Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Rogue Chocolate Stout 22oz
Oregon’s Rogue Brewery produces many noteworthy ales and it has a product line that is among the most extensive of any craft brewing operation. With a total of 30 products (annuals and seasonals combined), Rogue can be counted on to have at least a few beer products to satisfy everyone’s taste.
Stout is my favorite style of beer, and I am a huge fan of Rogue’s Shakespeare Stout. But today, I have had the pleasure of trying a new style of stout from Rogue that has proven to be every bit as delicious. It’s Rogue Chocolate Stout, an absolutely divine malt beverage product.
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
Poured from the tall bottle, Rogue Chocolate Stout comes out dark and heavy, with an aroma that is chocolaty with a touch of roasted coffee and some hop notes. The dark brown foam charges itself up at first, then slowly levels off after a few minutes have passed.
This product has a complex taste that combines dark, bittersweet chocolate with roasted malt and coffee. It has a sweet character at first that balances out in the end when the hops hit the palate. I expected more bitterness, but the rich, sweet malt and chocolate flavors are too much for the bitter hops to trump. If you search, you can also taste some fruit notes at the end.
Rogue brews this delectable beer with Beeston chocolate, Crystal, Northwest Harrington, and Klages malts, rolled oats, roasted barley, cascade hops, natural chocolate flavoring, and PacMan yeast. The final product has a bitterness level of 69 IBU and an alcohol level of 6.3 percent by volume.
Food Compatibility:
This stout could be consumed with beef stew, burgers, steak, and other red meat dishes. It would also be delicious served with dark chocolate cake, brownies, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie, coffee cake, and most any other dessert that emphasizes the tastes of chocolate, coffee, or nuts. Desserts that combine all of these taste sensations are particularly good with this beer.
Final Thoughts:
Well, all I can say is: leave it to Rogue to come up with another delicious ale! I tried this product for the first time expecting it to be good tasting, but doubting that it could rival the affection I have for Rogue Shakespeare Stout. But sure enough, Rogue has impressed me with this beer to the point where I can honestly say that it is every bit as good as the classic Shakespeare Stout. Each of these stouts has its own personality and character, but they are both worthy of world- classic status.
The pour from the bottle and the appearance of this brew remind me of Mackeson English Stout. The flavor is similar to an oatmeal stout, with a little more roasted malt taste added in for good measure. I knew when I first tasted it that there were probably some oats in there somewhere, but again I had my doubts because the name of the product excludes the word “oatmeal” before the word “stout”. But a quick check of the ingredients shows that oats are one of the many ingredients used in this beer. And the addition of oats- along with the combination of so many fine ingredients- combine to give this stout a one- of- a- kind great taste. Silky and smooth, this is the type of beer you "ooohhh" and "aahhh" over. It would be right at home in an advertisement for sexy videos or a photo from a beauty pageant.
Rogue Chocolate Stout offers dozens of reasons to admire its flavor. The sweet, yummy taste of chocolate combined with the taste of roasted malt and a touch of coffee make for a taste sensation that could easily convert many non- believers. When I discovered that this product had a bitterness level of 69 IBU, I was a little surprised (can you see a pattern here?) because the finish of the beer is not that bitter. The reason is because the sweet, chocolate malt and other malts contribute so much sweetness that there is almost no way for the hops to dominate. Yet another surprise (again!) is that the hops used in this beer are Cascade. As most beer lovers know, Cascades impart a citrus- like flavor to beer. But there is only a small amount of citrus fruit flavor in the finish of Rogue Chocolate Stout. Again, the reason is because of the sweet malt goodness that buries most anything in its path. The most bitterness that I could detect is in the aftertaste, and I continued to taste this for quite some time after finishing.
Originally released in Japan, Rogue introduced this stout to the United States market in February, 2001, as a Valentine’s Day beer. Rogue sells this beer only in the classic 22oz. Rogue bottle. There are no 12 oz. bottles available (this could change, of course, if the beer gains in popularity) and the product itself is often hard to find. I came across my bottle in a beer/liquor store in Lexington, Kentucky. Even stores that carry a good number of Rogue products generally do not offer Chocolate Stout. It’s a challenge to locate, but the rewards are worth it.
Overall, this beer is nothing short of fantastic! I searched and searched for something wrong or something to criticize and I can honestly say that I cannot find a thing. Designed for those who like to indulge in a little bit of luxury from time to time, Rogue Chocolate Stout is creamy, silky, chocolaty, roasty, malty, sweet, hoppy, coffee- like, and very sexy. Try some and see for yourself how sensuous a beer can be!
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