Chocolate Stout
State of Brewing

 

 

I figure most people dismiss the Aldi's 'store brands' since we can't find them on the shelves at other liquor stores or supermarkets, but all of these beers need to be made some where. Chocolate Stouts have been a comfort to me in the cold New England winters since childhood...er... legal drinking age at 21; so I figured why not, I'm not a fan of all of their beers, but some are very good and how can you beat one that just has "chocolate stout" on the plain label. It does not disappoint! pours a bit heady and leaves lots of lace indicating its going to have good body. first sip immediately gives you the notes of dark chocolate and cacao over a nice malty base. Finishes clean with a slight bitter (and not in the good way) after taste (which is the only reason I don't give it 5. Rich, dark, chocolate-y, and well carbonated, the perfect beer for sitting next to the fireplace and eating some cut of meat that's spent all day in a crock pot.

Dark brown pour leaves a khaki head, some spotty lacing. Chocolate on the nose and some for the taste buds, a little bit of roasted malt detected. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Just way too sweet.

 

 

State of Brewing Chocolate Stout has a very thick, spongy, beige head and a dark-brown appearance, with minimal lacing. The aroma is dark malts and cocoa. The flavor is very chocolatey, but some dark malts are detected. Bitterness is low. Sweetness is high. Chocolate Stout has a medium body and a sweet finish.

RJT

12 oz can poured into a tumbler. Pours near-black with a moderate tan head. Good retention. Aroma and flavor feature Hershey's chocolate syrup, roasted malt, and some coffee. It's extremely chocolate forward with a good roastiness and fairly sweet, but not cloying. Easy to drink and I would have guessed it was more like 6% abv - the alcohol is very well-hidden. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and well-carbonated. Overall it's a great chocolate stout if you are in the mood for a CHOCOLATE stout.

 

12 oz. can, best by date 09/07/2023 printed on the bottom. Acquired the 4pk of this stuff from the local Aldi, probably my second beer from State of Brewing, who I think contract brews beer for the grocery store. "Stout with chocolate extract and chocolate cacao".

Poured to a Piraat snifter.
Pours a dark chocolate cola color, appears pretty opaque in the glass, with a half-finger of thick creamy khaki tan head that leaves some ok spotty lacing.
Aroma is a bit powdery, like the cocoa mix you would add to milk to make chocolate milk. Notes of vanilla bean / extract, and cream, with perhaps just a touch of fusel alcohol / medicinal cherry band-aid in there.
Taste follows the nose, with actually quite a bit happening, fairly layered: notes of milk chocolate, cream, cacao powder, evaporated milk, cherry medicine, alcohol, band-aid, with underlying notes of dark roast & espresso beans which is actually quite nice, I can't disagree. Definitely more complex & layered than I was expecting from an Aldi beer.
Smooth, crisp, creamy, and drinkable at 8.0% abv. Definitely one of the better choices from State of Brewing I've encountered.

State Of Brewing Chocolate Stout -----4/5.

 

Dark color, nice tan head that left a bit of lacing in pint glass. Strong chocolate aroma . Taste was milder than the aroma, pretty good balance. Feel was somewhat thin. Overall very drinkable and didn't come across too sweet. 4 pk of 12 oz cans was $7.99 + tax.

12 oz can from Aldi (4 pack) with a July 2022 BB date stamped on the bottom.
Appearance. Near black body with a decent beige head that leaves some spots of lacing on the glass.
This drinks like a high ABV milk stout. It has loads of chocolate flavor but the chocolate flavor could be of higher quality.
Overall. Good value ... or great value if the chocolate flavor meets or beats your standards. Partially hidden ABV.

12 oz can pours a typical dark blackish brown with khaki head. Smell is dominated by a sweet chocolate note reminiscent of tootsie rolls. Taste follows with a fake chocolate flavor, but I surprisingly don't hate it. Decent amount of sweetness, but really no more than your average chocolate stout, I find it by no means insanely over-the-top or sickening, it's pretty tolerable in my opinion. Mouthfeel is fairly bubbly with a medium body. The 8% ABV is ridiculously well hidden, you wouldn't even know it until you feel it.

Given I picked this up at Aldi on a whim to see how bad it was, I'm pleasantly surprised that it really isn't all that bad. Might buy again, it's a really good value for a decent beer.

Bought at Aldi. It pours a chocolate brown color with a light brown head that soon reduces to a thin layer and a ring. In the nose, it is chocolate forward and then chocolate behind. The taste is chocolate syrup up front and it lingers on the palate. If you are Chocolate Syrup lover, this is your brew.

In the 2023 Aldi Christmas Advent Calendar.

This was a drain pour. It started off okay, with tootsie roll notes, but the sweetness became sickening, with raw plastic and antifreeze notes. Never again. It's barfworthy.

 

Drinking this at home.
Date on can 09/16/20
Bought at my local tap house Tapped Drafts and Crafts.
Poured from a 12 ounce can into a pint glass.
Looks dark brown almost black poured with a one inch rocky head that dropped quickly to a thin ring and left behind some nice lacing.
Smells chocolatey, chocolate.
Taste follows the nose with a hint of vanilla.
Mouth feel is medium for the style with a bit of stickiness, I think slightly I carbonation would improve this beer.
Overall, a nice chocolate Stout, that I might order again.

Appearance: Deep mahogany brown, impervious to light, crowned by a moderate, dense cream-colored head, with very good retention. Belgian-style lacing adorns the glass wall.

Aroma: The aroma is quite striking, like Tootsie Rolls dusted in bitter cocoa. I cannot detect even the faintest hint of alcohol in the aroma.

Taste: As with the aroma, the taste opens with the flavor of Tootsie Rolls dusted in bitter cocoa, or perhaps bitter chocolate. The 8% ABV contributes nothing that I can detect, either in taste or warmth. As the taste progresses, the bitter notes of chocolate are ascendant. Finishes with a lingering note of chocolate syrup and char.

Mouth feel: Very full and pleasant, soft to the palate, with just a hint of carbonation.

Drinkability/note: While overall, this seems a bit sweet, it would pair superbly with chocolate-based desserts, such as dark chocolate cake. Cheers to Aldi for offering this very reasonably-priced dessert beer at $5.99 for a four-pack.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a Duvel Tulip.

Barely average beer. The higher alcohol is hidden in the sweet chocolate flavor. That flavor is a combination of tootsie rolls and artificial chocolate syrup. The stout is hidden in the chocolate. The good news is there is only 3 left.