Sweetheart Chocolate
Alaskan Brewing Co.

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Alaskan Brewing Co.
 
Alaska, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
ABV:
6.8%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 7.04%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
3
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 21, 2014
Added:
Feb 28, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by SitkaSteve:
Photo of SitkaSteve
Reviewed by SitkaSteve from Idaho

3.75/5  rDev +10%
I had enough samples of this at the brewery and according to the brewery, they say this is a Milk/Sweet Stout, so to the guy below me, please argue with the brewery and not what BA or the guy who put this in.
The color was a light brown with no head and no lacing.
The smell had a ton of chocolate, powerful and strong which accompanies it into the taste and then adds a bit of caramel.
The mouthfeel was smooth and chocolatey with a nice roastiness coming about.
Overall, without writing a disseration on distracting points of other beers or how they should be made or even picking on SE Alaskan beer geeks, maybe people who try this beer should step into our world before they try to discredit a beer.
May 21, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by Iowacraft from Iowa

May 19, 2014
Photo of sprucetip
Reviewed by sprucetip from Alaska

3.24/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Transparent, very light brown liquid with great clarity, modest activity and a thin tan head that recedes quickly. The description here on BA says it is a stout, but I see it being sold as "Sweetheart Chocolate Ale." It does not strike me as a stout. It's lighter than a typical Brown Ale. Moose Drool is a dark beer compared to this one.

I am getting some chocolate and a bit of graininess in the nose, but not much else. It's neither strong nor complex. It is pleasant, but not special. … Much later, from another pour, I find some banana/bubblegum like fruity esters. I like it and my impression of this beer improves.

It tastes sweet and of chocolate. Maybe I get a bit of caramel? I can't say for sure. I detect a vague hint of roasted grain. There is a bit of brewhouse grainy flavor, and I find that it is far from being complex, or even particularly interesting. From the later pour I reflect on my statement that it is far from complex and acknowledge the relatively few elements having some synergy. What's going on is subtle. Still not doing much for me but I can better understand either what the brewer was after or a consumer might appreciate.

It tastes as if it were begat as a cautious, small batch training wheels attempt at a valentine's beer. Perhaps if they keep tinkering they might get it right, but they didn't this time. Well, not for me anyhow. It might have gone over well with others, as a couple of friends did manage to take about pint each out of the growler. If I were to presume that my opinion had any merit, I might suggest that it have some more traditional beer ingredients in it. More base malt, more crystal malt, and more of something darker. Not too too much, but more chocolate malt or roasted barley. It needs more body too.

Low carbonation and very thin body. The feel is quite disappointing.

I kind of addressed the overall in the taste zone. It's okay. Definitely would not get this version again intentionally. But, I do know that when Alaskan Brewing Co rolls out a new brew, they do it carefully, thoughtfully, cautiously. If it doesn't go over well they will tweak it or delete it. Sometimes the tweaks work. It has taken them many years and attempts to make a decent IPA, and the Hopothermia is decent. Not great, but decent. Sometimes they hit a home run, as in with the Baltic Porter, Barleywine, and Smoked Porter. So while you can't expect a home run everytime, a beer geek in SE Alaska has to be rooting for and willing to give a second or third chance to any attempt by Alaskan Brewing to make a new and creative beer.

… So Maybe this one is for folks who are not all that into beer but might get a chocolate beer on a valentines date? To that I just want to say that my girl isn't all that into beer. But the beers she likes are primarily chocolate and coffee stouts/porters. And the good ones of this genre are what she likes. Peche Mortel, Beer Geek Breakfast, Founders Breakfast Stout, Southern Tier Choklat, Stone Espresso IRS, Sam Smith Organic Chocolate, and so on. That's pretty much what she likes. BIg, thick coffee or chocolate infused imperial stouts. Or smaller ones so long as they have adequate body and flavor. As stated, she isn't that into beer. But I bring a choco/coffee beer to her and she will immediately notice and state her case that the beer is not good if she finds the body is too thin and or the flavor lacking. And she is right. Let's put some beer in the beer gents!
Mar 07, 2014
Sweetheart Chocolate from Alaskan Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 3.41 out of 5 with 3 ratings