Southern Tier Choklat

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Lakewood, New York USA

Courtesy of Gilliard. The fragrance of chocolate, good chocolate made with love and ingredients that do not come cheap, waft from the glass before I can bring it fully beneath my nose. The concentration of chocolate is such that the beer is a one trick pony in the aroma department. Chocolate, chocolate, maybe some chocolate cake, fudge, chocolate and chocolate mousse. To round out the cavalcade of varying flavors I also get hints of chocolate liqueur. Yes the aroma is limited, but there are shades to that one aroma and the intensity and quality are such that you can’t help but sit and repeatedly sniff at it, while being grateful that aroma doesn’t disappear as quickly as ounces do. The body of this alcoholic chocolate bar is full black and it lofts above it a mocha colored, thumb thick head that is mostly lasting, if somewhat bubbly. The aroma sets the stage for the flavors that are comprised almost wholly of variations on chocolate including cake, mousse, cocoa, fudge and chocolate liqueur, but in the flavor component, we also get a pleasant bitter flavor that seems to be a combination of alcohol and hops. Toward the finish, the sweetness takes on notes of vanilla, whipped cream and white cake. This beer is sweet and has the consistency of chocolate syrup, diluted in a glass of cocoa. It is obviously meant to be dessert treat and it fills that roll beautifully. There are not many 11% alcohol beers one could serve to mixed company if hoping to achieve positive result; this is one of those rare beers that most anyone could enjoy. Anyone except possibly a beer snob whose false sophistication precludes her from appreciating the simple tastiness of one flavor note, played to perfection.

This is indeed a dessert beer. It’s a bit hard to call it beer, the appearance is more like beer than any other aspect of this beverage. But compared to Rogue Chocolate Stout, this clearly takes the prize as far as going in the chocolate direction!

22oz bottle: Reading a few reviews of this beer over the past few months I was happy to find a few bottle available in of all places Roscommon, MI. I also knew that chocolate was the name of the game in this beer, but really, I had no idea.

Pours oil can black with a thin mocha heads that rings around the neck. My first whiff is tantilizing - Tootsie Rolls in a glass. Seriously - Hershey syrup, hot fudge, brownie batter. It’s all here in a pure, sugary goodness. Softer notes of roasted beans and carmalized sugars add a subtle complexity to the chocolate bomb. The body is just as sweet - lots of chocolate syrup sweetness followed by lighter notes of toffee and citrusy hops to balance. If there ever was a dessert beer, this is it. Complex too - this is the most interesting imperial stout I have tasted in a loooong time. Bravo to Southern Tier for emerging as a king of all things imperial.

Black in colour with a rich tan coloured head, good retention and lacing. The aroma has lots of sweet Galaxy chocolate, malty, creamy with some white sugar. The flavour again has chocolate as the main focus but more dark chocolate this time, quite sweet, lots of roasted and burnt malts, moderately bitter. Sweet mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes long with a chocolate sweetness.

Sometimes chocolate focused beers can be too sweet but this manages to balance some bitterness as well. Quite enjoyable.

650ml bottle from IPFreely, thanks Tim.
Opened on February 10, 2008.
No date.

Bottle.

All about the chocolate syrup, Hershey’s style. Massive chocolate syrup aroma, sweet chocolate syrup flavor with only a modest bit of hop bitterness to close out. It’s pretty much a chocolate cordial type drink, and not something I’d drink a lot of straight. As an impy stout, this is a joke, and in fact I’d probably pan it --- but I will say that with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream it made the best beer float that I’ve ever had, absolutely no contest. And that’s gotta be worth something serious. I’m bumping this one way up based on how good it was in my float. Flavor in the float was an easy eight.

Bottle at Chris_O’s 19th April 2008 tasting. Pours black with a line of tan head. On opening, it smells just like Cadbury drinking chocolate, but in the mouth, the chocolate flavour is nearer to Hersheys. Very syrupy and smooth. A delightful chocolate beer.

Shared at Lost Abbey. Aromas and flavors of chocolate malt. Very good. More chocolate then I expected.

22 oz bottle shared at the Lost Abbey Angel’s Share Release. Lots of chocolate all over this beer. In the flavor and the aromas. Everywhere. Made a very decent breakfast beer. Hints of mocha, and then more chocolate. Did not seem like 11%. Very good.