Double Chocolate Stout

A perennial British brewing powerhouse, Wells & Young’s enjoys worldwide acclaim for their flagship ales. Lesser known than their bitters, yet nonetheless a fine beer, Double Chocolate Stout continues to garner accolades. Flooding the room with a wash of chocolate fudge, espresso and Demerara sugar aromas, this beer isn’t shy about its chocolaty profile. Rick was intrigued by the sweet cream and Godiva chocolate liqueur aromas, declaring this “a perfect topping for desserts.” Likewise, Pete commented favorably on the dominance of roasty cocoa and alcohol in the nose but was even more pleasantly surprised by a delicate underpinning of black cherries. This brew pours a saturated obsidian black and sports a massive dark tan-colored head trailing Brussels lace all the way to the bottom of the glass. Not surprisingly, chocolate dominates the flavor at every level, with bursts of sweet milk chocolate, intense bitter chocolate and cappuccino prevailing by turns. Tom opined that there was “almost too much chocolate” and wished for a touch more roasted, coffee-like flavors to tame the overall sugariness. Still, he deemed this a “very nice beer for chocolate lovers.” Though he agreed with Tom on the intensely chocolaty flavor, Tim felt it was quite tasty and praised the artful blending of bitter and sweet chocolate with “roasty espresso.” Adding to Tim’s enjoyment was the luxurious, mousse-like mouthfeel that dovetailed nicely with the flavors. This is undoubtedly the perfect beer for any chocaholic, to be enjoyed as dessert rather than with dessert.