Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

Ridiculously full, frothy head on top of a dark black beer. Thick creamy lacing throughout the entire drink. A truly beautiful beer to look at. Nose is a bit dissapointing and somewhat thin. Soft bakers chocolate, yeast, mocha, and typical belgian apricot. Light to medium bodied with a creamy texture. However, this is somewhat over carbonated in my opinion. A stout only in appearance, this beer retains more attributes of a begian ale. Still, very unique and a fun beer to drink.

On tap at the Vintage Estates in Eastern Ohio. One of the better foreign stouts I’ve had. Arcadia Cocoa Loco Triple Chocolate Stout and Lion Stout are the only other two I’ve tasted and this is much more palatable than either of those. Has a mild Nestle Quick aroma. Beautiful dark brown-black color with a head that is rocky chocolate mousse. Alky is present and it is medium at first then it constantly builds on the tongue and the back of the throat. At first it is not 7% then it is. Comes on rather strong but not overwhelming. Is not rude. Very mild carbonation. Overall, a little watery on the palate, in a good way. Holds a decent alky kick without being offensive. IMHO a little too expensive for what you get.

Brown color with a hint of orange when held to the light. Fairly simple aromas with toasted and roasted malt and mild cocoa. Moderate, creamy, mocha colored head. Nearly thin in feel, somewhat typical of Belgian stouts. Candi and light brown sugar sweetness in the front. Dry dark chocolate and a touch of chocolate malt in the middle. Quite dry in the finish and linger with some more dry cocoa flavors hanging about. Just a hint of tartness shows the yeast profile. Seem simple, but yet nothing to complain about. Thinking back to the Choklat form Southern Tier last night, this one seems like a pale lager. In a way I’m slightly saddened that a good brew is thought less of because it is not over-the-top and complex beyond reason. In other ways I’m elated that what once would have been thought a big brew is now just a blip on the radar.

A particularly good chocolate stout. There’s a light chocolaty malty aroma, the flavor is full but the chocolate not overpowering. Too often brewers make chocolate stouts taste like sweet chocolate with a hint of stout instead of the other way around. Pleased to say Ommegang got it right.

On tap at the Linkery. Very very dark brown, with a nice-sized light tan head. Light aroma of chocolate and malt. Intense dark chocolate flavor with a bit of an alcohol bite. Chocolate taste lingers, with an odd slight metallic overtone. Nice chocolate stout.

On-tap, served in an imperial pint glass. A good looking appearance, poured a dark chocolate brown with rudy hues shining through the bottom of the glass. An tan head of spongy foam that has good retentive powers, rings of sticky lace at the brim of the glass. Heavily roasted dark malts and sweet chocolate at first, followed by smells of earthy, herbal hops and dark fruity yeast. Hints of cocoa powder and charred wood out at the edges of aroma. The Belgian ale yeast plays more of a role in the taste than in the smell. Dark sweet fruit tastes of ripen figs and raisins with a splash of cherry juice. Malty flavors of dark roast nutty coffee and burnt chocolate. The Belgian chocolate has more of a sweet cocoa taste, helping to lighten out the roasted malts. A quite subtle herbal hop emerges towards the end, adding spiciness to the fruity yeast and dry roasted malty finish. This has a good stout body to it, creamy while retaining an airy lightness. Quite enjoyable and easy to consume, happy 10th Ommegang.

750ml. A very sweet stout that oils the tongue, only making it easier to drink more. Rich cocoa w/ out the complexities one might expect/hope-for. There’s belgian yeast there for sure, I was just hoping for a tad more strength (seven, really?). Also my bottle was $14... It is an awesome beer, just a little less than I anticipated.

You just knew this was going to be good and it didn’t disappoint (Thanks Max). Very rich with a high-end chocolate profile, not syrupy or indicative of an artificial chocolate sweetener. Nicely balanced, not 1-dimensional. not overpowering so be careful pairing it with strong flavors. Avoid drinking cold.