72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout - Breckenridge Brewery

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle, thanks be to doktorzee for bring this back for me from his tour of Colorado breweries last week.

This beer pours a solid black abyss, with ever so slight cola basal edges, and one skinny finger of tightly foamy, sort of creamy tan head, which leaves some nice spider web lace around the glass as things sink away.

It smells of medium-dry musty cocoa, lightly soured mild solids, a bit of caramelized malt, slightly burnt brown sugar, a touch of cafe au lait, and earthy, mildly bitter hops. The taste is creamy milk chocolate, soft caramel malt, tame gritty coffee notes, and an earthy, leafy astringency, with a teeny weenie booze warming.

The carbonation is present, but typically welcome in its softness, the body a decent medium weight, and quite smooth, with a veritable creaminess. It finishes on the sweet side, the lactose - both milk and chocolate borne - filling the bill, with little else breaking through.

An agreeable enough milk stout, the alcohol well sublimated, and thus a certain balanced attained. However, there just doesn't seem to be a certain complexity that might carry this higher and farther in one's estimation.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:24:52 | More by biboergosum

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Surprisingly good chocolate beer from Steve in Warren. He added this one in July 2012 and I received in December. Really nice chocolate pudding flavour, that went well with my chocolate brunch. Dark chocolate bodied with a nice head. Very drinkable. One of the better ones I have had from them.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 03:10:32 | More by northyorksammy

stephens101

Oklahoma

3.89/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This brew has a slight tan head. Color is dark brown with crimson edges. Has a distinctly vanilla and milk chocolate aroma with black coffee and plum playing lesser roles. Tastes of palpable dark/milk chocolates, roasted nuts and dark fruits. Has a nice bitter finish that was a bit unexpected, but quite welcome. A subtle, contrary woodiness is noticed deep down, and the rebel in me digs it. Medium to heavy with a full on creamy body that lives up to its name. Has an abundance of alcohol heat but smooth overall. Mikey likes it.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 21:45:04 | More by stephens101

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I picked this up at Shady McGRady's, poured chilled in a tulip fromt he 12 oz bottle.

The color is the darkest opaque brown verging on black with thick medium brown head that falls to a ring of beads. The smell is very much like iced hot cocoa -creamy and sweet aroma with cocoa powder and vanilla in the nose. The moutfeel is pretty full with a lot of sweetness coating the mouth as a sweet stout feel should be, yet it adds a dryness with the alcohol leaving the palate a little more dry after each sip with moderately high carbonation.

The flavor is good with nice chocolate notes and some caramel malt backing with a mild hint of spice or the impression after the carbonation washess over the tongue. This is a pretty decent flavor of stout with mild creamy sweetness from lactose I am assuming. The finish is semi-dry from the sugary almost syrupy aspect. Overall this is a good beer, not the best, but it has nice flavor and it hides the 7% + abv well.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 14:02:23 | More by Slatetank

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Virtually black, medium brown head.

S - Chocolate syrup, milk chocolate, subtle hints of burnt brown sugar. Molasses cookies, and a touch of sweet coffee.

T - Chocolatey but not ultra sweet. The chocolate notes are more like chocolate cookies or cake, with hints of frosting. A sweet mocha flavored candy bar. Cocoa dusted grains, dry biscuit.

M - Slick and mildly viscous. The faint carbonation lends itself to the body and richness of this beer.

O - A tasty one, sweet but not annoyingly sweet. Tasty chocolate notes and dessert-like thoughts. Still a good stout body and slick feel.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 01:49:23 | More by BeerForMuscle

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A = poured into frozen tumbler and only got a slight head. Color was nice chocolate

S - nice dark malty smell

T - you can taste the notes of chocolate w/o it being overbearing. good stout flavor

M- carbonation not overbearing but enough to keep fresh if you are a slow drinker

O - worth buying again but not the best CCS I've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 23:23:33 | More by Segelstrom

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.74/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I picked up a bottle of Breckenridge's 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout last week for $1.89 at The Lager Mill. It's been a while since I have had a brew from Breckenridge and this one sounds pretty good, I'm interested to see how it turns out, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but It's fairly fresh since it just showed up. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- I really like the label of this beer, it looks nice, goes with the name, and I'm a sucker for Silk screened bottles, it's eye catching and it looks nice. It poured a nice black color that didn't really let any light come through and it had two fingers worth of medium tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some nice lacing behind. This is a good looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with medium amount of sweetness that had a milk sugar like aroma to it and was followed by some medium roasted malts, molasses, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and a very light amount of coffee that just barely shows up. Up next comes a creamy milk sugar and lactose like aroma that is just enough for the style. This beer had a nice aroma that was true to style and true to its name.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness that had a light milk sugar like flavor to it followed by some medium dark roasted malts, milk chocolate, and a slight bit of coffee towards the finish. After that I get some sweet and creamy lactose flavors. On the finish there's a lighter amount of medium bitterness followed by a sweet cream, roasted malt, and chocolate like aftertaste. This was a good tasting beer and it was very true to style, I enjoyed the taste.

M- Smooth, creamy, silky, on the lighter side of medium bodied, with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation The mouthfeel was nice, but I wish it was just a little thicker.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and a good example of the style, it had pretty much all the things that I look for in the style and the added chocolate aspect was nice and true to it's name. This beer had good drinkability, it was smooth and the flavors held my attention well, I could drink a couple of these, but this isn't the type of beer I would session, it has good drinkability for the style. What I liked the most about this beer was the how true to style it was, it was just what I want and expect from the style and it had good balance, the appearance was also pretty good. What I liked the least about this beer was the mouthfeel, it wasn't bad, but it would be nice if it was just a little thicker. I would buy this beer again when looking for a nice Milk Stout, I enjoyed it and it was priced right so I would buy it again and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the style. All in all I was happy with this beer, I've been let down a couple time by Breckenridge, but this one turned out pretty good and I would for sure be interested in trying more of their brews. It's not a favorite Milk Stout, but I think it's good and an enjoyable example of the style. Good Job guys, this beer was better than I expected.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 03:43:17 | More by StoutHunter

lstokes

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Very dark pour with a tan head and a burnt sugar nose. The taste continues the burnt sugar, but also cocoa, caramel, roast coffee, more sugar and dark chocolate. All of the right flavors for a dessert stout, with a silky mouthfeel, but almost too sweet. Nothing to make it stand out, although it's a good dessert stout that would probably be fun to pair.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:44:15 | More by lstokes

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.66/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into stout glass. Clean brown pour, jet black in the glass with visible carbonation, lets no light through. Fizzy dark tan head which dissipates leaving lovely lacing and film. Smell is sweet, smooth, coffee and chocolate, all in balance. Taste is similar; coffee and chocolate bitterness predominate up front, with a sweet silky finish that goes perfectly with the velvety mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:24:49 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

Thickfreakness

New York

3.66/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours deep chocolate brown with a light tan head that floats gently before fading and leaving a fine amount of thick foam sticking to the sides. Not much carbonation but I wouldn't expect that from a Milk Stout.
Fine dark chocolate, touches of bitter coffee and sweet heavy cream. Picking up just a faint hint of orange zest in the way deep backround. Nothing much to brag about here.
Semi bitter coffee, semi bitter chocolate, and not too sweet. Semi good tasting. The alcohol and a touch of sour dark fruit come thru a little bit. I'm not impressed, but it's not half bad either.
Medium thickness. Glides down your throat and hangs onto your tongue nicely. Leaves a nice creamy bitterness in the finish.
Glad I tried this, but it probably won't be anything I seek out again unless I'm having a Milk Stout tasting. I was hoping for more but overall very decent.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 00:44:37 | More by Thickfreakness

57md

Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dark brown with a finger and a half of beige head. The head retains for quite some time. The nose is mildly roasty. The consistency is creamy and the flavor includes mild chocolate notes. The finish is slightly astringent and includes a note of alcohol presence which is odd considering that this is a relatively low ABV imperial.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 21:29:15 | More by 57md

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz.

Pours jet black, tan lacing for a head.

Smells of roasted coffee, wood and cocoa.

Tastes of chocolate, oak, molasses, coffee and vanilla.

Medium to full creamy body with mild tingling carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

An above average stout, rich flavor, on the sweet side, with decent body. There are a few better stouts out there for sure, but this one is still worth trying and quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 20:05:14 | More by Cylinsier

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark and black. Cream colored head and good lacing. Aroma is strong sweet chocolate with dark malts. Flavor is consistent with dark malt flavor up front, vanilla in the middle and finishing with the chocolate. Nice vanilla-chocolate balance. Fairly low ABV for an imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 03:56:46 | More by Oakenator

robhbest

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into snifter.

A: Pours a pitch black, 1 finger off white head.

S: Not much smell here, slight chocolate tones, a little roasted malt.

T: Roasted coffee, Chocolate, caramel

M: Medium thick bodied, good carbonation

O: Nice drinking beer in one of my favorite styles. Wouldn't go out of my way for it as I don't see much chocolate resemblance as stated in the label however a decent stout regardless.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 02:22:30 | More by robhbest

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Love the screen printed style bottle. I wish more breweries were doing it.

This is a fairly direct stout with constant sweet tones that work pretty well. Not blowing me away or anything, but what's there is nice enough. The beer nerd in me would certainly like more complexity, but it is what it is. A pretty easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 04:19:33 | More by RblWthACoz

argock

Virginia

3.91/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a clear glass snifter. No freshness date. 4-pack purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $10.49.

A: Very dark brown to black with short-lived 1/2 finger of light beige head with a few scraps and dots of lace.

S: Very chocolatey aroma with raisin and prune aromas along with some espresso-ish aromas as well. No hops presence at all.

T: The flavor is also very chocolatey with a lot less coffee flavor than in the aroma. The dark maltiness with some dark fruitiness but a hefty dose of roast is in there. I don't get much licorice. The chocolate flavors are varied and hit multiple spots on the continuum - dark chocolate (up front), milk chocolate (aftertaste), brownie.

M: Very smooth and silky with medium body and light carbonation. Very drinkable.

O: A really good dark beer from Breckenridge Brewery. After their IIPA, I had not really found a lot of their packaged beers to pack much punch, but old '72 does with a tight package of chocolatey stout goodness.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 03:08:15 | More by argock

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

A: Dark black with half-finger, tan, fizzy head that lasted less than a minute. Pretty good lacing.

S: Roasted malt. Chocolate, milk, and coffee.

T: Moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness. Milk, coffee, roasted malt, alcohol.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Slightly smooth, and crisp.

O: I like this beer because it's an Imperial cream stout, and I haven't had too many of those. Tastes like an above average stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 03:01:25 | More by SolipsismalCat

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Picked this up at ShopRite Liquors in Wharton yesterday, hoping that this would be worth the $11.99 that I spent for a 4-pack. Hadn't had a Stout of this type in a while and thankfully, the smell and mouthfeel of the lactose was not overpowering. It was certainly present and this turned out to be one of the smoother Stouts that I've had in quite some time, as well as a beer where the alcohol was hidden quite well!

As to be expected, the pour was quite dark to this. There was a decent head, some lacing after each sip that slowly slid down the side of my pint glass, and a bit of a garnet edge when I held this up against the light. The first note that I smelled and tasted was that of milk chocolate, followed by some hearty malt, vanilla, and plain coffee. The mouthfeel was quite creamy with only a small hint of roasted and toasted notes in the aftertaste. No bitter chocolate here and the hops only seemed to add body and a slight warming effect to this, but not any flavor that I could easily discern.

The alcohol in this was well-hidden and only at the end could I feel the buzz kicking in. This was not that "sweet" but certainly fit the bill of a Cream Stout, while keeping a thinner-than-expected body and mouthfeel. The carbonation could have been a bit higher since there wouldn't have been a lot for it to compete it. As it, this was a decent beer that would be fine in its own as a dessert, but almost calls for something more bold and tart to counter it and help kick the subtle flavors up a notch.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 09:14:46 | More by JerzDevl2000

acelin

Kansas

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark brown with a minimal head, minimal lacing. From the bottle into a pint glass.

Smells of chocolate, some sweetness, dark roasted barley. Some alcohol.

Taste is smooth, thick, and almost chewy. Lots of sweetness, some dark fruit, creamy, roasted bread, mollasses, and vanilla.

Overall an ok beer, nothing amazing. There are better beers in this category.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 03:21:00 | More by acelin

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured cold from the bottle, it was a nice dark stout with minimal head. The smell was very sweet, chocolaty, and malty. Very creamy and chocolaty initial taste that turns quite sweet, because of the malts, and then finishes with subtle burnt aftertaste. Very low carbonation which, for me, is a MUST for a stout.

Would I buy it again? For the price of the four-pack... No. There are much better stouts available, but definitely worth a grab for something new to try.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 22:39:33 | More by NilocRellim

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle served in a snifter.

pours the customary stout dark brown, sits an opaque black; aggressive pour yields a finger or so of tan head with modest retention and some patchy lacing evident. nose offers milk chocolate with secondary notes of vanilla, roasted malt, and leather.

taste is middling, not really living up to expectations. the chocolate, vanilla, and roasted malt are all there, but just doesn't strike the chords i was hoping for. for one thing the chocolate presence is vaguely artificial. medium bodied mouthfeel with carbonation on the lower side of medium.

overall, it's OK. i didn't have to choke it down but nothing i'd trip over myself to obtain again. too many other better takes on the style out there IMO.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 22:23:41 | More by BostonHops

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer at their BBQ place at the brewery.

Beige starting head that leaves some stringy ring lace. Near black color where no light passes through.

Mild darker malt aromas.

Lots of darkened toast flavors up front, bordering on burnt. Slightly sweet, but there is no real chocolate flavor here. Well-balanced presence of hops--they take the back seat, but prevent the beer from being to coy. Think porter with a higher level of hop. Smooth aftertaste of toasty, darker malts. Rich body with a spritzy level of carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2012 16:23:37 | More by smcolw

Kraeusen

Maine

3.13/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Six pack purchased for $10.99 at local Fine wine/Beer store. Poured dark (as expected). Very little head but maybe poured a little too cold.I am a hop-head at heart so rating an Imperial Stout is not my forte.

Mouth feel is thick, taste is coffee then chocolate follows with that hint of cream/smoothness at the end. Aroma is just slightly alcohol that cannot be tasted.

Overall this is a good beer but as a Hop-head I don't have much to compare it to but I would call it a good beer. Nothing is bad at all. A style that I am just not used to but I appreciate the complex tastes that comes along with it. This beer showcases all the good things a stout brings to the table.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 16:30:15 | More by Kraeusen

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz Bottle from the Potsdam NY IGA for 3.50$

Appearance - Black/Brown colour with with an average size fizzy/frothy light brown head. I can't make out the amount of carbonation showing and there is some really good lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, chocolate, light smoke

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, chocolate, and some roasted/toasted nuts. There is also a bit of a smokiness and a bitter coffee flavour and some vanilla. It ends with a grainy chocolatey slightly aftertaste.

Overall - An okay beer.. there's something about it that just doesn't seem right. I feel like I can taste a bit of cheap booze flavour, but maybe I just have a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 00:08:44 | More by spinrsx

nickfl

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a small head of off white foam on top of an opaque, black body. The foam settles rapidly and leaves little lace on the glass.

S - Earthy chocolate with some musty coffee notes and a bit of caramel.

T - Lots of caramel and toffee up front. Some smoky coffee in the middle and a finish of earthy chocolate and light toffee.

M - Medium body moderately low carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - Not bad, the elaborate, compound named description implies something a bit more complex than what you get, but it is still an enjoyable beer. Really just a slightly smoky chocolate stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 04:38:48 | More by nickfl