Cocoa Suave
Platform Beer Co.

Today is my (Un?)Happy New Jumping Off of the New Platform Beer Sunday (Week 755)! I have been redding up my house during my CANvalescence from surgery & putting together a number of brewery horizontals in doing so. I had planned, even before its announcement about its sale to A-B/InBev, to drink a buncha beers & a seltzer from Kleveland's Platform Beer Co. for this week's NBS. I was disheartened to hear of the news, especially having read the GI story. I am not one to boycott a beer due to their acquisition by a large corporation, but it did take some of the wind out of my sails.

From the CAN: "Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout"; "Cocoa*Vanilla*Spice"; "Grains[:] 2 Row[,] Chocolate[,] Caramel 120[,] Special CaraFa 3[,] Flaked Barley[,] Hops[:] Galena[,] Crystal[,] Yeast[:] San Diego[,] Adjuncts[:] Lactose[,] Cacao[,] Cinnamon[,] Cayenne[,] Nutmeg[,] Plato[:] 15[,] IBU[:] 20"; "Ohio Craft Beer".

I couldn't wait to Crack! open the vent & begin a C-Line Glug after reading all of the adjuncts! I watched in rapt fascination as a pseudo-cascade formed two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with decent retention. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose was ridiculously spicy! It was as though the whole spice rack had fallen into the boil kettle. 8=) It was the cayenne that really cut through the mélange & asserted itself. Phew. Mouthfeel was medium, but light for a Stout. The taste was VERY peppery & spicy! I got an initial taste of cinnamon & nutmeg before the cayenne just unleashed a blast of heat from its flamethrower. 8=O During this past Winter, I did an exbeeriment involving using a double-boiler to heat various spiced beers. This would make an excellent CANdidate for another such exbeeriment! The only problem here was that it was not stylistically correct, hence my numbers. Finish was spicy, hot & as dry as any beer that uses spices should be expected to be. YMMV.

 

A thanks to the commander of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a black color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of chocolate, spices. Taste is strong of cinnamon, ginger, some hot peppers, light chocolate. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall, not bad, but I would like to see more balance between the cocoa and spices.

 

Appearance: A classic bubble show builds three fingers of beige foam with the coffee colored liquid underneath; multiple strands of lacing

Smell: Milk chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne - each of the adjuncts is clearly discernible in the aroma

Taste: The cayenne comes on a bit strong and dominates after the first sip; milk chocolate provides the backbone; through the middle, the cinnamon and nutmeg also make an appearance but fade into the cayenne finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; the tongue tingles from the heat

Overall: An interesting blend of adjuncts; just wish the cayenne was dialed back a little bit

Thanks, N-Gogol, for the opportunity

 

Dull blackish-brown with some visible tan floating sediment and a fuzzy tan head.

Smell is cinnamon candy, cocoa and vanilla.

Taste is cinnamon ginger snap cookies dipped in cola. It doesn't taste a lot like beer.

Body is light and bubbly with a semi-wet with finish that lends a peppery heat after the swallow.

12 ounce can into pint glass, canned on 11/27/2017. Pours fairly murky nearly opaque dark brown color with a 2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, vanilla, cream, and toasted dark/brown bread, light coffee/herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, lactose, and spice notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, vanilla, cream, and toasted dark/brown bread light coffee/herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/roast bitterness and slight pepper/cinnamon spice on the finish. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, vanilla, cream, toasted dark/brown bread, light coffee/herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, lactose, and spice flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet and spiciness balance; with zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.5%. Lightly increasing lingering pepper heat through the glass, but never overpowering. Overall this is an excellent Mexican style milk stout! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, lactose, and spice flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/spicy finish. Nicely rich feeling for the low ABV. Well rounded milk stout malt complexity and great spice balance, without overdoing anything. Nicely restrained, but still very noticeable. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

 

 

 

12/29/17 draft @ Bop Stop

 

 

 

12 ounce can, canned on 10/24/17. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with not quite an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like milk chocolate, roasted malt, cream and some chili pepper spice. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but the chili pepper spice kicks in more as the brew warms. There's the addition of some vanilla and cinnamon, and also a lingering chili heat in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's creamy and a bit coating with a moderate amount of carbonation. I think it's a good chili stout, I need to buy more of this one!

I got a six of this from my local Meijer. It poured an opaque dark with no head and no lace. The scent had hints of pepper and dark chocolate. The taste started sweet but dissipated quickly with big pepper finish. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it's an interesting beer.

Pours a reddish black with a dark mocha head that fades. The smell is mostly roasted malt with some sweet notes ands spice. The taste starts with the roasted malt up front followed strongly by the spice with a lingering subtle heat on the back end. Overall a very interesting beer. The feel is medium, could be thicker, but doesn't detract from the overall beer. If you enjoy dark beers and want something new this beer has plenty to offer, but would not recommend if you do not want the spice, they did not shy away from adding some heat. Overall enjoyable.