Chocolate Sombrero - Clown Shoes

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thick black pour, with small retained head. Chocolate and sweet spicy aroma. A quality chocolate in liquid form, with spiciness and some heat. Fuller mouthfeel.Good drinkability, but woe to the one who drinks it all, a la me. I was burping up the chile and Cinnamon eight hours later.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 03:28:29 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown in color with a tan head. Heavy on the roasted malt with mild coffee and, despite the name, only a moderate chocolate aroma. The flavor is somewhat bitter, perhaps even astringent. There is some mild vanilla, a bit of chocolate and coffee, and quite a bit of roast. Another mediocre beer from Clown Shoes.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 21:35:25 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle - $7.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Bottled 5/2012.

Appearance: Pours out an unassuming black body with a couple inches of mocha-toned foam. Only a bit of lacing present.

Smell: Cinnamon dusted and chocolate glazed chiles yielding some earnest promises of spice and a slight vegetal undertone, plus vanilla and a fair amount of roastiness throughout.

Taste: Roasty, chocolaty malts and plenty of them served with a chilled shot of vanilla-infused coffee. Also, a generous dose of ground cinnamon corralling the moderate amount of sweetness present. Ancho chiles are present, but, at least a few sips in, it isn't knocking me over with any heat. On the latter half of the bottle, the heat still isn't manifesting itself into anything overblown. Chocolate, spicy finish with little hints of lingering heat, spice, and alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: I dug it! I do enjoy cinnamon, and I do enjoy some chile heat, but, at some point, both can get summarily ghastly quickly. Thankfully, I found the levels of both to be pleasant and well-incorporated within the rest of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 22:54:46 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle I brought to share at jmgrub's birthday tasting.

Bottled 12/20/12.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon. Taste is much the same a cocoa flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness and chile heat on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some interesting aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 02:50:24 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured jet black into my imperial nonic,a thinner deep beige colored head atop.Alot of vanilla and chocolate in the nose,as it sat more the alcohol sweetness along with some dark fruit came into play,not much ancho presence.Flavors of vanilla and bakers chocolate were nice but the ancho chilli flavors were very light wich I was hoping to get more of,nicely roasted in the finish.It's a double stout with rich flavors just lacking the chilli flavors wich was the main reason I bought the beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 13:21:30 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.89/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter at Firkin.

This seems like a good companion to my spicy pork sandwich... It pours a straight onyx topped by a finger of tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, cocoa, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla bean. The taste brings in more of the same, though here the spices take a back seat to the stronger contingents of cocoa and roast. There ain't any peppers to be seen, though... The body is a hefty-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, a very nice spiced stout, but the lack of any chile character leaves me wanting a bit. Still, good times.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2013 16:01:20 | More by TMoney2591

Mora2000

Texas

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a very dark brown to black color with a tan head. The first thing I get in the aroma is a ton of chocolate, with a little bit of roasted malt. I also get some nice cinnamon notes in the aroma. The flavor is a little more complex. The chocolate notes go very well with some nice heat and flavor from the peppers. There is also a little cinnamon, but it is stronger in the aroma than the flavor. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice beer, glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 02:45:55 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On-tap at The Distillery, Savannah, GA

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with wispy tan bubbles on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of dark chocolate are present in the nose.
T: The taste has mostly flavors of chocolate along with notes of vanilla and roasted malts. A light amount of bitterness is present. Hints of spiciness from the chili peppers are noticeable towards the finish.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: If you really like dark chocolate malts, this is a nice stout that is 't too bitter or toasty. The chili peppers are very subtle and are only noticeable in the finish.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2013 19:41:21 | More by metter98

emerge077

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 5/2012.

Pours black into a dimpled mug with a crown of lacing inside the glass. Foam subsides after the initial pour, fizzling a little bit. Surface has a creamy texture, and the skim breaks after the first sip or two.

Roasted malt aroma, basic and straightforward. Not picking up much ancho or vanilla yet.

Tastes alright but still not much in the way of complexity. Roasted malt and some light vanilla traces and a little earthy sweetness that could possibly be attributed to ancho chilies, but not for certain. Medium bodied and fairly smooth. A slight tingle in the aftertaste that points to ancho again, though chocolate dominates. A good stout overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 01:53:21 | More by emerge077

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Modest beige head, slow to fade, leaves plenty of spotty lace on the glass. The liquid is near black--no light passes.

The smell reminds me of baker's chocolate with whole milk added. It doesn't smell like milk chocolate, though. It is also not chalky like some.

Rich cocoa and dark chocolate flavors. The swallow has a nice spicy hop along with some warming alcohol bite. The body is rich with an elevated level of carbonation. Not very sweet. An easy-to-drink stout. Taste-wise, it's hard to believe its an Imperial styled one.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 22:36:47 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a two finger khaki head that vanishes leaving traces of lace. Black color, no highlights, a little yeast left in bottle. Light-medium carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Baked chocolate nose and flavor is sweet baked chocolate. No hint of the ancho chile. Higher ABV is hidden. $8.99 for a 22oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT. Bottled 2/2012.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 22:32:02 | More by jdhilt

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

New Clown Shoes, excited!

Pours a darker but not very dark colored head of about a finger, fluffy head fades slowly with nice lacing, over pitch black thicker colored beer.

Nose starts with chalky powdered chocolate, cocoa, a candy fluffy chocolate like that soft creamy chocolate whip, a light roasted malt and coffee, hint of caramel, a biscuity malt and nutty and a cinnamon like spice aroma, a light creamy milk chocolate, and a hint of a chili like aroma.

Taste starts with more chocolate malt, chalky powdered cocoa, a cocoa butter like or chocolate oil that went bad a bit and maybe slightly curdled. Creamy milk chocolate, blended with a hint of soft candy chocolate. Nutty flavors again, with a light biscuit malt, and hints of cinnamon and chili pepper again. Then caramel, vanilla, and a light bitter earthy like hop taste, light spicy hops and earthy almost herbal, and light roasted malt with a bit of coffee and bitterness. A bit of booze kicks in, with a warmth and touch of tingle. Finish is creamy with more milk chocolate that went slightly bad, and cocoa butter, light spices and nutty malts, a bit of booze, and bitter hops linger.

Mouth is fuller bodied, decent carb, some booze.

Overall not bad, interesting malts and chocolate flavors, but a bit of a bad spoiled chocolate like flavor, bit of hops, bit of booze, somewhat drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 03:43:17 | More by jlindros

Zorro

California

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear but dark brown colored beer with a small brown head that fades.

Wow this is a serious chocolate beer. STRONG chocolate. Fruity chile smell along with a little nasal itch. Smells like there is a dose of Kahlua added to it. The chocolate, cinnamon and chile scent is a fair approximation of Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Starts out with a big chocolate and fruit taste. Chocolate and patent malt fairly bittersweet in flavor. On the sweet side, there is some cinnamon and vanilla but this really is a chocolate beer.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a pretty tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 03:17:12 | More by Zorro

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Nice looking beer. Opaque body with a chocolate brown head that leaves nice lace. Aroma is very inviting. Chocolate and caramel malt. Roasted malt. Slight pepper. Flavor profile brings more of the same. The pepper is there, but very light. Perfect for this beer. Chocolate/caramel malt base is superb in this beer. Roasted, coffee like tones are subtle, but there. Light amounts of pepper heat. And a really nice milk sugar, milk stout like presence on the buds. Light-medium bodied and smooth and velvety. Quite enjoyable. Hitting 3 for 4 now with these Clown Shoes beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 04:47:48 | More by Bighuge

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled the other day at Matt's (slatetanks) birthday stout tasting.

The beer pours a darkish brown color with good head retention and lacing. I get a lot of coco krisp cereal on the nose, with a hint of underlying tobacco. The chocolate dominates and is pleasant. The flavor profile replicates the nose, but this really comes across as more of a brown ale, one that has had a great deal of nestle's quick added to it. There's also some light heat and bitterness on the finish, but it's pretty subtle. Alcohol is completely unnoticeable, and I was surprised to learn of the 9% abv.

A decent beer, but really nothing special either. I'm not a big brown ale fan, and that's what this comes across as... a brown ale that has had a considerable amount of chocolate added to it. I really did pick up much of the chili flavor at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 20:31:59 | More by johnmichaelsen

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA

Served in a snifter, a dark brown-black color with a thin chocolate brown head that receded to a ringlet within a minute or two. Mostly roasty dark malts in the aroma, and not much of anything else. Taste was roasty as predicted, dark malts, coffee bitterness and cocoa up front, with an underlying sweetness. I didn't like this very much at first, but with time and a bit of warming, the bitterness faded, and the mouthfeel became much smoother, some semi-sweet chocolate came out, though the flavor actually seemed to wane quite a bit. Still a decent brew overall and quite drinkable, but I probably won't revisit it any time soon.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2012 12:22:48 | More by Rifugium

Brad007

Vermont

4.75/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Wow, another example of this style from Clown Shoes. I'm starting to warm up to their lineup.

Pours a wicked black with a one-finger brown head into my glass. Reminds me of chocolate milk.

Roasty, spicy, creamy with good interplay between the ancho chile and vanilla extract.

Mmmmm. Dark, roasty malt that's creamy with a mixture of spicy chile, cinnamon and vanilla flavors. There's plenty of balance as-is to keep any one flavor from dominating, etc.

Carbonation is ok and helps keep it from being a cloying mess. I can see this aging very well though to where the flavors come out better.

Very good! I'm buying another bottle for aging purposes.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 02:19:21 | More by Brad007

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a couple of pints. The brew appears a dark brown with lighter brown clarity seen around the edges. A mocha head sitd atop with a finger strength and patchy to stringy lace sticks to the glass.

The smell is roasty with chocolate and char. A bit of fruity accent with earth and tobacco. As it warms up, the earthen aspect becomes familiar to other stouts that have peppers added.

The taste is bitter with roast. Unsweetned chocolate, coffee and tangy alcohol mix with mild peppery spice that gives a light warmth from a combo of alcohol and pepper. As it warms up, there is some mild cinnamon and more pepper flavor than spicy quality.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. It is smooth and easy drinking with a nice mix of flavor. Its worth a try and nice balance without the pepper inclusion being too dominating.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 16:02:12 | More by stakem

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A solid beer, where the chocolate and spice comes through nicely. Quite light in body, which is both good and bad. It's relatively easy to drink, and the alcohol,is well hidden, but it may be a tad too light- a little more body and sweetness would help the heat and chocolate to shine more. I do like the ancho flavor- it's mild enough not to dominate and just add an accent, but not so light you can't notice it for what it is, and it marries very well with the chocolate. Some cinnamon and vanilla flavors round it out a bit, but those could be deeper. All in all I definitely enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 02:31:47 | More by Georgiabeer

mactrail

California

3.6/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep and dark in the tall Petrus tulip. Decent head with a tan tint. Not the most carbonated beer. Great aroma of spice cake and cocoa with cinnamon.

I think of chocolate gingerbread cake. I can't think of much else to say. Lots of cinnamon mixed with a strong cocoa flavor. Possibly some hops to give it a little edge. The Copper Kettle brewpub in Denver makes a highly-rated Mexican Chocolate Stout which this reminds me of. The Sombrero is a little stronger, and the chocolate and spice seems to work as a RIS. Dark burnt malt but a lot of sugar.

From the 22 oz bottle purchased from Food and Friends in Philadelphia. Thoroughly pleasant, and highly sippable, but hardly worth the freight for my wallet.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 03:10:38 | More by mactrail

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Comes out of the bottle a rich, warm sable just a red tomcat whisker above black. Head is fairly thick, fine-bubbled, and toasty tan. Aroma has chocolate, coffee, nutty and earthy notes, very appealing. Flavor fills the mouth with semi-sweet chocolate, quality coffee, nutty and earthy notes plus hints of caramel and hops. Full-bodied texture has plenty of tingle and fizz. Now, how does one say "Excellent beer" in Mexican Spanish?

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 22:52:07 | More by Cyberkedi

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Dr G. for sharing this on my birthday -enjoyed chilled in a cervoise.

The color is an opaque black shade with thin tap cap and average sized bead with decent retention and little lace. The smell is very strong with cocoa in the nose and lots of sweet roasted notes with earthy ester from the yeast however the spice is there and low alcohol aroma. The feel is good with sweet, creamy and moderately carbonated and light alcohol tinge with warming from both the spice and a mild bitterness is present in the finish.

Taste of the chocolate malt is high in this stout with cocoa presence and slight creamy spicy flavor with vanilla and noticeable heat with pepper and cinnamon coming through. The alcohol is noticeable but the cinnamon flavor is pleasant when blended with the cocoa and pepper. The strong toasted flavors create a backdrop for the slight cocoa lingering in the finish. Overall this is a pretty good beer all in all it is mild in spice though which is better than going overboard most of the time. I would drink this again since it has a nice amount of cocoa flavor and is quaffable, even if not the best of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 16:26:52 | More by Slatetank

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle pours a mostly black color with a pretty nice cap of tan head. Nice retention and has some draping lace that is nice.

Nose is some dulce de leche candy rolled in some crushed hop cones. Light caramel and sugar with a decent amount of milky richness.

Taste is nice and toasty with lots of caramel. For those that dont get traditional Mexican candies, this beer doesn’t stray too far from the intended flavour. Man...You might be able to simmer some shredded chicken in this and pass it off as mole! Good beer, great concept and the Clowns have executed this one damn near perfectly! Props on this one!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 01:49:07 | More by twiggamortis420

bluejacket74

Ohio

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

22 ounce bottle, label says bottled 5/2012. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like roasted malt, chocolate, and some chilies and vanilla. Taste is pretty much the same as the aroma, but the chilies are more noticeable now, along with the addition of a bit of cinnamon. The chilies aren't hot at all, but the mild chile flavor works well with this brew. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a bit creamy and slick with moderate carbonation. I think it's a good overall brew, although I do wish the chilies would have been hotter. But with that being said, it's worth trying and I would buy this again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 00:51:49 | More by bluejacket74

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Hoyt for sharing this bomber

A - pitch black with a big, thick cap of brown, chocolaty head that has great retention

S - cinnamon, chocolate, faint coffee, roasted malts

T - roasted malts, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, big rich chocolate throughout

M - full bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a really smooth stout with tremendous flavor. The spices blend nicely with the rich chocolate base. The coffee and roasted notes play nicely throughout. This was a really enjoyable stout. It's definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 13:44:51 | More by tdm168