Speyside Cacao
Dugges Ale- & Porterbryggeri AB

Constellations of fine, light chestnut lace coat a Swiftwater Snifter. No actual head forms, just a thin ring. It appears to be opaque and black until put to the light when it is revealed to be muddy, dark brown (SRM 32-35). Chunks of dark beige sediment fall from suspension, while a viscous film produces falling stars as it draws the lacing back down.

Baker's chocolate and light coconut are the initial aromas. Milk chocolate follows while the whiskey is quite subdued. It is sweet, reminiscent of Cool Whip.

The flavor is interesting, especially because it bears little resemblance to the aroma. Whiskey and roasted malt are the entire show, as the chocolate is completely lost. It is far more bitter than sweet. The finish is long and contains a whiskey bite. Warmth eventually brings out some coconut.

It has a full body with heat that bites and nibbles, diminishing the creaminess and elevating a scratchy texture. Meanwhile, the carbonation only has a light prickle.

Paired with a whiskey-aged, Kerry Gold cheddar. The beer and cheese compliment one another like drunken buddies. I enjoyed it on a cold and snowy afternoon, and found it to be an excellent sipping beer while reading. I can only imagine how much more enjoyable it would be fireside.

 

The chocolate is upfront on the nose and continues throughout the flavor. The beer is silky smooth across the tongue. Small bottle but full of flavor!

 

 

Pours black with a 1/2 inch tan head, which dissipates to a wisp. Light lacing.

Aroma of vanilla, molasses, dates, figs, cherries, oak.

Taste is molasses, cacao, rye, whiskey, dates, figs, coconut, cherries, vanilla, oak, licorice. A bit of alcohol burn.

Full bodied, thick and oily, light carbonation. Semi-sweet, oily finish.

Wow! This is one darn good beer. Outstanding!

 

 

Bottle decanted into a large snifter at Wet City in Baltimore. More of a dessert stout than I'm normally partial to, but its a VERY good dessert stout.

 

**
11/30/19

Bottle to snifter.

LOOK: thick dark black, motor oil. no head.
AROMA: vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, whiskey. Very nice.
TASTE: coconut comes through here with the chocolate. Other flavors noted in aroma are also present in taste to a lesser extent.
FEEL: thick, full bodied. some carbonation is detected in mouthfeel, even though appearance doesn't show any head or bubbles.

Very tasty stout. Grows on you as you go. Maybe a tad sweet, but this is working well as a compliment to my Day 3 Thanksgiving leftover dessert.

**

 

 

Poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a fairly thick ruddy semi-dark brown color with an off colored eggshell white head, some flakiness but graced the sides of the glass fairly nice. Some concave lace seemingly falling in streams.
The aroma had a fantastic whiskey sensibly sweet offshooting into vanilla, milk chocolate and dark chocolate qualities. Marshmallow fluffy creaminess coating sweet woody barrel character.
The flavor leans towards the sweet side wrapping together marshmallow fluff, vanilla cream, sweet whiskey woodiness, woody spice and the dark/milk chocolate tones. Aftertaste snips at the whiskey spicy wood but mainly sticks to that marshmallow fluffy sweetness, lingers nicely and a touch of ash.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. Carbonation felt good, maybe starting to fall off a bit. Lots of smoothness, some stickiness. Finishes with some milk chocolate, vanilla cream and marshmallow fluff.
Overall, there's coconut in this somewhere? Hmmmm.....well, I never smelled or tasted anything of it and I even cleaned my palate appropriately. I still would have this again because it is well brewed.

 

 

 

 

A little too sweet

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

Dark brown with a one inch light mocha head.

Nose: Lots of sweet caramel, marshmallow, graham cracker, milk chocolate.

Taste: Follows the nose. Milk chocolate, caramel, coconut. A bit more coffee presence here. More caramel sweetness on the finish.

Feel: Full-bodied, rich. Carbonation a touch heavier than expected.