Shenandoah Chocolate Donut Beer

12 oz bottle

Thanks to kmweaver for sending me a bottle of this along with other stuff in a recent trade. It took discipline not to crack it open on the spot. This is one of those beers that is worth a try for the novelty factor. However unlike some one-trick ponies this one is worth returning to. Drinkable and unique you should definitely give this a shot if you ever make it to Virginia.

Aroma / Appearance - A one finger mocha head decorated the top of the deep brown body underneath. Chocolate donut holes filled the space above the glass along with cinnamon and glazing. There are no suprises about this one from the aroma alone.

Flavor / Palate - Coffee cake, chocolate cream filled donuts and pretty straightforward stout characteristics make this worthwhile. It is highly sessionable with a nice dry finish. I’m not sure where to place this as it is not quite a stout but not quite anything else. Whatever it is I want to try it again.

Bottle courtesy of kmweaver. Pours a deep, cloudy brown with root beer highlights and a pillowy, beige head. The nose is a sweet cake-like breadiness with solid notes of cocoa and what actually smells quite a bit like a donut glaze. Medium-bodied and slick with assertive but soft carbonation, the palate concludes with a sweet, roasty finish. The flavor, especially as it warms, does actually taste a lot like a chocolate donut and boasts one of the cleanest sweet/roast finishes that I’ve ever experienced from a stout before. Uniquely different from any other stout that I’ve tried, I liked this one quite a bit. Thanks for sending this one, Ken!

Bottle: Pours a dark brown to black with a small creamy tan head. Aroma, chocolate, vanilla, some sugars. Flavor, chocolate, sweet sugary notes, lactose, a slight roasted character to it. Pretty decent, didn’t get the essence of donut though.

Bottle thanks to puzzl: Deep brown with ample light tan head. Mild roasted notes in the chocolate glaze aroma. Truly smells like a fresh chocolate glazed donut. Creamy texture. The flavor has a nice balance of rich lactic chocolate and roast. Like a liquid chocolate Krispy Creme. Interesting and original.

Bottle from kmweaver, thanks! Very dark, cloudy brown with large head that goes down quickly. Aroma is exactly as advertised: kind of like the cheap, glazed chocolate donuts from Entteman’s(sp?). The taste doesn’t live up to the aroma in terms of coming across as a chocolate donut. It’s there, but an odd, fruity sourness dominates for me. I love the gimmick, but the taste definitely didn’t do it for me. Thin and quite carbonated.

Bottle, thanks to puzzl. Dark brown pour, some tan head. Aroma is like the prepackaged chocolate donuts from the grocery store. Flavor is the same. Interesting, but thin palate.

Man, this is a weird one. Aroma is quite subtle, with a hint of cocoa. It really does taste like a glazed chocolate donut. Sweet icing sugar flavour over the chocolate. No bitterness and the palate is a bit thin, but it’s decent enough.

Tastes like donuts yeah but the body is a bit on the thin side. I get some nuts in there too. Tasty and I like the experimentation but nothing too special to see here.