Beer of the Weekend #199: Chocolate Indulgence
The beer of the weekend is Chocolate Indulgence, brewed by Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, New York.
Chocolate Indulgence is brewed by the same people who make Three Philosophers (BotW #198). Joe Hotek, the bier guy at Dirty John’s, had suggested it for my upcoming LV recommendation. But at $15 per 750 ml bottle, I did not have enough cash at the time to buy it along with a custom six-pack of candidates, so I decided to return later and pick one up. “I’ll give it a try,” I told him. I never did, and totally forgot about it until I was browsing the beer room recently. Though it is too late to recommend in the February LV (I highly doubt I would have anyway given its somewhat limited availability), I wanted to give it a try. I have just been on a serious dark beer kick recently.
I have also become very curious about Brewery Ommegang. The folks in Cooperstown seem determined to brew authentic Belgian beer across the pond. Judging by Three Philosophers (which, I never mentioned in my review, reminded me a lot of Grimbergen Double (BotW #127)), I think they are doing just that. They also have really cool label designs. I have a craving for Witte, their Belgian white.
Serving type: One 750 ml bottle. Amazingly, two freshness dates emerged in dark ink on the neck after I poured my first glass (I could not see them because of the darkness of the beer). The packaging date is “10/29/10” and the best by date is “10/2012.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip glass. The color is an opaque black; when held to my lamp, the only light that passed through came at the bottom where the glass is thinnest. Three fingers of thick, tanned head developed and dissipated slowly to leave trails along the inside of the glass and a billowy lacing.
Smell: Dark chocolate and cocoa. It has a roasted quality to it, but it does not have that slight, burnt aroma that usually comes with roasted malts. It does, however, have a somewhat stale smokiness, like a large room you walk into and can immediately tell someone smoked a cigarette 10 minutes before.
Taste: It is astringent at first. My immediate impression was cigarettes. I don’t smoke, but I have tried a cigarette or two and that’s what the taste reminded me of. Go figure. Mirrors the smell with dark roasted chocolate (and the burnt character comes through in the taste), but the cocoa powder is elusive. There is some hop bitterness that leaves a nice bitter aftertaste, but beside the cigarette and dark chocolate there really is not much else.
Drinkability: If I wanted to, I could probably name five beers more chocolaty than this. After my first glass, I already have a headache. This is strike one against Chocolate Indulgence, but I would definitely try another bottle for comparison.
Fun facts about Chocolate Indulgence:
-Style: On the neck label, Ommegang calls it a “Belgian-style Chocolate Stout,” but BA classifies it as a Belgian Dark Ale:
-Price: $14.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The bottle says to serve at 50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), and “General (Apéritif).”
-Chocolate Indulgence is apparently seasonal, but the Ommegang website does not provide availability dates.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
Chocolate Indulgence is brewed by the same people who make Three Philosophers (BotW #198). Joe Hotek, the bier guy at Dirty John’s, had suggested it for my upcoming LV recommendation. But at $15 per 750 ml bottle, I did not have enough cash at the time to buy it along with a custom six-pack of candidates, so I decided to return later and pick one up. “I’ll give it a try,” I told him. I never did, and totally forgot about it until I was browsing the beer room recently. Though it is too late to recommend in the February LV (I highly doubt I would have anyway given its somewhat limited availability), I wanted to give it a try. I have just been on a serious dark beer kick recently.
I have also become very curious about Brewery Ommegang. The folks in Cooperstown seem determined to brew authentic Belgian beer across the pond. Judging by Three Philosophers (which, I never mentioned in my review, reminded me a lot of Grimbergen Double (BotW #127)), I think they are doing just that. They also have really cool label designs. I have a craving for Witte, their Belgian white.
Serving type: One 750 ml bottle. Amazingly, two freshness dates emerged in dark ink on the neck after I poured my first glass (I could not see them because of the darkness of the beer). The packaging date is “10/29/10” and the best by date is “10/2012.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip glass. The color is an opaque black; when held to my lamp, the only light that passed through came at the bottom where the glass is thinnest. Three fingers of thick, tanned head developed and dissipated slowly to leave trails along the inside of the glass and a billowy lacing.
Smell: Dark chocolate and cocoa. It has a roasted quality to it, but it does not have that slight, burnt aroma that usually comes with roasted malts. It does, however, have a somewhat stale smokiness, like a large room you walk into and can immediately tell someone smoked a cigarette 10 minutes before.
Taste: It is astringent at first. My immediate impression was cigarettes. I don’t smoke, but I have tried a cigarette or two and that’s what the taste reminded me of. Go figure. Mirrors the smell with dark roasted chocolate (and the burnt character comes through in the taste), but the cocoa powder is elusive. There is some hop bitterness that leaves a nice bitter aftertaste, but beside the cigarette and dark chocolate there really is not much else.
Drinkability: If I wanted to, I could probably name five beers more chocolaty than this. After my first glass, I already have a headache. This is strike one against Chocolate Indulgence, but I would definitely try another bottle for comparison.
Fun facts about Chocolate Indulgence:
-Style: On the neck label, Ommegang calls it a “Belgian-style Chocolate Stout,” but BA classifies it as a Belgian Dark Ale:
Belgian Darks offer a massive range of characters. Colors play within the amber to light brown to deep garnet hues, with thick, rocky heads of great retention. Aromas can be anywhere from traces of yeast, spiced, malty, floral and even slightly intoxicating. Flavors from dry and spiced, to sweet and malty. Most have a low level of bitterness.
-Price: $14.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The bottle says to serve at 50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), and “General (Apéritif).”
-Chocolate Indulgence is apparently seasonal, but the Ommegang website does not provide availability dates.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
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