamier with this beer.

Overall, this gets high praise for it's bold chocolate, but sweetness is it's downfall. It is a sweet beer with limited drinkability; the sweetness is cloying. It's the sort of beer you could share at a dinner party in 2 oz pours. Everyone would be happy to try it, ooh and ah about how chocolatey and sweet it is, then move on to something else. An imperial pint of it was not easy to finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 23:51:39 | More by pweis909

arfenhouse

California

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark brown with some amber on the sides. Pours a nice big khaki head with decent retention.

S: Fudgy chocolate with roasted coconut. Reminds me of a mounds candy bar. Both milk chocolate and bitter chocolate on the nose.

T: Very sweet beer with an initial taste of a malted chocolate shake. Bitterness from roasted grain comes midway through but fails to balance the big sweet flavor. This results in what seems like a watery aftertaste.

M: Thin with low carbonation. More thickness would be better. Finishes wet and a bit sticky.

O: Although this beer is unbalanced and very sweet, it was enjoyable. Lacking some "stoutness" but definitely delivers on the chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 08:50:22 | More by arfenhouse

APB

Nebraska

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark Black, with very little head.

S- Super rich chocolate and slight vanilla hint

T- Creamy very chocolate taste and strong vanilla presence

M- Very creamy feel, very drinkable

O- Very good beer but not quite what I was expecting from the Samuel. Almost artificial vanilla taste. It's a 1 to 2 beer drink for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 08:08:07 | More by APB

DavidST

Texas

3.76/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 550ml bottle into a tulip glass coded bottled date. This pours a pitch black color with a mid sized tan head which has a decent retention. The smells are somewhat sweet, a little chocolate, milk sugars, a little dark roasted malts. The feel is medium to thick. The taste is more sweet than I was expecting, lots of chocolate, milk sugar sweetness, a little bit of bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 01:42:24 | More by DavidST

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a Samuel Adams pint glass.

A- pours a cola brown body with a fluffy thick mocha head.

S- cocoa, milk chocolate, vanilla beans, sweet lactose

T- this is like a beer milkshake. Lots of cocoa powder, milk chocolate and cream flavors. It just doesn't seem like a beer. Barely any hop characteristic

M- thick and creamy, low carbonation.

Overall this was quite a rich and chocolatey brew. It was like drinking a carbonated hot chocolate that has cooled down. It's smooth and rich, and recommendable to those who would like a truly chocolatey chocolate stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 04:17:02 | More by gcamparone

BWED

Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

550 ml bottle into my imperial pint glass

A- Very very deep amber, with a frothy bubbly, tan, two-finger head. Great retention and lots of lacing.

S- Straight chocolate. It is so overwhelming I couldn't notice any other smell. But it smells intriguing and appealing.

T- Once again, chocolate. The taste dries out to an unsweetened cocoa finish, that hangs in the mouth for a while. Tastes mellow out when the temp. comes down.

M- Almost a dry stout mouthfeel. Light and sessionable, but there is a touch of velvety smoothness in the feel.

O- This is a beautiful looking stout, but I thought the chocolate was too powerful. There were no other beer characteristics in the smell and taste. I wanted chocolate in my beer, not beer in my chocolate! Ha. Quite curious a beer could hold that much chocolate flavor, however.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:56:03 | More by BWED