Chocolate Double Stout
Zipline Brewing Co

750ml bottle. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It smelled of chocolate, toffee and mild coffee notes. Lots of chocolate flavor. Roasty and rich.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a clear glass tulip. Smudged freshness date at bottom of bottom.

A: Black with chestnut edges with short 1/2-finger cap of dark beige-brown head that falls away quickly and leaves spots of lacing.

S: Milk chocolate with sweet caramel, lightly buttery, very light roast note

T: On the sweeter side of the style with more of a bitter, cocoa-dark chocolate character through the palate with less caramel character and a bit of roast in the finish. Alcohol is well-hidden and it drinks very smoothly and thankfully has no trace of the artificial chemical taste a lot of flavored stouts and other beers have (unfortunately).

M: Not light bodied at all, medium-full with a creamy texture from moderate carbonation.

O: A really enjoyable brew from Zipline -- smooth and chocolatey with the roast and char dialed way back to let the sweeter features shine.

 

Zip Line Chocolate Double Stout, 8.5% ABV, 35 IBU. Pours dark, not much head, nose is chocolate, taste is chocolate. This has the strongest chocolate taste I've had in a beer. Hardly any bitterness, excellent. This is listed as retired but it is still available here, so I expect it is occasional

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: contrary to other reviews this is quite transparent for a double stout. Almost appears red in a small glass, with very thin head/head retention.
Smell: dark chocolate, a slight amount of malt.
Taste: good, dark chocolate a slight amount of coffee and malt, but mostly chocolate. The finish sticks with you surprisingly long with bitter cocoa, in a pleasant way.
Mouthfeel: thin and watery. Acceptable for other styles of beers, but not a double stout.
Overall: this one gets points for hiding the alcohol well but beyond that, it should not be labeled a double stout. Further more it is not a "brave new brew" as the label suggests, rather an attempt to follow the new norm in craft beer.