Rogue Chocolate Stout Review
Categories: European Beers, Sip With Us Saturday, beer reviews, stouts
Written By: Nate
The histories behind certain beers, while not necessarily enhancing the flavor, do enhance the experience. A beer created with arbitrary motives is sure to disappoint, but a beer created to please both the creator and the consumer may posses a slight advantage, as care and consideration were not neglected. The beer was not made just to turn a buck, or just for creation’s sake…rather, the brewer had someone in mind. So next time you drink Rogue’s Chocolate Stout, consider this:
The recipe for Rogue Chocolate Stout was created several years ago for export to Japan. The exported twelve ounce Chocolate Bear Beer bottle label is in Kanji and features a teddy bear with a pink heart on his belly. Chocolate Stout was released for Valentine’s Day in 2001 in a twenty-two ounce bottle for the US market. The label features a Roguester (Sebbie Buhler) on the label.
I’d be willing to bet this somewhat commonplace (in the sense of availability) beer just became a bit more interesting!
The Pour:
Words fail me at this point. Thankfully Scott, from Manland, hooked us up with this High Def footage (seriously…this pour puts Hollyweird to shame!):
The Nose:
Is that chocolate I smell? It doesn’t take much imagination or stretching of the olfactory nerves to pick up on the overt chocolate notes. In fact, the smell is milk chocolaty, reminding me of a chocolate liquor. There is strong vanilla presence, and a hint of alcohol. I tried to pinpoint the alcohol aroma: I was reminded of a vanilla rum. All the while the bitter aroma of dark malts make this a tantalizing aromatic experience.
The Taste:
What hits your mouth is not a chocolate bomb, although, because you (and me) are anticipating chocolate–as per the name leads us too–that is what we taste; however, let’s face it…there a bizzillion different chocolate varieties out there, so it would be unfair to just claim a chocolate dominance. The fact is, the different nuances of this beer make for a rich experience. In my opinion, the way the cascade hops, the bitter dark and chocolate malts, and the bittersweet dutch chocolate all came together resulted in a rich, fancy, dare I say, bittersweet orange chocolate experience. All the while, the ever-so familiar malt flavor that screams “grain,” will not allow you to forget that it is a beer, and not a malted milk shake, that you hold in your hand. The mouthfeel is very smooth and silky.
Overall Thoughts:
It had been a LONG time since I had sampled this beer. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The beer set me back a mere $4.99 (22 oz bomber): A steal considering the quality inside. It is a great evening beer. Excellent for sipping on a cool night (though I wouldn’t rush to it to quench my thirst after gardening on a hot day!) To the faraway continent of Japan, thank you for your inspiration!
Nate’s Rating:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other Chocolate Stouts: 
October 27th, 2009 at 6:34 am
I actually have this beer @ home. I’m saving it for my birthday, but its good to know that its going to be very enjoyable! (Manland Scott has great pictures and videos over there.)
October 27th, 2009 at 6:38 am
When is your birthday, Scott?
October 27th, 2009 at 6:48 am
That’s a lot of chocolate Nate. I’ve not had many Rogue beers lately because of a string of severely disappointing ones. I may give this one a try, see if it can enlighten me.
October 27th, 2009 at 9:27 am
I really enjoy this one and actually made a beer float with it and vanilla fudge ice cream for my parents this past weekend and they really enjoyed it.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:21 am
@SimplyBeer: That’s actually been my experience with Rogue…I’ve had quite a few of their beers that didn’t impress me much
@Mike: have you posted that recipe?
October 27th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I just came across this today:
A site devoted strictly to Rogue’s Chocolate Stout…Now that’s devotion!
http://roguechocolatestout.blogspot.com/
October 27th, 2009 at 10:44 am
That is devotion. Nicely done, Nate. I agreed with your review. I thought the Chocolate was Hershey’s syrupy in aroma and taste. I also noted the vanilla tones. I was almost tempted to say there were some coconut types qualities to the brew, too.
My only complaint is that it’s a little more bitter than I would have liked. I think the bitter chocolate combined with the IBUs of hops made for a more bitter Chocolate Stout than I would have liked. But…bitter is something Rogue tends to over do.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Nate – Nov 7 is the day, and I think this will be a fine beer for the occasion! Seems to be a beer everyone enjoyed!
@Mike, that sounds incredible! I saw a nice ice cream recipe recently that used the Southern Tier Creme Brulee. Wish I had the time to try some of this stuff!
October 28th, 2009 at 6:54 am
I still prefer Shakespeare Stout compared to this one, but it is really enjoyable. I am also avoiding Rogue beers for a little becasue they just haven’t been up to snuff recently.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I can’t recall if I’ve had this one, but my wife loves chocolate beers, so I’ll give it (another?) go.
Talking about Hershey’s Syrup taste, I just had my first Southern Tier Mokah – wow that’s one confident beer! The chocolate hits you like a hammer but somehow it’s terrific. They’re the anti-Rogue – they continue to impress with every beer I try.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:22 am
@Nate I hear ya. unlike most, I quite enjoyed their morimoto though
@Jim give it a whirl…pretty good. It has been a while, but I have had ST mokah…I think i’d prefer rogue here.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Had one of these just last night and it was a very quality effort. It has to be in my top 3 for ‘chocolate beers’. Be it porter, stout, or what have you.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
It’s there for me too. One of the best Chocolate Stouts I’ve had.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Excellent review, Nate!
I was excited to try this beer as I have never tried a “chocolate-infused” Stout. I still have a bottle of Sam Adams Chocolate Bock chilling in my fridge, so I was anxious to try this brew.
Your description of “the way the cascade hops, the bitter dark and chocolate malts, and the bittersweet dutch chocolate all came together resulted in a rich, fancy, dare I say, bittersweet orange chocolate experience. ” was perfect. I first tasted the roasted malt flavor, then the chocolate, and then shades of the cascades came out with a bitter citrus bite. (I think I even tasted a bit o’ pine in there, too …) I agree with Mike that the hop bitterness combined with the chocolate bitterness can be a bit on the intense side, but this is a very good beer.
I was also surprised by the amount of chocolate residue in the bottom of the glass.
Thanks for another great SWUS beer! Which, BTW, tomorrow is Friday … what’s next?
(And a big “thanks” to Scott from The Brew Club’s nice words about our pictures and videos on MANLAND!)
October 30th, 2009 at 4:52 am
I was actually quite simple. I used Breyers Vanilla Fudge ice cream and the Rogue Chocolate Stout. Complete and delicious.