Shenandoah Chocolate Donut Stout

Brewed by Shenandoah Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Alexandria, Virginia USA

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. Very interesting stuff. The essence of chocolate donut is definitely strong and in your face, and it compliments the beer well. That said, I feel the underlying stout could use a little bit of work. There really isn’t much roast or other stouty flavors to back up the chocolate sweetness. But mmmmm is it tasty!

12 oz bottle, via kmweaver. Pours a clear dark brown body under a fizzy light beige head that lasted quite a while due to the vigorous carbonation. The nose is nice and chocolaty, and it does actually have a bit of a cake-like note. Roast and coffee with just a little hint of burnt grain. The flavor is quite sweet with a good bit of chocolate syrup like flavor. Some lighter roastiness on the finish and a slight cola like flavor that seems a bit out of place. The palate suffers quite a bit from the very fizzy over active carbonation that makes it seem a little too thin. Overall, this was largely a marketing thing over a true taste experience. I’ve had lots of worse Stouts though, so I can’t complain too much.

Pitch black coloured body with a nice tan head, almost 100% opaque. Aroma of - you guessed it - Chocolate Donuts! Such a wierd scent for a beer - but this one is spot on! Full-bodied; Strong sweet taste up front of choolate with a completely describable donut flavour as well. Malt and roasted sugars are also noticable with a bunch of coffee thrown in too. Aftertaste is very sweet and very donut-like. Overall, just like the name says and not really a gimmick-beer, just a good sweet stout that was amazing to try. I’d definitely have this one again if I could find it! I sampled this beer on draught as a sampler at the Shirlington Oktoberfest in Arlington, Virginia on 07 October 2006.

12oz bottle. This pours beautifully: a thick, tan head that fills two-thirds of the glass, coating the interior with very active bubbles slowly retreating to the top; dark, slightly murky brownish color underneath. Plenty of gooey chocolate and tootsie rolls and caramel in the aroma; also a slight powderiness, like smelling cocoa or chocolate powder; a very pleasant, legitimate chocolate presence. Medium mouthfeel: creamy, light caramel and (again) gooey chocolate at the core; close to a chocolate donut, but even more reminiscent of cocoa powder and chewy tootsie rolls; intricate, pleasant malt and chocolate core; doughiness and caramel and chocolate coming through mid-palate; very drinkable, generous, and balanced. Plenty of dough and cocoa powder and bread in the finish; I can’t think of anything similar to this.

12 ounce bottle from the brewery, though props to goryskewych who also sent me a bottle that I looked for but can’t find right now. Pours a dark brown color with a thin tan head. Fair head retention and lacing. Aroma of chocolate, butter and something a bit odd. Taste is cocoa powder, caramel, bread and faint fruitiness. Medium bodied. The flavors and aromas are a bit overwhelming and blend very oddly. Weird.

Bottle: Poured a dirty deep brown cloudy ale with a super large bubbly head with average retention. Aroma of sour chocolate malt is quite disgusting. Taste is also a disgusting mix between some unrefined roasted malt with lingering sweetness. Body is quite thin with great carbonation which is probably due to the infection. Too bad this was so infected because I kind of was looking forward to the concept. Another one to add tot he re-rate list I guess.

Pours a translucent chocolate brown color with a foamy tan head. Sudsy, droopy legs try their best to cling to the glass. As the brew warms, the nose evolves from a malty, sugary pool of chocolate into the exact, distinct aroma of Dunkin’s glazed chocolate cake donuts! Amazingly, the flavor captures this essence as well. Glazed chocolate donuts dipped in chocolate milk are all that really come to mind. Very lactic and sweet. Medium-full, smooth bodied, and incredibly easy to drink. It is truly incredible how they have captured such a distinct sensory profile. This beer is liquid donut in a bottle, and I love it.