Grado Plato Chocarrubica

Brewed by Birrificio Grado Plato
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Chieri (TO), Italy

Bottled. A hazy dark brown beer with a beige head. The aroma is sweet malty with notes of roasted malt, while the flavor is sweet malty with strong notes of alcohol.

Boy aint this a weird beer. Poured a dark dark brown, very near opaque. Moderate foamy head. Aroma is plenty weird, notes of soy sauce, meat, molasses, maple liquer, we are talking SATB territory here. Mercifully the flavor is different with a def bitter chocolate tone dominating the affair. Medium bodied, overall sweet profile with a chocolate and caramel finish. Light herbal character rises in the finish too. Fairly smooth and rounded mouthfeel, pretty easy drinking for an odd duck.

On tap at Salone del Gusto 2008. Very dark brown, small beige head. Nice chocolate aroma. Chocolate, coffee and vanilla flavours. Highly enjoyable.

500 ml. Opaque with a small lasting disc of foam. Interesting aromas of cattle farm, must, tobacco barn, licorice, chocolate, wheat and faint fruity bubblegum. Flavor is very similar plus some dry and bitter cocoa, cardboard, and metallic cherry twinges. Develops an earthy char and mocha coffee aftertaste. Medium body is creamy, a bit watery, tingly, and too fizzy. Interesting stab on this one, but not something I would return to again, especially at such a steep price.

Smells OK, with touches of chocolate and carob, plus an odd but not unwelcome note of pineapple juice. Flavor is, well, it starts out nice, but there is a medcinal, band-aid flavor in the finish that dominates everything and is very unpleasent. At $14,99, somewhat of a disappointment.

Bomber, shared....Well, wasn’t this an interesting one? Pours a deep brown to almost-black with a head the color of chocolate milk. Aroma is one of the best I’ve experienced in a long time - heavy chocolate and malt with some dark fruit detectable as well. The Taste is quite interesting - chocolate and malt up front with dark fruit and vinious characteristics as the beer progresses. The palate is quite creamy, and the finish is sweet with undetectable alcohol. Quite an interesting beer that seemed hit-or-miss among the people with whom I tried it.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Midlothian on 08/05/2008. Dark black body with a small tan head. Chocolate fruit, light sour and caramel aroma. Big sweet chocolate flavor, sugar, fruit hints. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation. Very creamy.

Bottle at the Eulogy Tavern in Philly. Pours a dark motor oil brown with a creamy but very short lasting brown head. Not much of an aroma but traces of vanilla and milk chocolate pop up between sips. Very interesting chocolate flavor. No cocoa bitterness at all. Tastes like liquid milk chocolate and drinks like it as well with absolutely no carbonation - perhaps the flattest beer I’ve ever had. The lack of carbonation works pretty well with this brew. Raisin and vanilla flavors dart back and forth as well. Creamy texture and medium long sweet finish. A unique beer that I wouldn’t have tasted if not for the knowledgable bartender at the Eulogy.