Beer of the Weekend #418: Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
Another great season of college football has come to an end. Once again we are staring down that eight-month long hiatus. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Yes, there is. In the meantime there is college basketball and baseball. And even the NHL is returning for a short season. This calls for a beer.
The beer tonight is Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, brewed by the Boston Brewing Company of Boston, Massachusetts.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “enjoy before month notched” is “MAY.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is very dark brown or maybe black; when held to a lamp, ruby-tinted light passed through. Two fingers of light tan head left a thin skim and ring around the edge.
Smell: Lots of chocolate. It definitely lives up to the name. Dark chocolate, roasted malts, toffee, caramel, and perhaps some peanut butter. Very candy-like; another reviewer mentioned Cocoa Puffs and I agree. It reminds me of Millstream’s Imperial Pumpkin Stout.
Taste: Nice mouthfeel and a tame roasted bitterness wakes the taste buds. It mostly mirrors the smell: dark chocolate, roasted malts, toffee, caramel, and maybe a touch of peanut butter (it is definitely not as prominent as it is in the smell). It begins to thin as it warms but remains a decent brew.
Drinkability: It is pretty good stuff. Though unspectacular, it does provide nice flavor.
Fun facts about SACB:
-Style: BA classifies it as “Bock.”
-Price: No clue. I just snatched it from my fridge.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s webpage says, “The rich and savory taste of braised short ribs is perfectly complemented by the dark roastiness of Chocolate Bock.”
-IBU: 11.
-Color: 75 SRM.
-Calories: 237 per 12-ounce bottle.
-SACB was first brewed in 2003 and is only available November to January in special seasonal packages.
-The beer’s webpage says, “We slowly age the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs, the primary ingredient in chocolate.” Slowly age the beer? That sounds kind of weird to me. Did they slow time or something?
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
The beer tonight is Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, brewed by the Boston Brewing Company of Boston, Massachusetts.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “enjoy before month notched” is “MAY.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is very dark brown or maybe black; when held to a lamp, ruby-tinted light passed through. Two fingers of light tan head left a thin skim and ring around the edge.
Smell: Lots of chocolate. It definitely lives up to the name. Dark chocolate, roasted malts, toffee, caramel, and perhaps some peanut butter. Very candy-like; another reviewer mentioned Cocoa Puffs and I agree. It reminds me of Millstream’s Imperial Pumpkin Stout.
Taste: Nice mouthfeel and a tame roasted bitterness wakes the taste buds. It mostly mirrors the smell: dark chocolate, roasted malts, toffee, caramel, and maybe a touch of peanut butter (it is definitely not as prominent as it is in the smell). It begins to thin as it warms but remains a decent brew.
Drinkability: It is pretty good stuff. Though unspectacular, it does provide nice flavor.
Fun facts about SACB:
-Style: BA classifies it as “Bock.”
-Price: No clue. I just snatched it from my fridge.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s webpage says, “The rich and savory taste of braised short ribs is perfectly complemented by the dark roastiness of Chocolate Bock.”
-IBU: 11.
-Color: 75 SRM.
-Calories: 237 per 12-ounce bottle.
-SACB was first brewed in 2003 and is only available November to January in special seasonal packages.
-The beer’s webpage says, “We slowly age the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs, the primary ingredient in chocolate.” Slowly age the beer? That sounds kind of weird to me. Did they slow time or something?
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
