Mad Scientist Pecan Pie Chocolate Stout
Ocean City Brewing Company
- From:
- Ocean City Brewing Company
- Maryland, United States
- Style:
- Pastry Stout
- ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.83 | pDev: 16.45%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 07, 2020
- Added:
- Jun 09, 2014
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 5
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
Mad Scientist is called “A liquid slice of the good life.” If you are a chocolate lover this will please your palate. It’s a delicious chocolate flavor, blended with the taste of the south. We use fresh pecans and pie crust malt to create what we call the dessert of beers.
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Reviewed by PathofChaos from Maryland
3.58/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.58/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance:
Pours like a black satin waterfall and foams up a moderate, dark brown head that laces but fails to persist
Bouquet:
Watery, milk stout-esque aroma, dilute malts, and only the faintest trace of chocolate. Not unpleasant, but not exactly a royal welcome...
Taste:
Surprise! MEGA chocolate lay waiting in ambush behind that weak, deceptive aroma. A welcome assault of rich, semi-sweet chocolate syrup. Roasted, rustic coffee, molasses, and toasted oats reside behind that initial deluge of cocoa nibs. Faint hints of graham cracker and damn-near impalpable nuttiness that isn't specifically distinguishable as pecan.
Feel:
Strangely thin for a chocolate stout. Medium body overall. Smooth. A tad dry with a warm finish.
Overall:
Boasts a cocoa strength mightier than many straight-up chocolate beers. If you've been waiting for a stout to finally wow you with dark, sinful chocolate then Mad Scientist is your prodigy. If it were just a chocolate stout I'd have given it a perfect score in that category, but the Pecan Pie I was promised by the label didn't make more than a clipped, long-distance call.
Jan 07, 2020Pours like a black satin waterfall and foams up a moderate, dark brown head that laces but fails to persist
Bouquet:
Watery, milk stout-esque aroma, dilute malts, and only the faintest trace of chocolate. Not unpleasant, but not exactly a royal welcome...
Taste:
Surprise! MEGA chocolate lay waiting in ambush behind that weak, deceptive aroma. A welcome assault of rich, semi-sweet chocolate syrup. Roasted, rustic coffee, molasses, and toasted oats reside behind that initial deluge of cocoa nibs. Faint hints of graham cracker and damn-near impalpable nuttiness that isn't specifically distinguishable as pecan.
Feel:
Strangely thin for a chocolate stout. Medium body overall. Smooth. A tad dry with a warm finish.
Overall:
Boasts a cocoa strength mightier than many straight-up chocolate beers. If you've been waiting for a stout to finally wow you with dark, sinful chocolate then Mad Scientist is your prodigy. If it were just a chocolate stout I'd have given it a perfect score in that category, but the Pecan Pie I was promised by the label didn't make more than a clipped, long-distance call.
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania
2.36/5 rDev -38.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.75
2.36/5 rDev -38.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.75
Looks fine and smells not bad - initially. You kinda get what they were going for in the taste but unfortunately this bottle was infected. It had a very mineral/carbonic and sour taste to the finish not indicadive of what the label says they were going for.
Jan 01, 2017
Reviewed by Irishman_Scott from Pennsylvania
5/5 rDev +30.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +30.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Chocolatiest Stout I've ever had. Incredibly good. About your standard, typical mouthfeel and color. Cool with me because I'm a Stout fanatic anyway. This one's all about the chocolate though. Awesome flavor!!!
Nov 24, 2016
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania
3.33/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.33/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
I am continuing to winnow down my Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody, concentrating on beers from Maryland this evening.
From the bottle: "Mad Scientist is called 'A liquid slice of the good life.' If you are a chocolate lover, this will please your palate. It's a delicious chocolate flavor blended with the taste of the south. We use a pie crust malt to create what we call the dessert of beers."
Upon Pop!ping the cap, I weighed my options & went with a heavy-handed pour. This resulted in a finger of foamy, deep-tan/light-brown head that quickly faded to wisps. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44) with cola highlights at the edges. Nose was very rich and chocolaty & I somehow thought of Jell-O Chocolate Pudding! I have not made Jell-O gelatin or pudding in years, so for that memory to just come out of nowhere, unabated, it was astounding. Warming, I got a nuttiness on the nose, also, but I am not sure that I would have identified it as pecan on my own. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more towards a chocolate meringue pie with a graham cracker crust. They used to be my 4th of July forte during my high school years, again a distant memory bubbling up. It was tasty, but not quite up to its own billing, which is always a disappointment. Finish was semi-sweet with the chocolate flavor front and center, but the pecan nuttiness was fully lacking. I understand rating to style vs rating to taste, but when the brewer/brewery set up expectations & fails to meet them, I feel that such should be mirrored in the rating score. YMMV. I hope so.
Nov 22, 2016From the bottle: "Mad Scientist is called 'A liquid slice of the good life.' If you are a chocolate lover, this will please your palate. It's a delicious chocolate flavor blended with the taste of the south. We use a pie crust malt to create what we call the dessert of beers."
Upon Pop!ping the cap, I weighed my options & went with a heavy-handed pour. This resulted in a finger of foamy, deep-tan/light-brown head that quickly faded to wisps. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44) with cola highlights at the edges. Nose was very rich and chocolaty & I somehow thought of Jell-O Chocolate Pudding! I have not made Jell-O gelatin or pudding in years, so for that memory to just come out of nowhere, unabated, it was astounding. Warming, I got a nuttiness on the nose, also, but I am not sure that I would have identified it as pecan on my own. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more towards a chocolate meringue pie with a graham cracker crust. They used to be my 4th of July forte during my high school years, again a distant memory bubbling up. It was tasty, but not quite up to its own billing, which is always a disappointment. Finish was semi-sweet with the chocolate flavor front and center, but the pecan nuttiness was fully lacking. I understand rating to style vs rating to taste, but when the brewer/brewery set up expectations & fails to meet them, I feel that such should be mirrored in the rating score. YMMV. I hope so.
Reviewed by dbl_delta from Pennsylvania
3.72/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.72/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Undated bottle into pint glass. Pours an oily black with a thick tan head. Initial impression is dark bitter chocolate and biscuit - much less sweet than I expected. Medium mouthfeel (too thin for a stout - more like a porter) and medium-light carbonation. Somewhat bitter finish, which becomes less noticeable as it warms. Not one I'd revisit.
Oct 11, 2016
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland
2.38/5 rDev -37.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75
2.38/5 rDev -37.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75
Pours a very dark brown color. The head is a finger high, and khaki in shade. While the head is quite soft and creamy, retention is unimpressive - nor is significant lacing left on the glass.
Those familiar with Sweet Baby Jesus will instantly recognize the aroma. There's a massive nutty/pecan component that's slightly more natural (and bolder, I might add) than the artificial peanut butter of SBJ. Plenty of dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt also show up. The nose isn't amazingly deep, but it's punchy and not terribly chemical smelling. It accomplishes everything it needs to, and that's what maters.
...and there we go, the drop off once it actually hits the palate is HUGE. It opens up with...not much, actually, the first act seems empty. Around the middle, some of the roasted notes show up, while the finish is nutty - and absurdly chemical. There's minimal dark chocolate presence, but hey, at least it makes up for that with metallic qualities. It's quite dry and bitter, almost unpleasantly so. Nah, it IS unpleasantly so. This flat out sucks, and that's all else that can be said.
This feels too thin and fizzy for the style. Come to think of it, that might be a good thing: a heavier, sweeter beer would have carried the lousy flavors to the palate even more effectively. I mean, I guess it's drinkable, but it sure as hell isn't enjoyable.
Wow. This is bad. The worst part is how tasty it smelled, and how it tastes almost the opposite of what was suggested. Not only should this be avoided, it's caused me to completely write off Ocean City Brewing as a competent brewery.
2.38/5: Stick with time travel, Rick
Sep 22, 2016Those familiar with Sweet Baby Jesus will instantly recognize the aroma. There's a massive nutty/pecan component that's slightly more natural (and bolder, I might add) than the artificial peanut butter of SBJ. Plenty of dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt also show up. The nose isn't amazingly deep, but it's punchy and not terribly chemical smelling. It accomplishes everything it needs to, and that's what maters.
...and there we go, the drop off once it actually hits the palate is HUGE. It opens up with...not much, actually, the first act seems empty. Around the middle, some of the roasted notes show up, while the finish is nutty - and absurdly chemical. There's minimal dark chocolate presence, but hey, at least it makes up for that with metallic qualities. It's quite dry and bitter, almost unpleasantly so. Nah, it IS unpleasantly so. This flat out sucks, and that's all else that can be said.
This feels too thin and fizzy for the style. Come to think of it, that might be a good thing: a heavier, sweeter beer would have carried the lousy flavors to the palate even more effectively. I mean, I guess it's drinkable, but it sure as hell isn't enjoyable.
Wow. This is bad. The worst part is how tasty it smelled, and how it tastes almost the opposite of what was suggested. Not only should this be avoided, it's caused me to completely write off Ocean City Brewing as a competent brewery.
2.38/5: Stick with time travel, Rick
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