Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Dunkler Bock
Boston, Massachusetts USA

When I tried this I saw "chocolate" on the label and I guess I anticipated a stout type beer with chocolatey notes, but this really is a chocolate bock in terms of flavor and character. Not as heavy as I thought it would be, this was definitely interesting to try.

Year old Magnum size bottle. Props for the impressive king’s imperial court style bottle with the "metal" logo. Has a deep roasted chestnut color, bordering on black with a thin tan head. Aroma is nothing but sweet chocolate that strays close to straight cocoa powder. For the most part the taste is dominated by chocolate with no hops and a touch of malt to prop it up. Decidedly thin on the palate with a noticeable fizzy carbonation. Lacks the complexity of other chocolate flavored beers, but showcases a Hershey’s style milk chocolate better than any beer I’ve ever had. I swear 4th graders who had never tried beer would kill each other for this stuff. Overall I’d call it unique, because it really is "chocolately", but lacks the depth and richness of other chocolate oriented beers. I actually think the bock style used to showcase the chocolate works great except for the fact that the relatively thin lager body is a little too watery to support a strong chocolate or cocoa flavor. Maybe a little too much "hot cocoa by the campfire" for my taste. May get you laid by chicks that aren’t really into beer but love chocolate.

An underwhelming chocolatey sweet bock with a thin, watery feel. It’s not a bad looking beer. They get points for the awesome metal sticker bottle, alone. The beer is very dark and the head comes up nicely if with somewhat less staying power and stickiness than hoped for. The smell is sweet and too thin but very chocolatey. The chocolate is just not complex enough to garner a higher score. The same problems exist on the palette, but they’re even more pronounced. It tastes more like cocoa than chocolate. It’s just not really my thing, but I can understand how someone could enjoy it. The feel is thin, a bit watery and works against the chocolate. It just tastes more like cocoa water than anything else. It just really lacks complexity. I’m fairly shocked that Boston Beer is selling this beer for so much money. It’s a great bottle, but there are better chocolate beers for a third of the price. I know it’s a bock and maybe some folks like that, but it’s nature as a bock takes a big backseat with this beer. These Sam Adams fancy beers are kind of hit or miss.

Bottle. Treated myself to this treat for Christmas last year. It was really good. Nice balance in the flavor and not near as sweet as one would think. Great beer.

Pours a super deep brown, almost black. Looks great under the light. Average sized brown head. Aroma is chocolate, raisins and malts. This beer is tastes exactly like it’s name: it IS essentially a bock that tastes like chocolate. Body is actually rather thin, a bit fizzy and finish is long. Good stuff.

Pours a very dark almost black colour with a little brownish head. Aroma is of Fizz/Effervescence with some malts, sugars, and spice. Flavour is chocolately with some thiness and lightness. It has a balanced flavour with no one overwhelming ingredient. Nice Brew.

Bottle: Poured a deep dark chocolate bar brown with a light brown head. The aroma is chocolate, dark fruits, and malt. Taste has a raisin or plum front that gently subsides into dark chocolate bakers chocolate. Finishes with a warm sweet malty characteristic.

Pours clear dark chocolate with a light brown head. Very sweet aroma of cocoa and Mexican vanilla. Flavor is heavy to the chocolate, with a nice malt profile. Could you warm this and put marshmallows in it?