The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Jason

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz brown bottle with no freshness date, batch #1 on back.

LOOK: Three fingers of froth, nearly pitch black

SMELL: Dark chocolate, faint coffee, peppery, mild spice, figgy, malty, toasted bread, caramel

TASTE: Sweet, creamy, slick, full bodied, mild mocha character, dark fruit, faintly peppery, modest hopping, light pepper warmth, sweet finish

Its a bock, I get it ... just too damn sweet for my liking. Not enough chili pepper or chocolate to back this beer up. Played it very safe here.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 03:25:50 | More by Jason

Brew33

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -26.1%

06-12-2013 16:29:43 | More by Brew33

tbryan5

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

05-31-2013 23:42:24 | More by tbryan5

Smurf2055

Washington

3.51/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a porter-like brown with a large three finger head. Pretty nice lacing to it.

Smells somewhat wheaty and malty. Can’t get the chocolate, but I’m picking up some of the peppers.

Somewhat of a chalky taste. Good carbonation.

I’m not really a fan of the bock, but this is pretty good. Very drinkable at 8.5%. The chili and chocolate are very faint, but that’s not a bad thing. Very surprised with this beer. I’ve had some of the Imperial Series, and still don’t consider Sam Adams one of my favorites, but this one avoided the taste that seems to come with every other Sam Adams beer I’ve ever had. Not bashing on Sam Adams, either. It’s just that a few of their craft brews are not even close to standard. Overall, very good. I might just have to try some of the others of this series

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 06:25:27 | More by Smurf2055

jokulhaps

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-13-2013 02:45:43 | More by jokulhaps

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-09-2013 22:03:07 | More by Kegatron

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

1/5  rDev -73.1%

05-09-2013 02:25:49 | More by tommyguz

videofrog

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-06-2013 03:41:44 | More by videofrog

Grinky

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

05-02-2013 03:16:10 | More by Grinky

2beerdogs

California

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

05-01-2013 06:01:30 | More by 2beerdogs

FliryVorru

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

04-29-2013 17:51:29 | More by FliryVorru

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

04-23-2013 06:17:35 | More by Kelp

jsanford

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

04-14-2013 20:30:38 | More by jsanford

ItsBeer4Me

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

04-11-2013 19:45:25 | More by ItsBeer4Me

M1k3y

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-05-2013 05:01:24 | More by M1k3y

zestd

Idaho

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

03-29-2013 22:39:33 | More by zestd

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle given to me by my brewing lecturer, nice guy that he is. Shared with Sam.

Pours a solid deep brown, quite consistent throughout its length, and genuinely brown. Head forms a full frothy crown of silky pale brown that stays around quite persistently. Nice fine carbonation and fine lacing around the edge. The body looks a little lighter than I expected, but otherwise it's a very nice looking beer.

Nose is sweet and chocolatey, with a slight spicy character that says "cinnamon" more than "chilli" to me. Indeed, it smells like churros dipping sauce. There's a light peppery character to it as well. It's quite pleasant, without being particularly big or complex.

Taste is a bit flat, but has some interest to it at least. There's certainly a persistent flat cocoa character throughout the beer, with a musty Mexican chocolate molé flavour. Some sharpness on the back suggests a hint of the booze, but the beer itself is a little flat and a little thin. The sweetness is omnipresent, but muted, meaning that it never really coats the tongue, or expresses everything I feel it has to express.

Feel is pretty good. Smooth but soft, with a lightness that stops it from being too heavy.

Despite this pleasant lightness, I feel like the beer could be richer and more exciting overall. It's still pretty solid, but it doesn't really run with the potential it shows. It could use more of something: chilli, chocolate, goat? Whatever it needs, bring it in the next iteration please.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 09:28:05 | More by lacqueredmouse

BGsWo22

New York

2.5/5  rDev -32.8%

03-20-2013 23:37:57 | More by BGsWo22

beertardis

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

03-18-2013 12:16:28 | More by beertardis

jrhuddle

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

03-17-2013 00:36:31 | More by jrhuddle

redsoxfan73

New York

4.5/5  rDev +21%

03-16-2013 19:52:02 | More by redsoxfan73

elowan

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.5%

03-16-2013 18:48:41 | More by elowan

Bsavigo

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +7.5%

03-16-2013 05:08:35 | More by Bsavigo

KattM2013

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Its color is deep brown, almost black, with a creamy tan colored head.

S: The aroma is very complex but notes of sweet chocolate and chili are definitely prominent.

T: The taste is similar to the aroma with chocolate hitting the palate up front and the chili setting in after.

O: The sublte quality of the chili is what makes this beer so great in my opinion. The sharpness following the sweet chocolate makes The "Vixen" exactly that!

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2013 04:56:21 | More by KattM2013

MAbeerNE1

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -26.1%

03-14-2013 19:05:38 | More by MAbeerNE1