Hot Chocolate
Valkyrie Brewing

Hot ChocolateHot Chocolate
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From:
Valkyrie Brewing
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Chile Beer
ABV:
5%
Score:
75
Avg:
3.18 | pDev: 22.64%
Reviews:
44
Ratings:
52
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 19, 2020
Added:
Dec 10, 2004
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of scaliasux
Reviewed by scaliasux from Wisconsin

3.82/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L - Very dark brown. Medium height light brown head. Good persistence.

S - Sweet dark malts. Coffee, chocolate, cream.

T - Darker than suggested by the aroma. Espresso, creamy chocolate, a hint of cayenne pepper.

F - Full.

O - The particular combination of flavors is not quite my cup of tea, but this beer has lots of flavor and lots of character.
Sep 19, 2020
Photo of TwoK
Reviewed by TwoK from Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3
Look: Drank this one out of the bottle, so I didn't get a look at it.

Smell: A faint aroma of cocoa (powder?) wafted after the cap popped.

Taste: Got the immediate sensation of a chocolate flavor, but that gave way to a Cayenne pepper burn that was satisfyingly pleasant.

Feel: A little lighter than I could have done with, considering the beer style.

Rather certain if I didn't drink this one ice cold, I wouldn't have finished it, but it isn't as bad as that sounds. Oh, and the bottle label has changed since they renamed themselves as Valkyrie Brewing from Viking.
Jul 09, 2017
Photo of Victory_Sabre1973
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

4.02/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer pours fairly dark. The head is brown, but not too thick. The nose has a slight hint of chocolate. The taste has hints of chocolate, then finishes with a bit of heat. It seems like a strange combination, but it works.
May 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.44 by Farral from Wisconsin

Dec 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Eaglefan344 from Missouri

Apr 18, 2015
Photo of cheesy26
Reviewed by cheesy26 from Wisconsin

3.87/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Given the rating, I had low expectations for this beer but it surprised me with its rich chocolate taste and mild spiciness. I let it sit for about 20 minutes before drinking it and it is well worth seeking out.
Feb 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by richkrull from Wisconsin

Jun 10, 2014
Photo of martyl1000
Reviewed by martyl1000 from Wisconsin

4.01/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
First off, this beer does not deserve the drain-pour attitude of the review by Deebo.

That said, it is an odd bird. I can understand if Deebo took one sip and quit. My first sip had me squinting hard at my glass. Did I want to take a second sip?

Thank goodness I did. This is a very interesting brew.

It offers many excellent features: a handsome pour, a dessert-worthy aroma, a chewy mouthfeel, and a chile pepper burn that increases with each sip.

The one drawback is the somewhat off aftertaste. Don't quite know how to describe it.

I'm gonna stop there, as my first draft got eaten by the gremlins of the digital universe (accidentally closed my browser), and I've had to retype this whole thing. Aargh!
Jun 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by EROCK75 from Illinois

May 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by JasonSullivan from Wisconsin

Apr 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by CWhite from Wisconsin

Jan 26, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 2.5 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of deebo
Reviewed by deebo from Michigan

1.23/5  rDev -61.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Tastes like someone put a cigarette in my beer-seriously! I think it's the only beer I've ever had that I couldn't finish. Avoid!

At least it has a nice appearance. Everything else about it is terrible.

Back to the drawing board for this one!!!
Oct 13, 2010
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

2.21/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
As I start to pour the beer I get about one inch of beer in my pint glass and it foams up like a volcano and blasts out of my pint onto the floor. Luckily I was standing next to the sink so most of the geiser went down the drain. I give it a minute and try again. FUCK! Same thing. So after some serious care I have about six ounces of beer left. It's black as night with no head or lace.

The aroma is rather nice. I wasn't anticipating something good after the pour. Rich coffee and smoked malt. Hints of chocolate and the cayanne is definitely lurking in there.

The flavor is a solid amount of coffee and hints of dark chocolate. A touch of camp fire and then the pepper. Damn the pepper. This beer is has the second most heat I've ever tasted. The heat title goes to Cave Creek. The pepper just over powers everything.

The body is a total dissapointment as well. Not that I'm surprised after the pour. Thin and way over carbonated. It's more like coke than beer.

Overall except for the aroma this beer is a complete FAIL. I'm hoping it was a bad bottle. I will have to talk to the guys at Viking about this one.
Jun 26, 2010
Photo of robbyc1
Reviewed by robbyc1 from Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is a very interesting specialty brew. Murky black/brown, not much head, no lacing, but a heavy porter like body. Silky in the mouth.

Good roasty chocolate malt nose. The depth of flavor is interupted by the spicy notes of peppers, with a nice heat and twang, very well done. The brew finishes dry and invites you to have more. I prize it as a unique dessert beer, specialty occations for sure, a cold winter eve watching hockey say?

Well worth a try for those who enjoy spicy brews.
Apr 15, 2010
Photo of Parrotbeak
Reviewed by Parrotbeak from Minnesota

3.59/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Murky dark brown with no head save for some tan patches in the middle.
Smell is chocolate malts and cocoa up front, with some chocolate syrup and very faint cayenne presence.
Taste is dark chocolate and malts, up front, with some cocoa tones accompanying. The cayenne peppers follow, coming in strong and bringing a lot of heat. The malts carry a bit, with more spicey chocolate. The finish is quite hot.
Mouthfeel is fairly flat, with very little carbonation. Medium-light body.
Decent on drinkability. Probably the hottest beer I've had, as the cayenne presence is impressive. But still, this one is a bit messy and unbalanced.
Apr 02, 2010
Photo of Greggy
Reviewed by Greggy from Minnesota

2.35/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
A- After a very aggressive pour I get 1 finger of tan head which recedes completely in 1 minute. The body is dark black with large yeast chunks hiding out at the bottom.

S- Big creamy chocolate nose, much like a porter, not much else.

T- Starts off with a tiny bit of dark chocolate, then transitions to dry chili notes. Pretty boring, it's just boring chocolate then chili.

M- No carbonation, bad mouthfeel

D- This was not enjoyable to me, it was pretty much a drain pour.
Jan 26, 2010
Photo of homebrew311
Reviewed by homebrew311 from Illinois

1.72/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 1 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Picked this up while I was traveling through WI. I had never heard of Viking before, but I love chocolate stouts, and I love hot peppers... so I was very excited to try this.

A: Pours a lifeless murky brown with zero head. There appears to be floaties... pretty much looks like muddy water

S: yikes... the front is all diacetyl, some tootsie roll chocolate quality and a little bit of zing from the cayenne

T: again, lots of off flavors in the front. Diacetyl, artificial chocolate, and a very unpleasant burn from the pepper that leaves tingling on the throat. Needless to say... this one is not living up to my expectations. Nearly a drain pour.

MF: low carbonation, medium body

D: not good... at all.. I thought perhaps I got a bad bottle, but given the other poor reviews, I don't think that is the case. This may be one of the worst beers I have ever had. I guess there is a reason why this brewery stays below the radar here on BA. Let's just hope the Swedish imperial stout is a little better.
Dec 31, 2009
Photo of darklordlager
Reviewed by darklordlager from Wisconsin

3.47/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a "dirty-brown" colour with close to no head, even after a vigorous pour. Floaties can be seen throughout the liquid.

S: Roasted malt and sweet milk chocolate as the name suggests. A little bittersweet works its way in as well, with a nice spicy backing.

T:Woah! Temporarily forgot the description--holy peppers in the finish! Sweet malt, chocolate and roasted malt, then the peppers come in smoothly and dial up in intensity. Very nice peppery finish. Bittersweet chocolate works pretty well with the spicy pepper.

M: Light and a bit watery. It would be nice to have a bit more here.

D: Very interesting beer from Viking. If they toned down the spice a little and dialed up the mouthfeel and chocolate/malty flavours, I think they would have something special on their hands.
Dec 24, 2009
Hot Chocolate from Valkyrie Brewing
Beer rating: 75 out of 100 with 52 ratings