Churro Sombrero
Clown Shoes
- From:
- Clown Shoes
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- American Stout
- ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.78 | pDev: 10.32%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 10
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Apr 25, 2021
- Added:
- Oct 30, 2019
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 4
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by smcolw from Massachusetts
3.86/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Thick beige head. The cascade of upward bubbles was nearly Guinness-like. If recedes slowly in a lumpy fashion.
Chocolatey nose with a light metallic touch. There's also a sweetness almost like a chocolate covered cherry. Perhaps some cinnamon but I didn't note it until I read the can.
Semisweet chocolate reigns on the flavor profile. The body is a bit thin but lower level of carbonation keeps the mouthfeel in check. Less sweet than the smell -- no notable cherry. Overall, a pleasant not-so-sweet stout. Yet, it's not dry enough to fit into the traditional Irish category.
Dec 06, 2020Chocolatey nose with a light metallic touch. There's also a sweetness almost like a chocolate covered cherry. Perhaps some cinnamon but I didn't note it until I read the can.
Semisweet chocolate reigns on the flavor profile. The body is a bit thin but lower level of carbonation keeps the mouthfeel in check. Less sweet than the smell -- no notable cherry. Overall, a pleasant not-so-sweet stout. Yet, it's not dry enough to fit into the traditional Irish category.
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
3.78/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16oz can stamped pkg 08/24/20 (nearly 3 months ago) poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 7% ABV. The beer pours black with very little light penetration and rusty brown head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves streaks of lacing. The aroma is mild in strength and offers sweetness and roast malt along with cinnamon and vanilla. The flavor is semisweet with vanilla and mild pepper up front. The roasted malt and cinnamon come in about mid palate, before a slightly watery, mildly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Overall, good.
Nov 17, 2020
Reviewed by jngrizzaffi from Texas
3.85/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Pours a pitch-black color with a thick brown head. Head retention is good. Lacing is very good. Aroma of alcohol, cinnamon and vanilla. Maybe some slight chocolate. Strong cinnamon on the taste with vanilla and a hint of chocolate. Medium to heavy bodied with mild carbonation. Would like a little more chocolate and less vanilla in the taste.
Oct 29, 2020
Reviewed by ichorNet from Massachusetts
3.93/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.93/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Alright, so Clown Shoes was purchased by Harpoon a few years ago, and I've definitely noticed a slight change in how their stuff is marketed and even how recipes are built, and this beer is one of the most perplexing. The description of the original Chocolate Sombrero is as follows: "Roasted dark malts plus extra chocolate malts plus ancho chile plus cinnamon plus organic vanilla extract plus a chocolate eating, beer drinking, Clown Shoes wearing, multi limbed, gorgeous and glorious Mexican wrestler on the label. That’s the recipe for a Chocolate Sombrero!" The can description for this "variant" reads "Mexican-style chocolate stout with vanilla beans and cinnamon." Also, it's 2% less strong than the original Chocolate Sombrero. What the hell is going on? Let's dig in...
The pour here is definitely great... a dark, almost inky-black pour with a two-finger, consistent beige-mocha head that leaves behind some awesome lace and great legs. No real issue with how this one comes out of the glass, honestly... all it well in Sombrero world with regards to appearance!
The nose is definitely something strange... it's neutered and weak-smelling with almost no strong spice, chili peppers, or even roasty malts. I do get a lot of vanilla, sure, but that might be the last thing I really want when it comes to this style. It does somewhat smell like a churro, but the spice is pushed much less than it probably should be, and the normal stout-like notes of chocolate malts and whatnot are kinda muted here.
Flavors of vanilla, light spice, and soft oat-like malt... there is nothing overly flavorful about this beer, though, and that's the main issue I have with it. The original Chocolate Sombrero was a freakin' 9% flavor bomb, and it already had vanilla and cinnamon in it! Sure, the ratios might have been changed for this variant, and the base beer was probably altered to get it to 7%, but I guess those are a lot of my problems with this. It deviates a bit too much from the original, and it doesn't even have any heat to it (I doubt any peppers were added here, which is, in itself, kinda blasphemous). Feel is definitely pretty good for the strength and what they were going for here, but the flavors just don't impress me. I miss what CS used to be, but nothing great can last forever.
Oct 10, 2020The pour here is definitely great... a dark, almost inky-black pour with a two-finger, consistent beige-mocha head that leaves behind some awesome lace and great legs. No real issue with how this one comes out of the glass, honestly... all it well in Sombrero world with regards to appearance!
The nose is definitely something strange... it's neutered and weak-smelling with almost no strong spice, chili peppers, or even roasty malts. I do get a lot of vanilla, sure, but that might be the last thing I really want when it comes to this style. It does somewhat smell like a churro, but the spice is pushed much less than it probably should be, and the normal stout-like notes of chocolate malts and whatnot are kinda muted here.
Flavors of vanilla, light spice, and soft oat-like malt... there is nothing overly flavorful about this beer, though, and that's the main issue I have with it. The original Chocolate Sombrero was a freakin' 9% flavor bomb, and it already had vanilla and cinnamon in it! Sure, the ratios might have been changed for this variant, and the base beer was probably altered to get it to 7%, but I guess those are a lot of my problems with this. It deviates a bit too much from the original, and it doesn't even have any heat to it (I doubt any peppers were added here, which is, in itself, kinda blasphemous). Feel is definitely pretty good for the strength and what they were going for here, but the flavors just don't impress me. I miss what CS used to be, but nothing great can last forever.
Rated by pathman from Ohio
4.25/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
07/29/20 can @ home
Jul 30, 2020
Reviewed by Hooded from Texas
3.35/5 rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.35/5 rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Notes from 1/2/2020.
Poured from a can into a tulip glass.
The appearance is black with one finger of quickly receding brown foam leaving a light cap. 3.5
The aroma is milk chocolate, caramel, taffy, malt, and a little alcohol. 3.5
The taste is dark chocolate, a little coffee, caramel, taffy, malt, light chilies, and less than moderate bitterness in the finish. 3.5
The mouth feel is medium and unremarkable. 3.0
Overall it is okay at best. 3.0
Jan 04, 2020Poured from a can into a tulip glass.
The appearance is black with one finger of quickly receding brown foam leaving a light cap. 3.5
The aroma is milk chocolate, caramel, taffy, malt, and a little alcohol. 3.5
The taste is dark chocolate, a little coffee, caramel, taffy, malt, light chilies, and less than moderate bitterness in the finish. 3.5
The mouth feel is medium and unremarkable. 3.0
Overall it is okay at best. 3.0
Rated by thom0623 from Virginia
2/5 rDev -47.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2/5 rDev -47.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
It tastes like a coffee stout. Fine if that’s what you want. But misleading to call it a chocolate sombrero stout.
Dec 30, 2019
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