Decadent Dark Chocolate Ale - Atwater Block Brewery

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The nose on this one is a very good advertiser. Unfortunately, the rest of the beer doesn't live up to things. Kind of chalky with cocoa or something. Doesn't mesh well with the beer at all. Meh. This is looking quite like a waste of money and something I don't want to finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 04:00:58 | More by RblWthACoz

klingenator

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-14-2013 20:08:19 | More by klingenator

Mullinger1980

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-11-2013 10:54:51 | More by Mullinger1980

Slay40

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-11-2013 03:12:40 | More by Slay40

MN_Beerticker

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-10-2013 03:25:18 | More by MN_Beerticker

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

1.75/5  rDev -51.9%

05-07-2013 13:33:19 | More by tommyguz

Peanut2074

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%

05-07-2013 08:51:44 | More by Peanut2074

drbenderdo

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-06-2013 01:57:14 | More by drbenderdo

TheBrewo

Michigan

2.99/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

We pour a brew of the darkest mahogany brown coloring, holding a half finger tall head of light tan bubbles showing okay retention. Spotty lacing is left clinging around the glass. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears to be moderate. The nose gives big milk chocolates off the bat, bringing memories of sipping on hot cocoa by a roaring fire. Toffee, Tootsie Roll, white sugar, and fatty whole milk add creamy sweetness. Mixing to fill are notes of banana fruitiness, raw coffee malts, coiny metallics, general roastiness, marshmallow, and faint boozy bite. Our first impression is that there is less bold balancing sweetness than expected, with a decently robust start, but a rather watered finish. As we sip, the taste opens with straight chocolate milk smoothness, lightly roasted coffee and chocolate malts, lactic sourness, lipid, mineral water, and very faint plastic phenols. Gas station hazelnut coffee pulls us to the peak, where a blend of soured roasted coffee malts, white flour, metallics, corny adjuncts, and overly sweet German Kinder chocolates meet for the attempted balance. The finishing wash comes across as severely watered through, with sweetness of white sugars and stale marshmallow, along with weak milk chocolate, banana mash, metallics, and lightly soured lactics. The aftertaste breathes of that soured grain, even milkiness, banana milkshake, cinnamon essence, mineral, sweeter whipped cream, and lightly adjuncty filler grain. The body is on the lighter side, and the carbonation is medium. The mouth is cooled and thinly coated, with eventual faint dryness down the center of the hard palate. Each sip gives nice slurp, froth, cream, sip, pop, and glug. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, the strongest aspect of this beer was its aroma. This showed big chocolates, brown malts, sugars, vanillas, and general sweetness, certainly deserving of the title of “decadence”. Where we lost points was through the end of the sip, where the flavoring was almost entirely washed out with watery grain, affecting not only the taste, but also the feel. Atwater has continued to disappoint us in cohesion and final execution of their styles, so I guess we’ll have to wait for the next one in hopes of finding something that is worth coming back to.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 00:38:25 | More by TheBrewo

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-02-2013 00:27:33 | More by Segelstrom

tone77

Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of chocolate milkshake, sweet, some hints of vanilla. Taste is very chocolatey, roasted malts, some vanilla, sweet and tasty, lots of flavor here. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall this is a quality beer worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:06:44 | More by tone77

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

04-28-2013 14:46:36 | More by t0rin0

zerosiah

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

04-27-2013 22:51:38 | More by zerosiah

capuchinpilates

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%

04-26-2013 00:45:00 | More by capuchinpilates

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

04-25-2013 16:56:13 | More by RedneckBeerz

keith_wayne

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from Bottle into my Lagunitas mason jar glass.

A: dark with a 1 finger head. ok lacing.
S: Chcolate, roasted malts, a little coffee and something I can't place
T: Same as smell: Chcolate, roasted malts, a little coffee and something I can't place. Also get a little vanilla. Notes about taste. The chocolate is pretty much up front on the first few drinks. but seems not be as strong half way through the beer, it is still there but not as strong for sure. There is some other taste I am get that I can't place or describe. i like it but don't know what it is.
M: A little thin. somewhere between a light ot medium bodied brew

O: I like this beer. It is not the best chocolate Ale (the label does not say stout but says Ale) but i think it is good. Not exactly what I normally want in a chocolate brew, but this is an easy drinking beer that I could use as a session beer. I will get again.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 03:14:47 | More by keith_wayne

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +3%

04-12-2013 01:19:48 | More by DrunkinYogi

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.64/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer is served a nearly black color with only a bit of light able to get through the brew. Upon serving there is a brown head that sits atop the brew. The head fades rather quickly leaving only a light level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma on this one is quite potent and can be sensed immediately upon serving. As might be expected for a chocolate porter the aroma is big and robust of dark chocolate mixed with some aromas of coffee and roasted malt. There are lighter notes of vanilla and caramel rounding out the aroma nice with the combination producing a very dessert like and delicious smell.

Taste – The taste begins, as the nose lets on, with a strong dark chocolate flavor as well as a nice roasted malt taste. While it begins big of dark chocolate it is much less sweet then what was originally expected from the nose. The flavor starts out with a little bit of sweetness with flavors of caramel and vanilla present upfront. These flavors largely persist to the end where they are joined by some lighter earthy hop tastes. Along with the hop, a rather strong coffee flavor come to the tongue bittering up the taste and melding with the rest to leave a slightly bitter and chocolaty flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the medium side in terms of it’s thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is rather average as well. A thicker body and lower carbonation level would have likely suited the dark chocolate flavors of the brew better.

Overall – Not bad, but from the nose I was expecting much more in the taste and the feel, which it fell somewhat short of. Worth a try, but not the best out there.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2013 00:27:40 | More by Darkmagus82

brentk56

North Carolina

3.49/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a dark chocolate color (what else?) with a beige head that leaves a few streaks of lacing behind

Smell: Smells like a Hershey's dark chocolate bar - not the great depth of a quality chocolate but just a nice commercial chocolatey aroma

Taste: At the outset, the chocolate comes right through on the tastebuds but by mid-palate, the flavor starts to fade and is joined by a chalky/waxy taste; after the swallow, the flavors fade quicky and there is a husky quality to the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Promise unfulfilled - after a very nice start, the chocolate was not sustained and ultimately the beer was a disappointment

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 22:17:57 | More by brentk56

PorterLambic

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, dark brown that is so close to black that we might as well call it that. An espresso-like head over 1/2" thick formed of exquisitely tiny bubbles fades gently but inexorably over several minutes to a thick film. Some scattered lace remains though it isn't a strong point.
Smell is phenomenal. Rich vanilla and dark chocolate notes with a graham cracker sweetness and lightly perceptible roasted malt presence. Very nice.
Taste is similar though the roasted malt shows a bit more. The balance is quite comparable with the vanilla and chocolate leading the parade, so to speak. There is a toasty note that shows up briefly after the swallow with a hint of metallic right at the swallow (the only down side).
Smooth-ish with a drying aspect, the body is only medium and the carbonation is well restrained. It does benefit from some warming.

The only thing about this brew I found odd was on the label:
Dark Chocolate Ale
Malt beverage brewed with chocolate

Malt beverage just sounds... wrong somehow, like Old English 800 or Zima.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 00:13:22 | More by PorterLambic

CHickman

New York

3.89/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours motor oil black color with a nice 1 finger foamy brown head that faded extremely slowly, leaving decent lacing; the head was full of tiny bubbles and rather basic looking.

Smells of dark chocolate up front, so strong that the aroma hit my nose a few inches away from the glass; nose also consists of coffee, toffee, cocoa powder, roasted grains, light vanilla and powdered creamer. This smells more like a desert than a beer and is pretty nice to inhale.

Tastes just like it smells, with dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, cocoa powder, roasted grains, vanilla, powdered creamer, herbs, and a slight bitter flavor like a Starbucks coffee aftertaste. Really tasty, the vanilla and charcoal notes linger and trail off dry and leave a cocoa powder taste.

Mouthfeel is light, thin and watery, with very light carbonation, a medium body and a slightly bitter semi-dry finish.

Overall this was much better that I expected that it would be, with really enjoyable chocolate flavors and notes which mix well with the roasted malts, coffee and vanilla notes. An easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 04:39:35 | More by CHickman

OB1

Ohio

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-28-2013 01:22:02 | More by OB1

ItsBeer4Me

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-18-2013 20:59:01 | More by ItsBeer4Me

zonker17

Illinois

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-18-2013 01:01:20 | More by zonker17

BeerBucks

New York

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

03-17-2013 22:50:11 | More by BeerBucks