Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout
By
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
Loading ...
Roses and chocolates form the cornerstone of most Valentine’s Day celebrations. But this Valentine’s Day, I gave my wife the roses and kept the “Choklat” to myself.
I first learned of Southern Tier’s Choklat and its Blackwater Series from a review on 52BREWS, which praises, “Southern Tier hit it out of the park with this Choklat Imperial Stout.”
Given my mixed experience with chocolate stouts so far this year, I decided to read a few other reviews before choosing Choklat for Valentine’s Day. Southern Tier’s tip of the hat to the ancient Maya and their “beverage known as xocoatl (ch-co-atle)” seems to have received universal praise. And if I am allowed a moment of foreshadowing, I believe I couldn’t have picked a better chocolate-flavored beer for Valentine’s Day.
The moment I lifted the cap, a high, sweet smell of chocolate began wafting from the bottle. I stuck my nose to the narrow opening and pulled in the smell, feeling a touch disappointed. There was little special in that one-dimensional scent from the bottle. But as I poured the beer and watched the thick, black brew splash and swirl, the oxidation generated a much richer and warmer aroma with a combination of chocolates. I imagined cartoon aroma tendrils ascending and caressing my face.
Choklat’s pour generates a narrow mocha head that fizzes out quickly and reappears when you pour in a touch more or swirl the glass. The quick fizz and the sweet, inviting aroma allows you to imagine what you are lifting to your lips isn’t beer at all, but an ancient love potion.
Chocolate malt — strong on the front as it hit my tongue — dissolved into a java porter taste, a rewarding beer chaser. But that was just the first sip. As I continued to drink and savor the silky mouthfeel of Southern Tier’s 11% ABV chocolate love potion, the roasted coffee taste became less prominent and the chocolates took over. There’s a strong taste of chocolate malt, but also a mellow, bittersweet chocolate swirling through the mix. Aerate and swish a sip with your tongue, and the flavors stratify briefly — vanilla extract, caramel, roasted malt, and of course chocolate — before coming back together.
The label of this 650 ml bottle is something to behold. It shows candy bar tabs of dark chocolate on the front, and not until after finishing the bottle did I realize the chocolate image is largely transparent. The rich black from the beer shows through to give the chocolate bar its color.
On the back, Southern Tier references the Popul Vuh — the sacred book of the Maya — which “unfolds a complex web of mystery” around chocolate. The label continues:
At Southern Tier, we’re not surprised that hieroglyphs of the ancient Maya depict chocolate being poured for rulers & gods . . . moving through centuries, the circular journey of cacao has been realized in our brewing house, encompassing the complexity of the darest, bitter-sweet candy together with the original frothy cold beverage of the Maya to bring to you our Blackwater Series Choklat Stout. We have combined the finest ingredients to tempt your senses & renew the power & interrelation of history in every bottle.
Who knew history could be so intoxicating?
Related posts:
