Chocarrubica
Grado Plato

ChocarrubicaChocarrubica
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From:
Grado Plato
 
Italy
Style:
Oatmeal Stout
Ranked #236
ABV:
7%
Score:
80
Ranked #26,301
Avg:
3.47 | pDev: 25.65%
Reviews:
62
Ratings:
84
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 30, 2023
Added:
Jan 09, 2008
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  3
With its unusual brewing process and ingredients - malted barley, oats, cocoa beans, carob beans, hops and yeast- this beer is not easy to categorise. Despite many doubts about how best to create a beer with cocoa, this beer was finally developed with the idea coming to the brewer having watching a documentary about the American landing in Sicily in World War Two. The documentary showed american soldiers handing out bars of chocolate to children who had
only ever known carob beans and this gave rise to the concept of a marriage between the “poor” sweetness of carob and the “rich” sweetness of cocoa.

This marriage also influenced the name of the beer, as you might have guessed. The significant challenges associated with the fine-tuning of the recipe and with production itself, given the nature of the raw materials chosen, were only overcome after long hours of hard work This is a beer with a powerful body and relatively high alcohol content (7% a/v) which imparts a velvety texture in the mouth. Its licorice tones are well balanced with flavors of cocoa and carob intermingling pleasantly depending on the serving temperature.

Well matched with chocolate- or coffee-based deserts, Chocarrubica has received numerous awards: first prize in its category the 2007 Italian Craft Beer competition; 5 stars in the Slow Food “Guide to Italian Beers”; Platinum Medal at Mondial del la Bière, Strasbourg (France) in 2010.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BillRoth:
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

1.96/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
Infected bottle. Most beer rolled out into sink. what remained was a fizzy off taste mess. once they get their brewing done better they may produce something drinkable. but considering the price...I'll probably enjoy the almost endless line of new wonderful beers before I'd take a chance on this brewery again. There are just too many great beers these days to get careless.
Dec 08, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

3.38/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
This one pours a fairly dark brown color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like dark chocolate, roasted malt, and some caramel.

This is decent enough, but a little boring, as the finish is quite watery, with no real roasty bite on the finish. It’s kind of just watery chocolate.

This is light bodied, a little underattenuated, but drinkable enough.

This was alright but definitely a bit messy and flawed.
Mar 30, 2023
 
Rated: 3.67 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jan 26, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by Griffith from Connecticut

Jun 28, 2019
Photo of Lembeh
Reviewed by Lembeh from New York

4.66/5  rDev +34.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had this at Sottocasa -Harlem. The owner brought it out as a pairing with the tiramisu we ordered. It was very good. A little surprised to see this categorized as a Stout. It was more of a Brown Ale-Porter hybrid. Really nice roasted malts and caramel on the nose and taste. Paired perfectly with the Tiramisu. Would get this again for sure.
Oct 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.31 by LooseMoose1978 from North Carolina

Jul 30, 2016
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
Reviewed in the "1001 Beers to Taste Before You Die," this was one of the beers that frustrated my bear-hunting endeavors in America. But I finally cornered it in Milano's Eataly and this bottle was the last of the dozen beers I schlepped; dragging my wife through the central stations of northern Italy and Switzerland, along the western part of Germany and all the way to Amsterdam (where I finally poured into the drain half the bottle in disgust of my entirely too-strict adherence to the admonition of Respect Beer.)

I believe I opened this Chocarrubica between Cologne and Amsterdam. At least 3 of 4 passengers were German whom I offered to share this large bottle with. Their response to this obnoxious American was frank: "Italians should not make beer." And for those who might know different styles well, their response was "and certainly not stout."

Majority rules and is correct. If you make the mistake of seeking out this beer, don't double the mistake by buying this beer.
Jun 16, 2016
Photo of BethanyB
Reviewed by BethanyB from New York

3.61/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A deep mahogany with bubbles that cling to the side. The tan head starts out strong ,then fizzles away. Despite the high carbonation, the mouthfeel is quite thin for the style, calling more attention to the equally weak flavor profile. A mild, blasé taste of cacao nibs and medium roast coffee mostly come into play in the finish. And yet, a bit of black pepper keeps this from being a total snoozer.
May 19, 2016
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.77/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
a really cool and unique beer, just not worth the absurd price i paid for it. really gnarly dark in color, nice radiant luster on it, and a minimal head that doesnt last more than a few minutes. it looks less viscous than anticipated, and almost watery for how dark the color is. it smells like raw cocoa thats for sure, bitter and intense, coffee notes coming from it as well. the taste is a lot more well integrated than the nose, which sort of comes in waves of flavor. i am surprised how much grain flavor there is in this for how light the body is and how bold the additives come through. roasty but not acidic or bitter in that regard, bitter from the cocoa only it seems. none of the caramel malt middle we sometimes see in the style, especially lately. it reminds me weirdly of the st. ambroise oatmeal stout made up in quebec, it has an appreciable yeast character and roast level to that one, although it is far less interesting in the yeast department than i have come expect all italian beers to be. well done brew on the whole, i could absolutely stand more carbonation, but the flavors are dialed in and very unique. id love to try more stuff from these guys, but this is the only one i have seen in colorado.
May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.08 by swanfungus from California

Feb 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.7 by stephenjmoore from Maryland

Sep 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Raziel313 from California

Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by hoop454 from Virginia

Aug 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Bandi from New York

Jun 30, 2014
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.73/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: The beer is close to being jet black in color—slight traces of reddish brown are visible near the edge of the glass when it is held up to a bright light. It poured with a quarter finger high light tan head that died down, leaving thick wispy lacing on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: The smell is slightly sweet and has light notes of lactose and chocolate.
T: Like the smell, the taste is chocolaty, but the carob beans lighten up the chocolate flavors so that they don't seem as rich as pure cacao beans.
M: It feels a bit under medium-bodied on the palate and is slightly smooth with a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and has a unique blend of carob and cacao flavors.
Jun 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by smithj4 from New York

Jun 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jun 22, 2014
Photo of tippiecanoes
Reviewed by tippiecanoes from Kentucky

5/5  rDev +44.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
If there is a beer that I will keep firmly planted in my memory it's the Chocarrubica. I have the bottle sitting on my desk to remind me of how delicious it was. I ordered this beer at a very expensive Italian restaurant and paired it with a top notch handmade gnocci. The body was thick, but not so much that it was like a Guiness; it was well balanced. The Carob and Cacao Beans were not muted, but not overdone either; again it was well balanced and absolutely out of this world delicious. Anyone who gave this beer a 1 has a rotten palate and shouldn't be drinking any beer whatsoever. I'd say I'm a real beer drinker, not a snob that can't taste amazingness.
May 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by little_star from Illinois

Mar 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by redleg411 from Wisconsin

Feb 26, 2014
Chocarrubica from Grado Plato
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 84 ratings