Heavyweight Champ - Cocoa & Vanilla
Trophy Brewing

Appearance: Pours a murky coffee color with a thin beige cap that fades away quickly; leggy, with a few spots

Smell: Milk chocolate, caramel and vanilla with a touch of Bourbon in the aromatics

Taste: Modest roast, milk chocolate and caramel forward with the vanilla developing; the Bourbon emerges in the mid-palate and builds to a surprisingly finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation; moderate amount of alcohol warming in the finish

Overall: This has held up well with almost six years of age though I suspect it was a bit better (though more boozy) in its youth

 

A: Pours a thick viscous opaque jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint to moderate dark cola brown colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall foamy dark tan head that reduces to a couple of small to medium sized patches of the thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of rich milk chocolate + vanilla over moderate aromas of bourbon, toasted oak, and caramel. Light to moderate aromas of roasted + dark malts with a moderate amount of lactose sweetness and hints of booziness.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of roasted + dark + caramel malts with a moderate amount of lactose + caramel sweetness. That is followed by just shy of moderate flavors of bourbon with slightly stronger than moderate flavors of toasted oak. Strong flavors of rich milk chocolate + vanilla. Light amounts of roasty bitterness which fades fairly quickly leaving lingering vanilla + bourbon flavors.

M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with a light to moderate amount of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: Enjoyable with really nice cocoa + vanilla flavors and aromas complementing the already excellent Heavyweight Champ. Definitely a slow sipper and a bit of a dessert beer but very happy with it.