Boatswain Chocolate Stout
Rhinelander Brewing Company

Boatswain Chocolate StoutBoatswain Chocolate Stout
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From:
Rhinelander Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
American Stout
Ranked #350
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
75
Ranked #27,514
Avg:
3.27 | pDev: 17.74%
Reviews:
151
Ratings:
524
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 29, 2022
Added:
Nov 20, 2011
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  85
66 IBU
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.78 by travelguy from Ohio

Apr 29, 2022
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Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

3.79/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Pours a deep brown, nearly black color with a strong tan head. SRM of 23. (4.00)

Aroma: Mild to moderate aromas of milk chocolate cocoa, some dark syrup. Hints of vanilla off the end.

Flavor: Moderate flavors of cocoa, chocolate syrup, some brown bread and mild wheat. Traces of vanilla before a relatively dry finish. A mild roast.

Feel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Dry and relatively clean finish.

Compared to Lake Time Oreo SpeedWagon 3/11/22: Pours a similar color. Larger head. Milder aromas. More dry chocolate grains, and roast.

Overall: This one drinks quite well compared to some of the other Botswain beers. It has a nice cocoa, dry grain, and mild roast profile. Mild, but balanced. Probably the only one of the Botswain beers I've found even close to worth drinking. (Final Rating: 3.79)
Mar 12, 2022
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Reviewed by Christianriveraaa

3.83/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Look: very dark black pour with about 2 fingers length of thick foam rising to the top. Suspecting this might be a heavy stout.
Smell: Notes of chocolate, malts slight cocoa. It's looking promising for a good stout.
Taste: Nots of vanilla chocolatey malts, along with a bitter dry finish. Very nice for the price of the beer!
Feel: Medium bodied beer - slight carbonation on the tongue.
Overall: This beer is so great for the price it's at. Trader Joe's sells it for $5.99 a six pack so for only $1.00 you could experience this good put together beer. Would buy it again in the near future for sure.
Feb 28, 2022
 
Rated: 3.14 by ayers1960 from Virginia

Nov 25, 2021
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Reviewed by BudgetBeerNomad from California

4.09/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I've purchased this several times before. At $4.99 for a six pack at Trader Joe's, you can't beat the bang for the buck. I like my beer malty, low IBU, low ABV. The most recent can I poured and enjoyed seemed smoother and better than I recalled in past tastings. it is my favorite of the Rhineland, Trader Joe's beers. Trader Joe's carries a "Stockyard Oatmeal Stout" for $5.99 and I'd usually say it is worth the extra dollar and a better stout over all, but this last tasting says they're both decent and an extreme deal for stout on a budget.

I also use this in cooking as it provides so much more flavor than any lager or ale, and at less then a $1 a can, it is cheap experimentation. I recently made a crock pot pork roast with this, and then used the remaining liquid to make a 7 bean soup with tomatoes and carrots. Be adventurous and try out some cooking with this beer.
Oct 02, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by AndrewFord666 from Illinois

Oct 01, 2021
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Reviewed by timobkg from New Jersey

3.06/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Pours a dark, dark brown with a thick tan head. The head doesn't last long, but straight out of the can and into the glass it looks lovely.

Smells like a standard stout - dark, roasted grains.

Tastes like a standard stout, roasted grains with a hint of chocolate. There's less chocolate flavour than the name and description led me to believe, and a decent amount of bitterness.

It feels like what I'd expect a 5.4% stout to feel.

Overall, it's okay - not great, not terrible, just okay. At $12 a 6-pack, I'd be disappointed. At less than $5 for a 6-pack, it's a value stout that tastes fine.
Sep 11, 2021
 
Rated: 3.49 by beersampler6 from Michigan

Aug 01, 2021
 
Rated: 3.25 by Marvicsin from California

May 30, 2021
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Reviewed by Preston from Florida

2.84/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
It's a buck a can and not bad for that price. It feels thin for a stout, but I get notes of chocolate and it's alright. For a buck more per six pack, you're better off with the Stockyard stout at Trader Joe's. That one has far better flavor and texture. But this is drinkable.
May 27, 2021
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Reviewed by JSteinhoff7 from Oregon

1.08/5  rDev -67%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
This lovely creation was loving made with swamp water and donkey.....B. If you were thinking of a smooth, somewhat sweet, chocolate brew....NO, this undrinkable swill is super cheap for a reason. My neighbor, who I thought liked me, handed me this. Wife and I took one sip, gagged, down the drain.

Set a new low bar....horrific!
Apr 17, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by Sjohnson8585 from Colorado

Mar 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.6 by Robert_Meyers from Michigan

Mar 12, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Jjmj51 from Rhode Island

Jan 18, 2021
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Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Almost medium carbonation with maybe close to medium body.
Aroma is light,some chocolate with roasted malt behind that but not overly strong and complex.
Taste is very identical to aroma,minimal chocolate and some roasted malt.
Overall its a bit weak but still not horrible.
Dec 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.73 by steevo24 from District of Columbia

Nov 28, 2020
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Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.59/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
after such a lousy experience with the ipa, i cant believe i bought another one of these beers under this label, but for not much more than fifty cents a can, its worth a shot right? this one done at rhinelander rather than minhas though, so maybe higher quality? trader joes with some crazy prices on these house brands. this one is actually pretty good, at least the chocolate part is tastefully done enough to make the stout not stand out as inferior really. i wouldnt line this up against the best in the genre, but it hit the mark for me last night, especially for the price, even good enough to get me to try the other boatswain brands perhaps! its deep hersheys brown color with over an inch of tightly held together mocha colored head with surprisingly good persistence. the aroma is dry dark chocolate, a cocoa powder thing, which makes sense since the can says that is what it is brewed with, and not too much sweetness. the flavor is about the name, the base stout seems fine, maybe a little thin, but its not weird on the ferment or cheap tasting on the grain side, nor is it sugary, which means its just fine for this sort of thing. there is a little astringency in the middle, something from the yeast, but its not off, at least not enough to make this not enjoyable. i like the chocolate element a lot, the dry cocoa is a good choice, keeps the beer balanced and brings out some of the deeper roast of the barley, which is always good to be able to taste in a stout. this isnt anything amazing, but its a lot better than its ratings and actually has quite a lot of redeemable value as a winter sipper, especially at this price. this could have gone wrong in a number of ways pretty easily, and it didnt.
Nov 20, 2020
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Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz can from TeeJays

Black, mocha head, dark as hell. Smells is faint hops and taste is roasty. Light on the chocolate flavor that's touted on the label, and that's fine by me. Thin and watery for a stout, but extremely drinkable
Aug 28, 2020
 
Rated: 3.25 by Phoodcritic from Michigan

Aug 22, 2020
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Reviewed by EnderFett11 from Virginia

3.57/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Poured moderately hard from a can into a snifter glass, forming a lot of foamy light brown head that soon faded to a bit of lacing. Cola brown, translucent color. Not much of smell, a bit roasty if anything. Taste is toasty with a hint of chocolate, but it fades to minimal taste as it warms. Fairly thin body with a little carbonation. Drinkable, but not much chocolate flavor. Fine for the price though.
Aug 03, 2020
Boatswain Chocolate Stout from Rhinelander Brewing Company
Beer rating: 75 out of 100 with 524 ratings