Organic Chocolate Stout
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

 

 

 

Look: deep, dark brown. Almost two fingers of head that persists for quite awhile with some excellent lacing.

Smell: very mild, much more than expected for a stout this dark. Malt, cocoa powder, and a mild but off-putting metallic aroma.

Taste: so much better than suggested by the nose. I first notice a milk chocolate with a touch more sweetness than expected, followed by roasty malt flavor that lingers long on the palate. The sweetness is not overdone and is quite enjoyable. No hint of the metallic aroma I got in the nose.

Feel: a bit thin and watery, but along the lines of what is expected for a fairly low ABV stout. A bit more carbonation than I would have liked.

Overall: a true classic of its style. I’ll enjoy more in the future, and would recommend everybody try it at least once.

355 ml bottle poured into a nonic pint glass.

Pours dark brown and clear yielding two fingers of frothy khaki foam. The head has good retention and leaves decent lace. Aromas of chocolate malt and sweet chocolate are forthcoming. There is also a hint of vanilla. Malty with big chocolate flavor and light roasted malt. Vanilla and earthy hops on the back. Medium-weight body is soft and creamy with just enough carbonation to give it some edge. It’s sweet but it’s a fantastic stout.

Poured at 56°. Creamy light tan head; dark brown with good clarity; excellent cap retention; heavy ring; medium heavy lacing. Weak chocolate malt nose. Semi sweet chocolate malt taste. Medium minus body; moderate minus carbonation; silky minus feel. A perfectly ok chocolate stout.

 

It’s tempting to call this a candy bar in a glass, but after the initial burst of milk chocolate and vanilla, there are interesting notes of pipe tobacco, dates, and just a bit of hops.

Pours a deep, dark brown in color with hints of amber and an excellent two finger thick foamy, off-white head on top that leaves lacing as you drink. Head retention is pretty good, it subsides but sticks around until the end. Carbonation is hard to see, though it seems average. Very pretty on the pour.

Aroma is very strongly milk chocolate, vanilla and some very faint fruity, hoppiness. It's quite sweet. I expected a bit more roasty bitterness. Based on the aroma I think they overdid the chocolate additives a bit and I'm probably in for some disappointment.

Yep. The taste follows the aroma well. Very strongly milk chocolate and some vanilla with a hint of hoppiness. It's sweet, and there isn't any roast or bitter cacao to balance it out. I find the flavor to be rather one-dimensional. I do finally get some roastiness in the aftertaste, but it's mixed with the same chocolately notes that simply overpower it.

This is medium bodied with lower than average carbonation with a tiny bit of zest on the swallow. It's honestly a bit thin for a stout. There is some syrupyness in there, and a little creaminess, but it does feel a bit thin on the swallow. The lighter nature of the mouthfeel does make it more drinkable, however.

This was disappointing for me. I expected it to be a bit more on the dark chocolate/burnt/roasty side, but it is instead more on the sweet/milk chocolate/vanilla side, and for a stout it comes off quite light on the palate. There's just too much sweet and not enough bitter to balance it out for me. Not what I want from a stout. I agree with another reviewer that this feels a bit more like a porter and in fact it reminds me a lot of a toasted coconut porter I had awhile back which I also found too sweet. This is one of the few misses from Samuel Smith for me, and judging by the rating, it's a fine beer if this is the flavor profile you're looking for. I've got three more bottles to get through, at least it's drinkable! Cheers.

 

 

12oz bottle with a code on the neck, opened 10-13-23.
2 finger sand colored head, rocky and dense with excellent retention.
Dark brown body with ample lacing.
Vanilla, pipe tobacco aroma, and milk chocolate.
Taste very closely follows the aroma descriptors. There's a hint of bitterness in the middle to the finish that keeps this from entering the realm of the sweet.
Medium body, low carbonation, and a smooth mouthfeel.
Very Good.

 

Black with tan head, poor retention, thin rings of lace
Smells like high quality dark chocolate
Tastes like really good cocoa
Heavy bodied with appropriate carbonation
Good if your into it

What a nice dessert I just drank !
Of the 10+ in Sam's Organic line, Chocolate is only my second. My bad.
But my good is that I have a second copy and get to have this again without having to go to the store.

Chocolate Looks much like the photos of the Yorkshire Squares, billowing big bubbles tightly bound. Smells would be too sweet except that there is bittersweet chocolate/cocoa in my nose. Despite the extravagant nature of chocolate, Chocolate is balanced throughout and finishes semi-dry. Not gooey like melted chocolate, Chocolate is luxurious in my mouth.

I confess to not drinking enough of Sam's fare. But, I recently picked up their sampler six-pack. Good marketing from a hospitality company. By the way, why don't American crafters have inns or hotels like Sam Smith ?

Tastes like a malted milk ball candy. So yummy.

 

12 oz bottle into a dimple mug.
L: Pours black with a creamy 1/4" light tan head, low carbonation, good head retention, light scattered patchy lacing.
S: Dark chocolate fudge, dark roasted grains, black bread, distant raisins & dates.
T: Sweet dark chocolate, toasted dark caramelized malts, a hint of char, background raisins, dates & prunes, a very mild and distant suggestion of mineral taste. It is gently bitter in the finish which lingers a bit.
F: Smooth and lightly creamy medium-bodied feel with a lightly fluffy center and a gently dry medium-length finish.
O: Aroma and taste are nearly identical. It is a bit sweet and is dominated by chocolate. Pleasant drinking and lightly dry. It is outstanding in its style.

Lumpy two-finger head which settles to a film of bubbles. Plenty of wider streaks as the beer is consumed. Dark brown color with no light passing.

The smell is of freshly opened, semisweet chocolate nibs. Minor chalk.

Sweet cocoa flavor. Above average body, creamy on the initial sip, but a bit watery in the swallow. Odd. The carbonation is a bit on the low side. This Stout has no burnt bitterness. Might be better described as a Chocolate Porter. The semisweet chocolate IS the flavor all the way through the moderate aftertaste. Candy-like and a one-trick pony.

Pours black with a vigorous head. Aroma is light chocolate malt. Taste is light in body, creamy, sweet and a light milk chocolate flavor. ABV is quite light. Altogether, quite respectable.