April 13, 2009: Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Who doesn't like chocolate? I mean, it's pretty much the world's most perfect treat. I've never been one to have much of a sweet tooth, but even I can pass up chocolate in most situations. Even bad chocolate is better than no chocolate when you're craving something rich and sweet. It makes a lot of sense then why breweries across the world have long been seeking to emulate the natural flavors and scents of chocolate in their beers. Most of these beers that claim to be "chocolate" ales spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince their customers that their beer resembles chocolate in some way, which is usually a great stretch of the truth. Tonight's beer is Young's Double Chocolate Stout, and they make no secret about the remarkable chocolaty flavor of their beer. In fact, it's called Young's Double Chocolate Stout because they've added extra chocolate flavoring to their brew. I know that the idea of a beer with added chocolate flavor sounds pretty questionable, but by God, the folks at Young's are the first that I've come across that have actually delivered a beer that tastes and somewhat like chocolate. Is it like biting into a Ghiradelli bar? Not quite, but you can definitely tell that this beer has strong hints of cocoa throughout. The taste of Young's Double Chocolate Ale is among the most unique that I've come across during the 365brews project. I guess the best way to describe the taste of Young's Double Chocolate Stout would be to compare it the ever popular "Irish Carbomb", the colorfully named drink that combines Guinness stout, a shot a Bailey's Irish creme liquor, and a half shot of Irish whiskey (usually Jameson, but not always). While that doesn't sound very appetizing to most people, those who are brave enough to slam a carbomb will tell you that it taste a lot like chocolate milk. Young's Double Chocolate Stout taste almost identical to an Irish carbomb, but without the strong knockout punch of Irish whiskey at the end. This isn't the kind of beer that I could see myself drinking on a regular basis, but it's definitely a fun take on a classic like stout.

Cheers!
Ian

http://www.youngs.co.uk/