The Choco-Bock: Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
Written: Feb 23 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique.
Cons: Expensive, hard-to-find.
The Bottom Line: Buy it for bragging rights... and if you love chocolate.
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| 4-1-1's Full Review: Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock 2005 25oz |
In his invitation to those ready to approach this beer, Jim Koch, the founder of Samuel Adams, writes: "I hope you enjoy sharing the unique drinking experience of this Limited Edition Brew."
And so I shall. But I'll be sharing my experience, and not the beer... this bottle will be my singular pleasure since I will not be splitting the bottle with anybody.
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
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Production: A Limited Edition seasonal beer brewed for the winter season by Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams). The beer is aged "on a bed of rich chocolate that is specially blended by the master chocolatiers at Scharffen Berger Chocolate."
Scharffen Berger specializes in the production of dark bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate using fully fermented cacao beans it purchases from the African country of Ghana. Chocolate is manufactured in small batches.
One would think that maybe 99% unsweetened baking bars were used in the production of of this Chocolate Bock, but what S.Adams actually did was use cocoa nibs--basically, dry roasted cocoa beans that are removed from their husks and broken into small pieces. This Bock is aged over
a bed of these cocoa nibs and, over time, it is infused with cocoa flavors and aromatics. Not that beer drinkers are really counting, but this process doesn't add extra calories to the beer (230 calories/ounce).
Alcohol: 5.5% alcohol by volume according to S.Adams, though I've seen other reports of this beer at 7% ABV. In any event, this one has less alcohol than Sam's regular seasonal offering, the 8.5% ABV Double Bock.
Appearance: Pours with a dark red-brown color and a moderately sized, tan-colored head of foam. Clean, clear color with moderate carbonation. Foam head settles quickly.
Aroma: Layered, rich and presenting a pleasant palette of aromas when one takes to time to closely examine the bouquet. There's molasses, cocoa powder, hot caramel, fudge... as well as baked plum, mocha and coffee.
Flavor: Not really potent or robust, but malty enough. Not particularly alcoholic (at least, not for my palate), and possessing only a slight amount of warmth. Dry and soft on the tongue, with an almost silky-powder texture.
Price and Availability: Purchased at Beverages & More (bevmo.com) in Rancho Cucamonga. Price: $14.99, plus tax. Production limited to 50,000 bottles (750ml) for nationwide distribution... excepting the states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Utah. Which reminds me: I need to dig up some of my tasting notes on the Utah brews I sampled during my recent trip to Zion and Bryce Canyons.
Recommendations: Made to be consumed immediately, this is not a beer to tuck away in your beer refrigerator for a special occasion some months into the future. The bottle is pretty, sporting an embossed pewter shield instead of a paper label. At $15+ per bottle, this beer is
a bit pricey, but it's pretty much meant to be a once-in-a-blue moon type of indulgence.
Here's a nice pic:
http://www.liquorama.net/ProductImages/chocbock.jpg
The 2004 release won several Gold Medals in competitions throughout North America and the World. Check out Sam Adams' website to learn more details about this Extreme Beer. There's all kinds of information about the Tettnang Tettnanger and Spalter-Spalt Noble hops, the Two Row Pale, Munich and Caramel malts, etc., etc.
http://www.samueladams.com/
Verdict:
Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 18/20
Flavor/Body: 36/40
Finish: 9/10
Overall Quality: 22/25
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My Score: 89 -- 4 stars.
More interesting beers, for the price and flavor, include:
Allgäuer Cambonator Dunkler Doppelbock
Weltenburger Kloster Asam-Bock
... and, for the same money, I'd much rather have three bottles (2 liters) of these excellent Bock beers and a 3 ounce bar of Scharffen Berger 70% Cacao Chocolate. That, truly, is the best of both worlds!
Sam's Chocolate Bock is good... but methinks it is not a good value. Interesting to try. You may buy it for the bragging rights.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
4-1-1
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 - Top 50 |
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Member: Tom Carr
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 1090
Trusted by: 690 members
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