Chocolate Stout - Fort Collins Brewing

homebrew311

Illinois

3.46/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dark brown with a little bit of light passage, short tan head, significant lacing. Nose is heavily roasted with mild waves of coffee and cocoa. Taste has an astringent chocolate bitterness with bits of sweetness scattered in. Overall a dry flavor with plenty of roast. Mouthfeel is thin and highly carbonated.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2013 21:41:06 | More by homebrew311

JayS2629

Alabama

3.33/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I was excited about this one. I love chocolate stouts. You could tell all the flavor came from actual grains in this, and that is to their credit. However, the roasted/coffee flavors were bigger than the chocolate. The cocoa like flavor was very subdued.

It poured a dark brown that had a big head that faded fast into a film that left broken, thin rings of lace.

The aroma was of roasted malt, burnt sugar, and unsweetened cocoa with some earthy hops.

The taste was ok. It was overly roasted and not enough cocoa flavors. Unbalanced and overly hopped.

The mouthfeel was good. It was a bit chalky and porter like instead of stout and smooth.

Overall, it was good quality and drinkable. It was also dissapointing for what I expected. I expected some chocolate flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 15:23:27 | More by JayS2629

MrDonQuixote

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Fort Collins Brewery-

A- Dark oily black with a thick white head

S- oak smell, intense chocolate character

T- Intense chocolate flavor, with a heavy aftertaste that is quite good; nice finish

M- A bit less smooth then most stouts, a bit 'meh' going down

O- Decent as far as stouts go, well bodied stout, with a good flavor

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2011 05:45:14 | More by MrDonQuixote

Schmittymack

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this one on tap at my watering hole Thurs, 26 Aug.

This one was a dark brown, not quite black in appearance. Had a creamy head with decent lacing in the shaker glass. Mouthfell was a little on the thinner side but the taste was there: chocolate and perhaps some coffee. I've had this one on several occassions in the bottle but I defiintely like it on tap better. Better chocolate stouts out there but this one is tasty enough.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2010 04:29:19 | More by Schmittymack

ImusBeer

Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

At Taco Mac, came in 22oz, black with no head and no lacing

Very little aroma, roasted malt and charcol. 

Tasted sharp almost anticeptic, roasted malt and burnt wood

Mouthfeel was light almost watery not much bitterness.

not really impressed more like a brown ale or porter to me

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2010 21:28:34 | More by ImusBeer

sprucetip

Alaska

3.93/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes. On tap at the Blind Tiger in NYC> Black, thin tan head stays for a while, leaves some lacing. SMELLS roasty, chocolate, malty sweet. Pleasant, but faint. TASTES like roasty coffee, bitter chocolate, hop bitterness and sweet maltiness, all balanced and working well together. FEEL the moderate carbonation and fiz, mildly viscous, thin side of medium body, clean finish. DRINKS very easily, and I've just learned it is only 5+ %, so that is understandable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2009 07:08:49 | More by sprucetip

dananabanana

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark black, perhaps a little brown in the light. No head, just a little dollop of white foam.

S: Vaguely sweet, not much else.

T: Slightly bitter, but mostly sweet. A little alcoholic tang. Some chocolate, but not as pronounced as the beer's name would lead you to believe.

M: Not really creamy like other stouts, but crisp instead. Carbonation is a little too strong.

D: Easy to drink, but kinda boring. Not too heavy in the stomach.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2009 15:09:22 | More by dananabanana

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this on tap at the Blind Tiger Ale House in New York City. This was about the only beer that they were pouring that I hadn't tried yet or could find on sale via retail. I didn't know anything about this brewery or it's beers, but I can honestly say after giving this a good 40 minutes to warm up in my hand that this has to be the thinnest stout that I've ever had...

The pour was what one would expect - dark, but not black, with just a hint of almond brown at the edges. The head was creamy and not too tall, while the lacing was never anywhere to be seen. That should have been the first sign that something was amiss here, but the taste and mouthfeel sealed the deal. Yeah, there's some black chocolate here with some black coffee and espresso notes, but this was just too weak up front and too repugnantly bitter in the back. This never caught on with me even as my glass warmed up.

I don't expect stouts to be session beers, but this nearly fit the bill. If they're motor-oil thick, full of oatmeal, chocolate, or roasted malt, and smoothly bitter in the back, they can be wonderful. This was the first, and hopefully, "generic stout" that I've ever had and seeing how this beer has a higher rating then what I'm giving it, I have a feeling that something got lost in translation between the Centennial State and here. For some reason, I still refuse to believe that any stout could be this weak...

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2008 08:16:00 | More by JerzDevl2000

currysage1

Maine

3.85/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Stoney's in South Hadley, Ma.

Appearance is just what a stout should be, dark as night with just some peeking amber red at the corners. Good 1 1/2 finger chocolate milk head, rocky.

Smell was mostly of coffee, not so much of the chocolate I was expecting. Some dark malt and roasted cereal grains as well.

Mocha goodness, like a mocha shake almost. The taste is solid, could be more complex but certainly nice. Quite a drinkable stout, could use a dose more of the cocoa, but other than that a solid brew from Fort Collins. Somewhat like a Milk Stout, for the sweetness and the texture, but a little heavier.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2008 14:25:10 | More by currysage1

Kendo

New York

3.8/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Got it on tap at the Lionheart in Albany.

A: Body is dark brown/black (hard to tell exactly in a relatively dark bar) with a small, chocolate milk-colored head. Leaves behind good lacing.

S: Not terribly strong, but pleasant enough for this style -- mainly chocolate and dark roasted coffee.

T: Similar to the nose, only the flavors are stronger. Roasted coffee and dark bakers' chocolate dominate up front. Coffee bitterness and dark chocolate bitterness are there at the end. Finishes very dry, and with a lingering almost metallic taste.

M: Lighter than expected in heft -- I'd say this is on the lighter side of medium-bodied, to be honest; a bit thin for the style and that thinness may have contributed to the perception of a metallic taste at the finish.

D: Good -- it wasn't heavy bodied, yet had some good flavors going on, so it went down pretty easy.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2008 22:05:58 | More by Kendo

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On draught at Vintage Estates in Boardman. The beer is a dark brown color with a medium thick and rocky beige head that has decent retention. Rings of lacing on the glass. The aroma is roasted malt with touches of chocolate and sweet fruit. Medium, glassy smooth body that feels thin at times with roasted malt and chocolate flavors over top light coffee and hops. The finish is creamy and roasty and leaves a sweet chocolate aftertaste. Although there isn’t really anything wrong with this beer, there are far better Chocolate Stouts out there.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2007 19:53:14 | More by Dogbrick

paulthebeerguru

Florida

3.35/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

on tap at the brewery. dark rich ruby in color. very light on the flavor, i thought that this would stand up a little bit more than it did. light on the chocolate flavor, compared to other chocolate stouts. on a positive note, it is a good session chocolate stout.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2007 07:53:28 | More by paulthebeerguru

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

With cocoa, more than chocolate, and charred grains at the forefront, a malty-milky flavor and feel rounds out this medium-full Stout.

Pouring with a dark and onyx-like sheen, the dark brown ale builds a creme of foam in a very espresso-like fashion. Light lacing and good retention rounds out the aesthetic attributes.

Bittersweet chocolate, malted milk, nutty coffees, and a light vanilla-caramel blend become the start and stop of aromas. Firm, masculine, and confident in its simplicity.

Sweet with medium maltiness, light caramel, and the flavor of heavy cream and vanilla are all promising, but leaves room for a grainy and char flavor that's a bit acrid and biting. Cocoa powder, coffee grounds, walnuts round out the flavors after the more rounded and richer flavors of malt subside. The bitterness, part from hops and part from roast, both transition from the malty start and into a dry-roasty taste in finish.

Creamy, rich, and lightly velvety to start, the beer turns grainy, astringent with the char, and with accessive powdery burnt textures just after mid palate, thus causing an interrupted finish of grain, char, and bitter cocoa.

All the initial impressions of this Stout are very promising. But as the procession of flavor and texture march across the surfaces of the mouht, the beer seems to waiver and then eventually fall apart, leaving the beer fractured with grain, astringency, and harshness. So it's a tale of two halves. I guess the key is to keep drinking so that the finish has no chance to make an impression.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2007 19:45:06 | More by BEERchitect

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found this on tap on Old Chicago.
Pours a dark black, with off brown/tan head. Smell of light coffee and soft chocolate are noticeable.
Taste is more of roasted malt and coffee, no chocolate to speak of. I rather average stout, but since I like stouts I give a bump in review. Easy drinking, not at all sticky and good finish.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2007 23:07:47 | More by Mebuzzard

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.61/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a nearly pitch black color with a one finger tan colored head. The head fades relativity fast leaving a moderate level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is of a heavy roasted malt smell mixed with a sweet chocolate/cocoa aroma as well as some sweeter notes of vanilla and some caramel.

Taste – The taste begins with a roasted malt flavor with some lighter dark chocolate flavors. The flavor is lightly sweet upfront with it growing even slightly sweeter as the flavor advances toward the middle of the taste. The sweeter flavors are mainly of a chocolate and light vanilla flavor but have hints of an almost lighter fruit like sweetness and a bit of caramel mixed within. Toward the end a bit of bitterness comes to the tongue in the form of a more earthy and herbal hop flavor leaving a rather roasted, moderately dry and chocolaty flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer is on the medium side with a nice smoothness and a carbonation level that is rather average. Both are rather nice for the darker flavors of the brew and make for a fairly nice fuller feel overall.

Overall – A rather nice stout with a good chocolate and roasted malt flavor which still maintains a rather easy drinking character.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 05:04:44 | More by Darkmagus82

smakawhat

Maryland

3.66/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A nice styrofoam like looking head, three fingers tall with lots of staying power and a light cocoa cream faint tan color, that clumps and hangs. Body is a very dark dark walnut brown, with a good ability to see some fast rising plentiful carbonation if you look closely.

Nose brings a nice powdery whiff of dark chocolate, but it's fleeting and gives way more to a real nice light roasty malt grain. Good husky big thick grain quality, with a nice mixing chocolate angle. Basic, not varied, but simple and solid.

Palate even for a light stout comes off quite wet still, really doesn't coat well. Grainy tasting finish mixing with a light bitterness of chocolate. No sweetness. Roast character is more akin to a light coffee but with no cream action. Good roast quality with a matching chocolate bitterness.

Overall a nice light chocolate stout, not bad, kind of interesting. I could have this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 21:55:13 | More by smakawhat

Mojo

Alabama

4/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours up a deep black with ruby highlights a nice one finger caramel colored head, decent retention, and a healthy bit of lacing. Nose is chocolate, roasted nuts, and coffee, very nice. Taset is sweet up front with notes of malt and cola. Finish is chocolate, coffee, caramel, and nuts. Mouthfeel is very pleasant. Loved this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 03:29:24 | More by Mojo

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I love the color of this stout as it seems more radiant than most almost to an opal like finish. A four goes to the color because the body is just weak with loads of bubbles and a thin head.

The scent is nice with dry chocolate highlights, tinges of coffee, light Graham cracker and chalky malt.

The taste is rather uneventful, thin in taste and feel and a touch watery. Roast coffee, dry powdered chocolate and burnt, smoky embers touch the tongue but never really grab you. I feel like there's more to be done here, perhaps an Imperial style to really impress but this is somewhat disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 22:55:27 | More by KYGunner

snarksdad

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This one happens to be available year round in my area and has become a staple in my beer cabinet. Maybe I'm a little biased on it but I certainly think it deserves a higher rating then I see here. I think it is close to excellent for a chocolate stout. Maybe it is downrated a bit since it has a relatively low ABV for a stout and that's OK, just means I can drink more of them before I fall down...

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 22:59:35 | More by snarksdad

Shagtastic

Indiana

3.3/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into my new Christmas Pint Glass

A: Just looks alright, not much head visible. Loses points for me for no ABV on the label.

S: Your standard chocolate stout. Really not overly chocolate but I do like the fact that it isn't artificial smelling.

T: Pretty smooth which I like in my stouts. Bits of chocolate and roastiness here and there but nothing overwhelming.

M: After looking into the abv level this beer gets bonus points. It is really drinkable right now and I think I could knock out a sixer of this pretty easily.

Overall: Pretty much the definition of average for me. Not bad at all but nothing mind blowing here. Grab it if you need an easy stout fix

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 23:32:28 | More by Shagtastic

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.45/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter

A: Caramel brown colored with a half finger tan head. Decent retention. Frothy lacing.

S: Licorice, leather, malts

T: Coffee start with a semi-sweet chocolate finish. A good malt presense. Light hops in the mix. Smooth.

M: Medium with light carbonation. A bit watery.

O: A good stepping stone chocolate stout. Nothing overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 18:54:15 | More by brewskifan55

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep, dark brown, almost black color with a nice one finger fluffy eggshell colored head, decent retention.

The scent is of roasted malt, sweet chocolate, and some notes of coffee.

The taste is first of dark, roasted malts, some sweet chocolate and some cocoa, slight notes of burnt coffee.

Full body, smooth but a little too crisp for the style.
Overall:

This was a slightly above average stout, nice balanced flavor and pretty easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 15:13:47 | More by BeerCon5

kagent777

Utah

3.25/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle from Denver during a trip in February of 2012. I poured this beer into my CCB snifter. Did not have a bottled on date.

Appearance: I cannot see through this beer because it is very black. The one finger head settled rather quickly but left a swirly sort or film atop the beer that looks somewhat like a bowling ball :)

Smell: Roasted malts with a hint of bittersweet chocolate with the smallest touch of earth herbal hops. Actually pretty straight-forward.

Taste: The whole taste seems a little thin on flavor. The chocolate and roasted notes are first, followed by an odd metallic sort of taste. A lingering semi-sweetness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is smooth, but all in all feels quite thin. Carbonation is OK.

Overall: Sorry Fort Collins, I would reach for other beers before this one again.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 03:29:36 | More by kagent777

The_1084

4.23/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a black color with a tan head roughly 1 finger in width that dissipates rather quickly, leaving a decent lacing.

S - Has the aroma of roasted malts with hints of chocolate.

T - The hops are present in this stout, but are balanced out nicely with flavors of chocolate and roasted malts.

M - A crisp, full-bodied beer with medium carbonation; very easy to drink.

O - Not my favorite stout, but nonetheless a good stout. It has an easy drink-ability with great taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 07:16:03 | More by The_1084

BigPlay1824

New York

2.9/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Enjoyed in a pint glass

A: pours an impenetrable black with three inches of very frothy large bubbled mocha brown head which lingers for quite a nice amount of time before dissipating and leaving a small amount of lacing
S: nice chocolate malt notes and something that, unfortunately, reminds me of a wet dog
T: chocolate malts, kind of chalky like powdered chocolate, bit of an odd sweetness on the tail end
M: slight carbonation tingle, leaves the mouth feeling oddly caked in chalk, not the best
O: ive had this one in the fridge for about 8 months now, given the style i dont think thats too big of a sin but this is not the best beer in the world to say the least, there are many more beers out there of this style that are much easier to get and much more well rounded, appearance was the best part of this brew, the rest was downhill

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 01:17:29 | More by BigPlay1824