Brewery: Fort Collins Brewery
Where: Fort Collins, CO
Beer: Chocolate Stout
Style: American Stout
IBU: 33
ABV: 4.9%

As I was browsing the single bottle selection at the World Market recently, I noticed they had added the Chocolate Stout from Fort Collins Brewery to the shelf, so I decided to grab one.  I have had several chocolate stouts in my past, and I'm always willing to spring for one I haven't tried.  I popped the top on this one and it poured with a nice creamy tan-colored head as one would expect from this style.  The opaque black coffee color also helps define this style of beer.  As far as flavor goes, this beer is what I would like to call a benchmark for a chocolate stout.  It's not the best and not the worst I have tried, but it is an excellent baseline example of what this style should be.  When this beer hits the tongue, there is a very nice balance of chocolate malt and roasted barley, with neither overpowering the other.  This brew also has a medium body... maybe slightly on the higher side of medium... and a good mouth feel at the same time. 

I'm simply impressed in an overall sense with this beer.  I couldn't find much information on their website about the ingredients, so I sent them an email to see what information they might give up to a home brewer...

** UPDATE **

I received a quick response from the Fort Collins Brewery this evening:

John,

 

            The key to this beer is the munich malt base, youve already noticed the roasted barley and chocolate, a little black adds the deeper color to reach 42 SRM.  A defining feature of our stout is its lighter body so make sure to keep the mash temp on the low side.  As for hops we use american citrus hops to get 31 IBU.  Unfortunately that about all the specifics I can give you, good luck.

 

Doug Smith 

Production Supervisor 

The Fort Collins Brewery

Here's a sampling that came as a tip from my friend Iron Chef David Shirley a few months ago. I'm no stranger to the goodness of Rogue, but after hearing David say:

Shakespeare, mm: highly unlikely that you will be disappointed. maybe my favorite beer ever.....ok, tie with Sammy's Oatmeal.

...I just had to get it on my tasting regimen.  The beer had a fantastic aroma that was noticeable as soon as I heard the pshhhhhsssss when I popped the cap.  Shakespeare Stout also exhibits a beautiful creamy head that stays intact for the duration of the experience.  As with all stouts, this one has a very rich body arising from Rogue's choices of crystal and chocolate malts as well as rolled oats and roasted barley.  A healthy addition of cascade hops kicks the IBU on this brew up to 69 for a very nice hoppiness to accompany the chocolaty finish. 

I guess we can chalk this up as another huge winner from Rogue Ales.  I'm almost to the point in my tasting experience where I want to just go get a sample of everything they have and finish working my way down their list.  I still haven't been able to get my grubby little fingers on the XS Imperial Stout yet, but I'm working on it.  I think Rogue should send me a sampling case since I'm becoming one of their biggest (literally ;) cheerleaders!

As I'm about half way through this bomber, I'm going to have to agree with David.  I haven't tasted the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout yet, but I can't imagine it topping this beer.  Shakespeare Stout is going to become an ingredient in my next batch of home made chili... 

Here's yet another sampling from Bell's Brewery, Inc. in Comstock, Michigan.  This robust stout, as you can see in my photo, has a very rich and chocolate colored head, and it's also brewed with Brewer's Licorice, which gives it a very unique flavor.  The licorice hints in this beer leave an interesting after taste that puts this beer into the list of excellent choices for an after dinner or dessert beer along with many others in the style.  This stout rings in at 6.0% ABV, so it isn't overpowering. 

Today marks round two of my sampling from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. I found a bomber of Black Mocha Stout over at Gail's Hops & Grapes, so I decided to give it a whirl.  This beer definitely has the chocolate thing going on :)  It sports a nice creamy chocolate colored head as well. 

From the website:

Highland's most robust beer, having a very malty body with a large, roasted chocolate flavor, all achieved solely through the use of special roasted barley grains.  It is black in color with a very clean finish and a moderate hop flavor.

IBU: 25
ABV: 5.3%
Hops: Chinook and Mt. Hood

In my opinion, an IBU of 25 is rather low on the hop scale for a stout, but the hop presence is definitely noticed in this beer.  The website also notes that this beer contains wheat, which isn't all that common in a stout recipe.  At any rate, this is another excellent dessert beer.  I'm still waiting for an opportunity to make a stout float with some ice cream, but I just haven't made it happen yet.  This beer would be a great candidate for that project though...