Abraxas - Salted Chocolate
Perennial Artisan Ales

 

I love the abraxas series. This is really good. Sweet, flavorful, rich, bold, boozy, big. Big chocolate and caramel and roasty malt scents and flavors. Thick, syrupy, oily, probably too much. Just too balanced and flavorful to downgrade.

Dark brown color. One-finger thick, beige head. Chocolate, caramel, milk, peppers, and malt in the aroma. Starts sweet and salty. Warm finish with roasted bitterness. Good.

A - Pours pitch black with a nice one finger creamy tan head. The head fades into a thin ring leaving some nice clingy lacing.

S - Aroma is cinnamon, espresso, roasted malts, caramel and vanilla.

T - The taste is dark chocolate, salted caramel, roasted malts, black coffee, cinnamon, light vanilla and some very light chili heat.

M - Medium body with low carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a slick drying finish.

O - Solid Abraxas variant.

(750 ml bottle, purchased at Bella Vista a few weeks ago... shared days later between my Chouffe tulip glasses)

I had a 5 oz pour of this at the brewery last year and thought it was good, but not as stark and dynamic as the standard version... cut to when I shared this with a buddy, and we immediately looked at each like, "I don't know about this"... the salted chocolate addition sounds good in theory, but this ends having so much a dominant featured flavor in its chocolate, that I can only liken it to melting chocolate-covered salt pretzel coating into a glass of Abraxas... the earthy, spicy nuances of Abraxas nearly lost... we labored to get through it; not a fan (2312)

 

Picked up a 2022 750ml bottle from the Blue Door Bottleshop in Hendersonville 12-8-22 for $35.00. Consumed 11-17-23. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured black with a pretty good tan head.

Nose is very nice as the cinnamon stands forward with a light touch of vanilla and cocoa in the background.

Taste is very nice as well as a large malt base serves as the palette for all the adjuncts in which the cinnamon stands forward with the cacao nibs and chocolate. Vanilla is barely noticeable. Finishes with a nice dose of hopping and nice touch of chilis.

Mouthfeel is medium to large bodied and is great as each sip is so soft and smooth.

Overall this is well crafted, a nice spendy treat!

 

Pours black with a fingers of khaki foam. Aroma is chocolate and salt, mixed together like a dessert bar. Peppers and spices sit alongside roasty and toasty malts, forming the rest of the aroma. The aroma packs a little more punch than the flavor profile. Flavor profile is chocolate out front, with heavy peppers and spices behind. Chocolate reappears in the final third, this time paired with salt. Roasty and toasty malts give it some balance and heft. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a creamy, almost slimy texture. Overall, interesting. It's as the label would suggest - chocolate and salt, paired over Abraxas's usual pepper and spice stout notes.

Draft. Reviewed from notes.

Poured this 2022 into a snifter with no head to speak of, though there is a beige ring around the glass.
The nose is confident: definitely chilies backed up with chocolate and cinnamon.
Flavor: Sweetness on top of the chilies with notes of chocolate, almond, cinnamon and sea salt.
Mouthfeel: Creamy and thin.
Finish: Smooth and salty.

05/20/23 draft @ The Whale

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 750ml bottle at fridge temp. Pours motor oil black with a small amount of light brown head. The nose is fantastic. The chili comes through immediately. Chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, oak, slight roasted malts, and slight pepper spice.

The taste is intense. Now the salted chocolate comes through big time. Quite a bit, in fact. The chili, cinnamon, and vanilla remain strong. Also getting some maple, toffee, raisins, bread, and slight charred wood. The roasted malts are definitely there. I would not call this sweet at all. Lots of spice and roasty flavors. Some coffee grounds come through as it warms a bit.

Mouthfeel is very creamy, and the aftertaste is a bit of chili and roasted malts. Overall, a really interesting beer.

750 ml bottle, 2022 vintage. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with not quite an inch tan head that stuck around a while. There's also a good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like cinnamon, chilies, dark chocolate, salt, vanilla and roasted malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some burnt/charred malt and dark bready flavors. All the flavors mesh well with each other, and no one flavor overpowers the others. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this brew a lot, but then I like the regular Abraxas a lot too and this is a nice spin on it. Definitely worth trying if you get the chance!

 

 

2022 Vintage

CONTAINS: Lactose