Chocolate Stout - Rogue Ales

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Ba Review #210
Served On: 08/15/2012
Glassware: Pint Glass
Labeled ABV: -
Date/ Code: -

Grabbed this one at Wegmans in Mechanicsburg, PA back on my birthday last year (December). The 22oz. bomber has been in my cellar until today.

Look: Poured a pitch black with a huge 3-finger rocky tan head. Carbonation level was undetectable through the black color. Overall appearance was fantastic.

Smell: Notes of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Some earthy hops came through with some hints of juniper. A maple scent was also noticeable.

Taste: First was a sweet rustic character reminiscent of a burning pile of dry fall leaves. The middle was a smooth black coffee with a semisweet dark chocolate that lead into a dull roasted finish that eventually became more of a charred oak note.

This was a wonderful stout. I was expecting a little more sweetness, but the charred character was actually rather interesting. I can’t speak to what the cellar actually did for the beer, but it certainly didn’t seem to hurt anything.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 17:19:51 | More by CraftBeerTastic

TBoneJones

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Nearly pitch-black with a robust slightly tan head. 
Smells of chocolate, roasty. 
Creamy feel with a cocoa taste that lingers slighty bitter. Lacing just clings to the pint glass. Carbonation and the silk, i enjoy the mouthfeel. High drinkability even as it warms a bit. Not bad paired up with chocolate frozen yogurt and dark chocolate coffee beans, in this case (the latter especially blends in with the aftertaste, which seems of chocolaty coffee grinds to me). In the end, a burnt cocoa brew that is not too sweet and is very easy to drink. I want to try Rogue's double of this. 

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 04:06:54 | More by TBoneJones

KVNBGRY

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ordered this on accident while eating at a favorite fondue restaurant. It poured a dark, velvety chocolate brown. The head was equally as velvety smooth, caramel color. Tastes like a dessert beer first and foremost. Malt, chocolate, and a slight, lingering hop are the noticeable flavors. Strongly recommend this beer with your chocolate fondue! Or red meat..

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 17:34:25 | More by KVNBGRY

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 3/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark red brown, nearly black with a nice white head and lacing. Chocolate and dark malt aroma. Light stout maltiness with some toasted and smoky malts, a bit dry. Nice start and middle, but dry thin finish with a bit of chocolate aftertaste. Thinner bodied than other stouts, but strong, pleasant chocolate flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 19:33:02 | More by LiquidAmber

UCLABrewN84

California

3.73/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque black with a 2 inch foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Thin foamy rings of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of chocolate malt, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, and milk chocolate aromas. Taste is of dark roasted malt, char, unsweetened dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and raw cocoa nibs. There is a high level of roasty bitterness that lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but the flavor just doesn't match up to how good this one smells.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 03:23:22 | More by UCLABrewN84

FosterJM

California

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1400th Review on BA
Bottle to Woodshop Snifter
22oz

No bottle date

Paired with a chocolate fudge cake

App- When the pours its a good mix of browns/blacks and looks like the color and a thicker chocolate syrup. A nice two finger off brown head with some good cling and lace.

Smell- Huge malty roast notes with plenty of rich creamy chocolate on the nose. A bit of a semi-sweet aromas come up as well.

Taste- It was a chocolate stout, but didnt pound you over the face with it. I liked it better before I took a bit of the cake. Once I did it was a bit more hoppy and bitter. A bit prickly at points and semi-smooth. A tad bit of coffee flavors on the back.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a light medium semi creamy carbonation. A touch prickly and bitter on the finish. Was hoping for a smoother stout.

Drink- It was tasty, but I wouldnt suggest pairing this with anything.
Taste- A bit of chocolate

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 20:47:15 | More by FosterJM

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle into Rogue pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours fairly pitch black color with a nice 1-2 finger dense mocha colored head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some nice soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big chocolate, toffee, caramel, molasses, roasted malt, vanilla, cream, and light herbal hops. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good strength; very dessert-like. Taste of chocolate, roasted malt, toast, oats, caramel, toffee, cream, light coffee, earth, and herbal hops. Fair amount of herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, toffee, toast, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Nice balance of sweetness and bitterness; with a good amount of chocolate flavor and roast. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a fairly creamy, silky, and lightly prickly mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with pretty much no warming noticed on the finish. Overall this is a very nice chocolate stout. Good roasted and chocolate flavors, with good balance of sweetness; and very smooth to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 04:24:07 | More by superspak

PorterLambic

Florida

3.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark and inviting with a big medium tan head. Really good lacing but the head retention is less than spectacular.
Smell is malt, chocolate and newspaper. I expected more complexity but the balance was good at least.
Taste is roasted malt, chocolate, hops and newspaper. Good balance.
Mostly full-bodied, light effervescence. Somewhat drying with a slightly watered-down finish. Just a hint of warming. I expected more but its still a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 03:47:33 | More by PorterLambic

Jfriz25

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Super dark brown with lots of tan head. The head dissipates but leaves some nice lacing.

Smell- Chocolate is dominant. Sort of a dark chocolate smell except there is a sweet scent that is hard to place.

Taste- Tons of chocolate and some dark roasted malts. There is a bit of bitterness at the end which makes me think of coffee but I don't think it actually is. A little alcohol creeps in at the end.

Mouthfeel- Creamy, silky, awesome.

Overall- A very nice chocolate stout. It's not something I'd want everyday but when I'm in the mood I wouldn't hesitate to get it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 01:14:13 | More by Jfriz25

KellyL

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a snifter, poured from a bomber.

Appearance – Dark brown, almost black. Faint amounts of light penetrated only the very edges. Poured straight into the middle of the snifter. Thick tan head formed quickly and faded slowly to just the edges. Very minimal lacing.

Smell – Big hints of chocolate, slight roasted malt and very minute hop aroma. It almost smells like toll house chocolate chips.

Taste – Nice roasty flavor up front. Big chocolate notes in the middle and finish. The roasted malt blends perfectly with the chocolate. Slight residual sweetness, but overall it is reminiscent of semi-sweet chocolate. At the very end a slight toffee flavor finishes the sip off.

Mouthfeel – Creamy. Lends a nice character to the beer, almost like drinking dark chocolate milk... But better.

Overall –An almost perfect example. Perfectly balanced. A little more head retention would make it perfect. Rouge has done yet to make a beer that I can't appreciate. It's apparent to me as a home brewer that they spend a lot of time on recipe formulation before releasing a beer. This is my second time having this beer and my tasting notes are almost identical (glassware was different).

Serving type: 22 oz bottle

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 20:14:10 | More by KellyL

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.3/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a deep-deep brown color with a very small light tan head. The head faded very fast leaving almost no lacing.

Smell – A nice aroma of chocolate with some roasted malt notes mixed in are the biggest. These create a slightly semi-sweet chocolate smell when mixed with a lighter sweeter aroma of toffee and milk.

Taste – The taste is of a roasted malt with a good deal of dark chocolate up front. As the taste advances it sweetens some with the toffee flavors coming to the tongue. This toffee creates a more milk chocolate/semi-sweet chocolate bar like flavor in the middle of the taste which, as time advances further continues to strengthen. It is a very satisfying flavor that carries to the end, where some coffee flavors bitter the taste a bit and leave a very satisfying coffee infused dark chocolate flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the creamier side with the carbonation level being on the lower side. Both suit the flavor profile of the beer quite well and allow all the chocolaty flavors to be sensed by the tongue.

Overall –A very nice chocolate stout that is very easy to drink. Rouge has done a nice job with this one and I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2012 01:01:29 | More by Darkmagus82

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22fl oz bottle. ½ Pint glass. Renjoyed on may´12. Very dark brown color. Beige, lasting, small bubbled, creamy head. Hints of chocolate, fruity touch & yeast to the nose. Flavors show roasted malts & soft bitterness. Full body, moderate carbonation. Another shared beer with Juanjo –“the bread artist”- at Cerveceria Freiburg.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 09:57:49 | More by GONZALOYANNA

iSip

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Rogue Chocolate Stout, 22 oz bomber: The body is deep brown with a touch of translucence. The head is huge, dark in color, a wonder to behold. Aroma is massively chocolate. Once the head settles down, it’s time to dig in. Well, chocolate is the overpowering flavor. This makes for a nice dessert beer, but probably would not pair well with food. Other flavors come and go; coffee has some prominence. There is a bit of bitter to the aftertaste, surprise, like dark chocolate. Not a super thick brew, but not highly drinkable because of the strong chocolate flavor. I would love to try this brew fresh on tap someday. Overall it is a novelty beer worth a taste, but is too chocolaty to make the stable of great stouts that you look forward to trying again and again.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 15:05:37 | More by iSip

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked this particular bottle in order to review the top 100 beers of fame. I've had a lot of this beer during my years in Portland, and so this pour in New Jersey gets me closer to home.

I paired this bomber with my steak. I wondered whether the chocolate would work with the red meat, and it really did a good job. Now I continue to sip this as a dessert. One detraction in my meal, don't serve this with pickles (my fault, not the beer's).

Overall this is a very good stout. The name serves it very well. You get a soft chocolate flavor in the nose, taste, and across the palatte in the texture.

This beer is spot on. I recommend it. Rogue tends to be a little expensive on the East Coast, but it is really worth it for these suds.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 22:56:18 | More by ummswimmin

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours nearly perfect black. Light barely penetrates the beer's furthest edges. Dark khaki head is minimal in stature but adds and extra piece of attraction to the overall look.

S-Smells like liquified milk chocolate. Behind the chocolate fondue aroma is light roast. They really nailed the chocolate here. So pure and intense.

T-Literally tastes like a Hershey bar melted to pure liquid. In the liquid chocolate seems to be a quick but generous pour of coffee. The taste is pretty awesome. It is one-sided but it is supposed to be. Really cool

M-Full feel with mellow carbonation. Feel and flavor match well and complement one another.

O/D-This is a chocolate explosion in a glass. I truly enjoyed this brew. I liked it a lot more that Southern Tier's Choklat. I found this one to be more of a pure chocolate flavor. Really nice but one glass is enough because it is very rich.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2012 15:49:47 | More by VelvetExtract

B33R501

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Been on a chocolate binge lately, this is delicious but I've come to the conclusion that I'll just stick to chocolate milk.

Beautiful darkest brown, big creamy chocolate head, lace, really good looking beer. Smells, what else, milk chocolate. Nice mix of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, roasted malts, even some hops leading to a nice bittersweet finish. Nice and creamy on the palate, at the end of a (too) long day, I would have preferred 16 oz serving though. I had a growler of their double chocolate once which was probably my favorite chocolate beer to date.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 12:15:15 | More by B33R501

GordonofSeattle

Washington

4.8/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Dark with a slight brown hue, rich. excellent lacing, excellent head

S: Smells faintly of dark chocolate and all spice.

T: When I think chocolate stout, this is what I want. An great balance between dark chocolate and malty beer flavors. It has a little coffee and almost a little burnt sugar taste too it, but not enough to throw off the chocolate/stout combo -instead it adds a bit of depth. Perfection

Mouthfeel: Extremely smooth, rich, excellent

Overall: For it's style I can't think of any way this beer could be better so full marks. While not exactly inexpensive at $6.50 for 650ml it is worth every penny. If you love darker beers and/or chocolate you will love this beer. If you want a hoppy beer, look elsewhere -that isn't what this style or stouts in general are about. I'm going to have to add this to my list of favorite beers without a doubt.

Favorite beers (for comparison, after all taste preferences are subjective): Elysian's Daedalus Irish Stout, Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Allagash's White Ale, New Belgium's 1554, Full Sail's Wassail, etc. Beer styles I don't like: IPAs (with few exceptions)

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 03:31:17 | More by GordonofSeattle

keithmurray

Louisiana

4.73/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into a mug

Appearance - dark brown, almost black colour with mocha colored head

smell - delicious milk chocolate, roasted malts, chocolate candy bar

taste - taste is similar to the nose, milk chocolate is most prominent, hops, expresso, malt

mouthfeel - medium bodied (almost thin), low carbonation, sweetness of the chocolate is upfront, balanced by the bitterness of the hops, easy to drink

overall - This was a good beer, definetly lived up to its namesake, my only gripe is that the mouthfeel is a bit thin, but otherwise, this is a good stout that I enjoyed

Price Point - $5.49/22oz bottle

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 18:53:54 | More by keithmurray

Ivanhoes_Backpack

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.99/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into tulip glass.

A - Pitch black colour, 1/4 inch finger head, good film on top.
S - Melted chocolate, toasted oatmeal, booze, hint of vanilla maybe.
T - Bittersweet chocolate upfront, very bitter start to finish.
M - Good carbonation, full, thick.
O - Very bitter, dry stout. Not as sweet as I'd imagined, but the bitterness isn't overwhelming. Great paired with chocolate, or rich flavourful foods. Great for V-day!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 23:49:38 | More by Ivanhoes_Backpack

TheSixthRing

California

4.7/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Pours a near pitch black, with only the brightest of lights piercing through the edges to reveal a deep, dark brown. Head is a light coca, 3 fingers deep, and retention for days. Resulting lace is thick and sticky.

Smell - Chocolate is the first thing to catch your nostrils, with notes of roasted malt, faint toffee and a bit of bitterness.

Taste - Darkly roasted malts entwined with a varying array of chocolate layers, from milk to bittering baker's, and it all comes together and ends up tasting a bit like a tootsie roll in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Fairly light for a stout, but the carbonation lends to a creamy mouthfeel. When a beer tastes this good, does mouthfeel even matter?

Overall - By far the most complex, most satisfying chocolate stout I've ever had, and one of my all-time favorite beers. Everything about this beer is beautiful. If you're looking for sweet chocolate, then drink this one on the fairer side of warm; the bitterness is more predominant at colder temperatures.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 06:30:30 | More by TheSixthRing

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.45/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours black with light tan head that dissipates quickly.

Smells like chocolate milk with a hint of toffee.

Taste follows smell. Lots of chocolate milk flavor. Toasted malt is there. Very little bitterness.

Mouthfeel is far too watery for me. Average carbonation.

Overall this was good but lacks complexity.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 00:09:47 | More by TrappistJohnMD

TBear1605

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Had a deep, dark, almost black, color to it, which reminded me of used motor oil for some reason; not a bad color IMO. Solid head retention that had a milk chocolate brown hue to it.

S: Unbeliveable rich dark chocolate comes to mind first, followed by a subtle smell of coffee, which doesn't overpower. A slight smell of hops lingers towards the end.

T: Taste was a bit disappointing, considering how great it smelled. First the rich dark chocolate hit my taste buds, then an earthy, ground coffee taste followed...would have liked to taste a bit more hops for the finish, but I know that is normally not true to the style (I'm a hop head at my core)

M: Felt very thick, almost like a mollasses or syrup...a bit too heavy for my taste, but still enjoyable. A moderate amount of carbonation, which suits the beer well.

O: Overall an enjoyable beer, one that I would drink again in the near future, especially on a cold and rainy day. Couldn't drink more than a couple, as one feels like eating a full meal

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 16:14:22 | More by TBear1605

sevenarts

New York

3.35/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: Dark brownish black, decent-sized tan head, very little lacing left behind.

S: Just lots of rich, sweet chocolate here.

T/M: Sweet chocolatey goodness up front, balanced out by some bitterness from the hops. Very little follow-through, though, and the mouthfeel is surprisingly thin and watery.

O: A decent, tasty, rather mild chocolate stout. Pretty good stuff, but could be lots better with some more body.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 22:13:52 | More by sevenarts

mooseo

Pennsylvania

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

22oz bottle poured into Rogue goblet.

A - Dark black brown with a small creamy tan head.

S - Sweet cocoa, coffee, roasted malt, chocolate cake. Very inviting.

T - A mix of dark chocolate and bitter coffee present throughout. Mild sweetness up front with a decent amount of bitterness towards the finish. Finishes with rich chocolate, earthy malt, and espresso flavors.

M - Insanely smooth with a nice creamy consistency. Medium-heavy body with low carbonation.

O - A delicious stout. I was pleased to find a good amount of bittering hops, which accented the sweet chocolate flavors quite well. I also had this on tap which was just as good, if not better than the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 04:17:34 | More by mooseo

BrownNut

Florida

4.31/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - 4.0 - Totally opaque black. Decent tan head. Lots of lacing.

S - 4.5 - Straight up delicious. Creamy milk chocolate and maybe some kind of really sweet cookie-ish malt, with a tiny hint of something stiffer behind it.

T - 4.5 - More of that stiffer stuff from the aroma and in greater quantity. Not quite coffee but something approaching that. The barest rumor of fruit something. The immediate afterswallow is dark chocolate. After that comes a momentary wisp of mild char bitterness that's gone quickly. I'm surprised this is 69 IBU. After that are nice warm booze fumes wafting up from down low for a while. Longer term aftertaste is faint char bitterness and sweeter chocolate.

M - 4.0 - Feels initially weighty and silky as you pull it in yet gives way to lightness and a bit of carbonation tingle. Just a suggestion of astringency longer term, which is perfect.

O - 4.5 - I thought I was in for a sweet treat that would be more chocolaty than beery, a novelty, but this was distinctive, mature, and therefore memorable. Really well done. Two thumbs well up. Will definitely drink again.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 02:12:29 | More by BrownNut