Scratch Beer 27 - 2010 (Cocaoabunga)
Tröegs Brewing Company
- From:
- Tröegs Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV:
- 6.7%
- Score:
- 90
- Avg:
- 4.05 | pDev: 9.88%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 101
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Apr 25, 2015
- Added:
- Feb 11, 2010
- Wants:
- 6
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
90
Outstanding
90
Outstanding
Scratch #27-2010 begins a new fold in the Scratch series. For the next several batches individual Troegs brewers will create recipes of their choice. First up, The Ticeman had a hankering for a sweet stout, so the Troegs brothers and all the brewers met with Scharffen Berger Chocolate Company engineers to eat ridiculous amounts of cocoa nibs and chocolates over a few pints of beer. This collaboration resulted in the delivery of a special blend of cocoa nibs that were added during the boiling process. In addition to the nibs, lactose was added at the end of the boil to give a little sweetness in the body. The addition of Galena and Simcoe hops lends a subtle fruity balance. After primary fermentation, the beer was aged for three weeks on a blend of cocoa nibs and Ugandan vanilla beans. Dubbed Cocaoabunga, this unfiltered beer has a pleasant cocoa aroma, a subtle sweetness in the mouthfeel, a full-bodied flavor, and hints of vanilla. Enjoy!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky
4.23/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.23/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle into a Duvel tulip. This one's been buried in my cellar for quite some time, apparently about 30 months or so. Let's see how it's done.
A: Pours a black body with clear garnet highlights and a finger of light brown head that settles slowly into a ring and leaves spotty lace. Nice.
S: Chocolate, roasted malt, light spice. Pleasant but not terribly memorable.
T: RIch milk chocolate up front, followed by some smooth lactose sweetness, plenty of vanilla, and some faint dark fruit and sherry ahead of the lightly spicy, bittersweet finish. Clean, chocolatey aftertaste. Great balance and complexity, with a lovely hint of age that doesn't get the least bit overbearing. This one cellared surprisingly well indeed.
M: Creamy medium-to-full body with plenty of soft, smooth carbonation. Excellent.
O: This was a delicious sweet stout, plain and simple. I'm sure it was quite intense with the chocolate and vanilla when fresh, since even after more than two years it's still really rich and flavorful. Great stuff.
Cheers!
Nov 27, 2012A: Pours a black body with clear garnet highlights and a finger of light brown head that settles slowly into a ring and leaves spotty lace. Nice.
S: Chocolate, roasted malt, light spice. Pleasant but not terribly memorable.
T: RIch milk chocolate up front, followed by some smooth lactose sweetness, plenty of vanilla, and some faint dark fruit and sherry ahead of the lightly spicy, bittersweet finish. Clean, chocolatey aftertaste. Great balance and complexity, with a lovely hint of age that doesn't get the least bit overbearing. This one cellared surprisingly well indeed.
M: Creamy medium-to-full body with plenty of soft, smooth carbonation. Excellent.
O: This was a delicious sweet stout, plain and simple. I'm sure it was quite intense with the chocolate and vanilla when fresh, since even after more than two years it's still really rich and flavorful. Great stuff.
Cheers!
Reviewed by Florida9 from Illinois
3.35/5 rDev -17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.35/5 rDev -17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From tasting notes. Tasted in August 2011.
A: Clear dark brown in color. Almost black, but there is some light around the edges. Forms a big light tan colored head that eventually reduces to a thin ring around the edges. No lacing.
S: Lots of cocoa and chocolate, a bit of roasted malts, and a slight tartness.
T: A weak blend of cocoa, chocolate, mild roasted malts and a roasted malt bitterness.
M: Medium bodied with the appropriate carbonation.
O: A decent beer; drinkable, but not necessarily overly enjoyable.
Apr 19, 2012A: Clear dark brown in color. Almost black, but there is some light around the edges. Forms a big light tan colored head that eventually reduces to a thin ring around the edges. No lacing.
S: Lots of cocoa and chocolate, a bit of roasted malts, and a slight tartness.
T: A weak blend of cocoa, chocolate, mild roasted malts and a roasted malt bitterness.
M: Medium bodied with the appropriate carbonation.
O: A decent beer; drinkable, but not necessarily overly enjoyable.
Reviewed by Duff27 from Illinois
3.5/5 rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Immediate everlastingly expanding head makes me think infection. Head is a medium tan. Beer is a dark brown/black. Clumpy lacing.
Whiffs of chocolate poke through this massive head. Perhaps some lactic acid.
Silky smooth chocolate, kind of like a chocolate chip cookie.. Aftertaste leaves a slight metallic hint to it.
Medium mouthfeel, medium carbonation.
While there is no doubt in my mind that this bottle was (at least partially...?) infected it was still drinkable. Will all the positive reviews on this particular Scratch beer you wonder why Troegs doesnt bring it back. Thanks mikeyv35.
Mar 08, 2012Whiffs of chocolate poke through this massive head. Perhaps some lactic acid.
Silky smooth chocolate, kind of like a chocolate chip cookie.. Aftertaste leaves a slight metallic hint to it.
Medium mouthfeel, medium carbonation.
While there is no doubt in my mind that this bottle was (at least partially...?) infected it was still drinkable. Will all the positive reviews on this particular Scratch beer you wonder why Troegs doesnt bring it back. Thanks mikeyv35.
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania
4.05/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.05/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A 12 oz bottle, my last of this edition.
A: The stout is dark, a syrupy chocolate color with both black and brown tints. A half finger of head erupted on the pour but quickly dissapated.
S: Milk chocolate stands out against chocolate malts and caramel, very sweet and inviting. Lactic sweetness, milkiness, pairs incredibly well with the chocolate. Still good two plus years in.
T: The milk chocolate and lactic sweetness are apparent in the first sip, a syrupy sweet lode of dark flavors. Chocolate malts, more burnt and roasted, follows and becomes the lingering flavor, crowding out the sweeter aspects. The middle of each sip is problematic, somewhere between the cocoa and the chocolate malts, the flavors drop off for a spell. The richness has held up quite nicely since it was originally released.
M: A chocolate dream, creamy and smooth with the cocoa up front and darker chocolate near the back. Another strong chocolate beer pairing from Troegs.
Dec 28, 2011A: The stout is dark, a syrupy chocolate color with both black and brown tints. A half finger of head erupted on the pour but quickly dissapated.
S: Milk chocolate stands out against chocolate malts and caramel, very sweet and inviting. Lactic sweetness, milkiness, pairs incredibly well with the chocolate. Still good two plus years in.
T: The milk chocolate and lactic sweetness are apparent in the first sip, a syrupy sweet lode of dark flavors. Chocolate malts, more burnt and roasted, follows and becomes the lingering flavor, crowding out the sweeter aspects. The middle of each sip is problematic, somewhere between the cocoa and the chocolate malts, the flavors drop off for a spell. The richness has held up quite nicely since it was originally released.
M: A chocolate dream, creamy and smooth with the cocoa up front and darker chocolate near the back. Another strong chocolate beer pairing from Troegs.
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho
4.17/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.17/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another beer from the cellar. Poured into a pint glass at 49 degrees.
Appearance: A one finger head that is creamy and foamy with fair retention; furthermore, the head is medium brown and no lacing on the glass. The color the beer is dark brown near black and the clarity of the beer is opaque. The appearance of the beer is good for this style, but I would have like to seen more retention on the head.
Nose: A nice roasted malt that has caramel, toasty, a burnt character, and some bread notes. The hops in the beer is muted but shows some notes of floral and wood. The other notes in the beer is molasses, and a mustiness. The aroma of the beer is very nice and pleasant, makes the mouth water a bit.
Taste: A very good roasted quality to the malts, with some caramel, toasty bread, a burnt note, and coffee. The hops provides a floral taste with some wood note. The other flavors is a subtle sweetness, a solvent like character, and yeast. The flavor of the beer is very good, the aging in the cellar provided some depth.
The mouth of the beer is dry, astringent, and coating.
Overall: The body of the beer is medium with a medium to medium full finish. This is a good example of a sweet stout, all the flavors mesh well. I am glad I sat on this beer for a year or so, because it provided time for the flavors to meld.
Dec 12, 2011Appearance: A one finger head that is creamy and foamy with fair retention; furthermore, the head is medium brown and no lacing on the glass. The color the beer is dark brown near black and the clarity of the beer is opaque. The appearance of the beer is good for this style, but I would have like to seen more retention on the head.
Nose: A nice roasted malt that has caramel, toasty, a burnt character, and some bread notes. The hops in the beer is muted but shows some notes of floral and wood. The other notes in the beer is molasses, and a mustiness. The aroma of the beer is very nice and pleasant, makes the mouth water a bit.
Taste: A very good roasted quality to the malts, with some caramel, toasty bread, a burnt note, and coffee. The hops provides a floral taste with some wood note. The other flavors is a subtle sweetness, a solvent like character, and yeast. The flavor of the beer is very good, the aging in the cellar provided some depth.
The mouth of the beer is dry, astringent, and coating.
Overall: The body of the beer is medium with a medium to medium full finish. This is a good example of a sweet stout, all the flavors mesh well. I am glad I sat on this beer for a year or so, because it provided time for the flavors to meld.
Reviewed by homebrew311 from Illinois
3.36/5 rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.36/5 rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A: pours a dark brown, some light passes through at the edges, definitely not opaque
S: nice notes of cocoa, roasted malts, creamy vanilla, lacto sugar
T: the taste is a bit thin and features watered down milk chocolate, finish is somewhat sweet, hints of vanilla
MF: light body, low carbonation
O: Not bad, but lacking in a malt backbone.
Nov 16, 2011S: nice notes of cocoa, roasted malts, creamy vanilla, lacto sugar
T: the taste is a bit thin and features watered down milk chocolate, finish is somewhat sweet, hints of vanilla
MF: light body, low carbonation
O: Not bad, but lacking in a malt backbone.
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