Stout Chocula
Bhramari Brewing Co

pours dark with big chocolate- malty smell- big chocolate taste but not too much finishes with clean malty taste

 

Had on tap. Pitch black opaque pour with a brown cap and thick lacing randomly. Huge chocolate and chocolate cereal leading the smell with malt and vanilla in the background. Taste is whimsical in how the chocolate cereal comes in through the what would be standard chocolate and vanilla stout. Smooth and sweet, but fun and decently balanced, doesn't let the sugar or cereal overpower.

Pours exceptionally dark brown and nearly black (SRM 40). Inside a PBGC pint, it is black with a long-lasting, dark-chestnut, pancake-batter head. Golden glitter seems to cascade up after the pour, while big patches of lace also sparkle gold where a syrupy film hasn't washed it away.

Unsurprisingly, this beer is very boozy and initially dominated by dark chocolate. Whiskey shortly overpowers the chocolate. Soapiness makes a presence after a few minutes, sadly diminishing the otherwise pleasant aroma. About five minutes in, all I am discerning is soapy booze, which is very unfortunate.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, starting off with "WOW", whiskey and chocolate. This is followed by roasted malt that turns astringent. The finish is moderate, lasting about one minute and filled with astringent booze. After significant warmth, the beer does recover a little and adds cherry.

The body is dense, soft, and cushy, with a slick texture. Light, prickly carbonation softens the alcohol, which, as expected, is warming.

After reading about this on national news, I was excited to find it was available when I visited the brewery. My hopes, unfortunately, were much higher than what the beer delivered. While it warms ok, the soap and stringency took a toll on the experience. I drank it on a snowy afternoon before the Super Bowl.