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

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A delicate, puffy tan head sits atop this virtually opaque ebony brew. The foam clings nicely and remains at about an inch in height. The aroma brings to mind gourmet confections of chocolate and caramel, and to a lesser extent, subtle hints of strawberry and creamy vanilla. The dominant taste is like chocolate milk made from Nestle's powder... and of course more flavors reminding me of candy - Malted milk balls, truffles, Sno-Caps and Milk Duds. There is a combination of bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate going on here. In the finish, a tartness jumps out, with perhaps what is the slightest hint of some hops. One slight detraction for an oxidized taste for just a brief second. This has a full body but light feeling due to the low ABV. This is one of my favorite beers to just throw back when relaxing. Delicious!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 01:16:18 | More by Neorebel

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.21/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was a nice surprise to see down at the local beerstore, poured it into the trusty Duvel tulip and was presented with a nice long lasting mocha tinged head on opaque brownish/black liquid. I get sweet milk chocolate and some dark malts in the nose. I'm loving the velvety smooth full mouthfeel of this, I'm tasting sweet chocolate, light coffee with a balanced hop bitterness. Hint of roastiness. Finishes sweet again but not heavy handed, hops come in at the end. Leaves a nice chocolate note on the tongue after the swallow. Very nicely done and recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 00:10:28 | More by beerluvr

tone77

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a brown 18.7 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is dominated by chocolate. Taste is delicious. Like drinking a chocolate milk shake. Lots of chocolate, just a touch of bitterness at the finish Well done. Feels creamy in the mouth and overall this is a high quality beer worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 14:43:06 | More by tone77

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

$3.70 for the 550ml bottle, bottled in Aug 2012.

It's pretty darn dark, just a little bit of light peaks through when I hold it up to a lamp. The tannish foam is big to start with and after the pour, it grows even more. It's the billowy type of head of foam so there's not a lot of lacing going on.

The smell I got as soon as the cap came off...big chocolate and cocoa aromas filled my nosebuds.

A milk chocolate sweetness bursts on my tastebuds, lighter notes of cocoa do a bit of bittering but not much. There's so much chocolaty goodness going on here and I'm loving every sip.

Medium bodied with the carbonation on the light side of medium. The bottle is 5 months old but it's a keeper.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 23:35:21 | More by Bitterbill

flagmantho

Washington

4.08/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from 550mL bottle into a pint glass. Looking forward to this one!

Appearance: nearly black in appearance, although ruby highlights appear when held up to the light. In that light, the body appears to be haze-free. Head poures two fingers of pillowy tan foam with nice retention and lacing. Quite attractive indeed.

Smell: sweet, rich chocolate aroma with just a hint of coffee and roastiness around the outside. Wonderfully rich and appealing. Not a lot of complexity here, but the execution is just excellent.

Taste: the rich chocolate continues into the flavor along with a hint of the coffee. There's a bit of a tartness in the mix which I feel detracts from the wondrously creamy, delicious chocolatiness, but it's not a dealbreaker. A mocha-like light bitterness rounds out the end. Quite lovely, overall.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a big carbonation and a huge, persistent creaminess. Lactose for body, maybe? In any case, quite wonderful.

Overall: I would like this beer to taste a little bit more like it smells, but other than that this is one satisfying chocolate stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 05:33:52 | More by flagmantho

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.21/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bomber-style bottle (not sure how many ounces are in this English thing), split with my brother and poured into a New Belgium Globe.

A: Dark, opaque pour; body appears to be somewhat viscous. There is a little head and lace but not much.

S: Huge notes of chocolate, caramel and vanilla. Very sweet, with very little balance.

T: Sweet and malty, but with plenty of milk chocolate again. Tastes a lot like pure chocolate milk, and not artificial which is an enormous plus.

MF: Creamy, velvety smooth mouthfeel. Medium bodied.

O: No balance to this thing whatsoever; big-time chocolate. Sweet, and overall its good, just not something I could drink a lot of.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 15:04:03 | More by Scotchboy

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

4.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle served in a pint glass.
A- It had a two finger head but that quickly went down to a one finger head. There was good retention. The color on the head was a deep khaki color. The beer was black but not as dark as many other stouts.
S- Some chocolate malts, thing smelled like a chocolate shake.
T-heaven! Chocolate and then more chocolate! Little bitterness in the finish
M-Smooth,creamy, light body
O-Awesome beer! One of my favorites! Try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 14:12:51 | More by Damian74Shensky

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

teromous

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pitch black, with a very large fluffy off-white head. Some lacing rings on the glass. After a while the head fades to a soft coating of white foam over the surface.

S: Chocolate. It comes out of the glass like a cup of hot cocoa. It has an intensely strong scent of chocolate. It literally smells like the inside of a chocolatier. I can only touch the surface of how good this smells. There's some tootsie-roll scent there also, but more rich smelling.

T: This is crazy good. I mean it is just delicous to the point where it's borderline not beer anymore, but rather a chocolate drink. It has the sensation of drinking hot Belgian cocoa. There is a pleasant bitterness from the chocolate, but I can tell there's flavor from the hops in here as well as their added bitterness. What is unique about this chocolate beer, is that there is a softness to the flavor. It is not so heavy tasting as to cover other flavors...for example I can actually taste some of the water in the beer...it's hard to describe. The flavor is just short of 5.0 becuase I would have liked more complexity to the flavor...aside from the chocolate.

M: The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium. Despite the chocolate descriptor, it is not thick or syrupy, but is slightly sticky. It is a very sweet beer and might be hard to drink a lot of. It is a very smooth beer, and pretty slick in the mouth.

O: Overall I was incredibly impressed by this beer. I'm pretty sure it's the best Samuel Smith beer I've ever had. It was a bit hard to drink because of the sweetness, but there is no problem with a sweet sipper. Chocolate fans will fall in love with this beer. Beer fans who enjoy sweet deserts will fall in love with this beer. I would buy and drink it again if I feel like a really huge chocolate tasting beer, or if my local grocery store runs out of ice cream toppings.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 18:37:06 | More by teromous

KTCamm

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Pours black, some brown notes in the light but very dark. Patchy tan foam. Smell is a dark espresso chocolate that erupts from the stout. Almost get a latent fruitiness. Taste is a rich cocoa bean/powder taste full on, fast finish leaving behind a rich chocolate aftertaste. Sweetness/bitter balance. Maybe a touch chocolate heavy. Milky.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 12:45:36 | More by KTCamm

pkalix

California

4.71/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

organic? blimey, what is it with organic? gluten free i can understand. but ORGANIC, in a beer???
pours a nice dark with a beautiful tan head which simmers down to a nice one finger leveling...
smells.... like a hershey bar. what a beautiful aroma! incredible!
taste surprisingly does NOT let you down after wafting the cocoa aroma.... bitter and sweet chocolates abound. nice lacing progresses...
feels like a nice, medium bodied (for a stout) elixir with some bitterness, yet sweet on the middle tongue. i've had 'chocolates' in the past but this one is true to its claims of taste. unbelievable! almost a novelty in its taste.
i gave it a 4.5 in appearance for its beautiful texture and lacing, and its sweet dark color.
i'm NOT a fan of novelty brews, and i dont think this was intended as one, but i gave it a 4.75 for it overall as i believe they did a better job than anyone else in crafting the perfect 'chocolate'. i hate that it's only a 5% abv like the rest of their stuff, but i suppose that is their intention and they did it well. 5% is still the accepted norm. cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 01:35:59 | More by pkalix

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.24/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

550 Ml poured into a pint glass

A- Extremly dark brown verging on a lighter black. A very large tan colored head with decent retention.

S- Smells like a tootsie roll. A lot of milk chocolate and cocoa. A nice roasted malt. A bit of caramel and toffee as well.

T- An intense sweetness at first. Followed up by a nice light roasted flavor. Milk chocolate takes over and dominates the palate. There is a slight cocoa but this is a tootsie roll flavored brew. A slight fruityness. A very sweet and chocolatey brew.

M- A sweet and full bodied beer. A lot of feel and a sticky mouthfeel.

O- This is a pretty awesome beer. A very unique brew to say the least. It is extremely sweet but nice drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 00:37:22 | More by TwelveOunces

stephens101

Oklahoma

4.08/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

As with most Sam Smith's brews the appearance is welcoming. With a dark tan, a dense and fluffy crown that holds it's throne through a hard fought battle, and a dark brown color that lets in very little light, this castle looks impenetrable. Let us see if there's an army of aroma and flavor waiting behind the walls to help sustain the reign.

Full on caramel and milk chocolates to the nose, followed by coconut and bubblegum. The smell has dessert written all over it. I don't think I've ever smelled this much sweetness in a beer before, which begs the question whether or not any balance can exist after this point.

The palate is filled with a pleasing amount of coconut and milk chocolate with a mellow background of bitter nuts that provide that much needed equanimity. There's a slightly troublesome metallic character that quickly fades into the wilds when it realizes it's not welcome in these parts.

Creamy like pudding and smooth like silk. Has a pure medium body that has little actual weight to it when all is settled and done.

Tasty beers like this make writing reviews almost too damn easy, but any latent guilt is quickly assuaged after another swig.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:04:46 | More by stephens101

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I had this at Holy Hound, thanks to tenderbranson69 for sharing this w/ me. Poured chilled into two tulips.

The color is deep brown/almost black with quick dissipating tan cap. There is an almost syrup like cocoa aroma with chocolate truffle and chocolate chip cookie aroma to this stout with a hint of black cavendish tobacco in the background. The feel is good with tinges of malt with sweet overal feel w/ very mild bitterness and relatively light carbonation

The flavor is densely chocolate up front with mild roasted grain and fruity yeast tinged taste with slight nutty element from the malt and cocoa with some mild tangy yeast and light hop spice late in the taste with gentle vanilla accent. Overall a great english stout, a style I am fond of and the cocoa comes forward with emphasisa good choice for those who enjoy chocolate flavored ales

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 18:04:55 | More by Slatetank

Billolick

New York

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Typical SS mid sized bottle. No freshenss info.

Pours near black. Head is larger and luxorious. Stays and stays. Then a nice film, low sheeting and ample fine bits of lace and more sheeting.

Chocolate sniff. Yum

Smooth and super tasty. More milk chocolate all over this one.
Also notes of dark malts, vanilla, dark bread. A treat to enjoy this well crafted ale. They have been doing it since 1758! Dark beer lovers go get some and enjoy with a chocolate dessert or worked great with some spicy mexican tacos

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 19:33:58 | More by Billolick

DragonzBreath

Michigan

4.61/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout, This is the finest chocolate stout to date, the One to beat. Rich chocolate flavors, malt, vanilla. Pours thick dark with a creamy foam tan head. No bitterness. Exceptional ---- Abv 5.0
This is by far one of my favorite chocolate stouts.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 16:24:32 | More by DragonzBreath

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

smonice

New Jersey

4.19/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

I have seen this quite a few times at the local shop and have always passed it by since it was organic but a friend raved about it and bought me a bottle. Really really good!

A: Dark brown color pouring, head was a off white and there was minimal-moderate lacing.

S: The first thing I though of when I smelled this for the first time was hot chocolate.

T: Every mouthful I was looking for something else in this beer but to my mouth, all I get is chocolate (that's not a bad thing).

M: Lighter than I expected, would have thought it would have been a little creamier.

O: Like a reviewer before me said, "Heavy on the chocolate, light on the stout." but I will def be purchasing this brew in the future!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 23:25:11 | More by smonice

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

buschbeer

Ohio

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle
Served in a Samuel Smith imperial nonic pint glass

A - It is very dark in color. When held to the light it does come through, barely. An aggressive pour yielded a few inches of creamy, tan head.

S - I get a noseful of baker's chocolate. Wow! It's a lot more intense than I anticipated.

T - The taste is full of sweet, dark chocolate.

M - It is slick, but not thick. It seems a bit thin for a stout. I like my stouts like I like my women, dark, thick and full of alcohol.

O - This is a very good beer from a good brewery. It has good chocolate flavor and is not as sweet as some chocolate stouts I have had. It's good beer to have with a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 04:18:18 | More by buschbeer

Zach136

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Monday Night Brewing Pint.

A - Pours very dark. Not the darkest around, but still vary black. Almost opaque. One finger light tan head that leaves a little bit of lacing.

S - Smells like straight up McDonald's chocolate milk shake with a hint of malty twang. Has me jonesing for french fries.

T - Chocolate malt and light nut with the signature Samuel Smith after taste.

M - Just a touch on the light side for my preferences. Not quite chewy but still much better than a lot of lesser examples of the style.

O - My favorite Milk Stout thus far!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:24:04 | More by Zach136

claspada

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark dark brown color with a tall, frothy, beige head that recedes to leave some decently spotty lacing.

Aromas begin with lightly roasted malts and then tons of milk chocolate syrup and some lesser dark baker's cocoa. The chocolate seems "real" if that makes sense, compared to some beers where the cocoa seems stale or artificial.

The tastes begins with lightly roasted, toasted maltiness, but the milk chocolate flavors burst huge right after. As it warms you get a tad but of English yeast fruity esters but the waves of cocoa are hard to overtake.

The mouthfeel is medium to light-bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is sweet albeit a tad bit on the watery, flabby end.

Overall, this really hits the mark for a sweet after dinner beer in the winter when you don't want a huge beer and plan to last past midnight. Pretty one-noted but luckily the one note isn't too sweet or burdensome on the palate. It delivers what it advertises and much better than any other of Samuel Smith's Organic offerings, especially the fruited ones.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 16:13:56 | More by claspada

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

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

JEdmund

Kansas

3.95/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Looks like your standard stout—black body, off-white foamy head—but the aroma has the added bonus of chocolate! And they really nailed it. It’s a big, noticeable chocolate smell. Also some dry, pale malt, and bready/sweet notes to it.

Flavor is also strong on chocolate, though mainly through the front and mid-palate. Finish has a slight twang, making me think the water is imparting this unique character. Could also be the bittering hops adding something to dry out the end. Either way, there’s still a nice lingering chocolate flavor in my mouth. Body could be a little better; it’s just a bit thin and slightly over carbonated. I’d prefer it to be a bit fuller and smoother, much like their oatmeal stout.

Samuel Smith delivers on the chocolate, and for that I really enjoyed this beer. I’d like having this next to their oatmeal stout, as I think I’d prefer that over this. In a perfect world, they’d just add the chocolate to the oatmeal stout and call it good.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 01:10:00 | More by JEdmund