Beer - #360 - Almanac - Biere de Chocolat

ok, so I was confused/amused by the label, and made a grab for this - Almanac Biere de Chocolat - what could go wrong - beer and Chocolate ?
Made  by  the Almanac Beer Company, brewed at Hermitage Brewing Co., this is in the style of a  Porter, and they do that in the  place we know as San Francisco, California USA, or 'Frisco, or SanFran, or the place near Oakland. Or yes I'd prefer the Oakland Raiders..  Karl Malden... et al..... Street cars. I've been there! it's an awesome city. Go!  

Wasn't Bullitt fimed in San Fransisco?

So , calories be dashed this is:165  a serve (355ml) and has an ABV of  5.5% which is low, or around standard commercial domestic. So 1.5 standard drink in NZ,

Our Biere de Chocolat celebrates the long and lauded history of chocolate production in San Francisco. Our aim was to create a beer bursting with cocoa

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flavors and aromas, balancing sweet and savory to create a complex but quaffable chocolate brew. To accomplish this we partnered with Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco to create this rich brew brimming with chocolate character. Working with the unique flavors of Dandelion’s single-source beans, we created this decadent beer by layering in smoked and dark-roasted malts with citrusy Ivanhoe hops from Clearlake, CA. Finally, we added a blend of hand-roasted cocoa beans sourced from Madagascar and Río Caribe, Venezuela. The Madagascar beans add bright berry-cocoa flavors, while the Río Caribe adds dark chocolate and bourbon notes. A touch of vanilla rounds out the supporting flavors to create an eminently drinkable beer that is a chocolate lover’s beer through and through.

Words much "Our robust porter brewed with cocoa nibs from Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco and a touch of vanilla? 

There are a lot of words about this beer, including "Quaffable"

...Lots of dark chocolate and a bit of coffee on opening, thats nice.

Richly deep dark pour with a nice fluffy decent mocha head of headiness.

Aroma moves to sour cherry/chocolate and cold coffee. Go on have spick at all three....  head moves off in boredom.

Tastes. Immediately this made me frown with that sourness. Frowning isn't a good thing

The carbonation takes the place of taste opportunity, the sourness is a bit part player across the back but not the front.

Not really a lot of taste that dominates or brings attention to itself with this, the phrase "talks a good game" or "sings when you're winning" come to mind, although this isn't winning.

Pretty much a swing and  a miss. 

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 6  a of its things from the thing. Could have had more of the everything. Likes however the fruit hints and the dry fruit finish on the mouth, length is missing, mouthfeel is short. I’ve had worse more unpleasant beer than this, this isn’t a disaster, just not a show stopper.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Ah, no


2. Would I have another? Gosh, no


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Nooope.

 

PORTER

Black or chocolate malt gives the porter its dark brown color. Porters are well hopped and heavily malted. This is a medium-bodied beer. Porters can be sweet. Hoppiness can range from bitter to mild. Porters are often confused with stouts.