Quote:
Originally Posted by dale_gribble
chocolate stouts are amazing, best two i have had so far are samuel smith's and rogue. and my choice of beer depends on my mood really, although please note that i said i love many beers equally not all beers.
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Of all the flavored beers (like Apricot Ale, Cherry beers, and even Spiced beers like Winter, Pumpkin, or Orange-Coriander Belgian-style) I'd say Chocolate Stout or Chocolate Ales are the only I could imagine drinking more than just one or two as a novelty. I love good Apricot Ale, and I used to drink spiced Ales exclusively, but now I'd say one or two and the flavor gets old and I just want some beer flavored beer. Flavored beers are an interesting revisiting of the history and evolution of beer. Malt is simply too puckering sweet to drink, you have to had something bitter. Sort of like the opposite of putting sugar in bitter coffee. So folks have over thousands of years experimented with various bitter flavors and spices to try to bring down the sweetness. It wasn't until relatively recent in beer development that hops became the flavor of choice, and the modern beer was born. All these spiced beers and flavored beers reflect these evolutions. I prefer the double hopped yet double malted IPA. I thought I like the hops, but then I realized what I really like is the double malt, the super sweetness, but it would be too sweet without all those ass kicking hops.
However, the Chocolate, when not overpowering, blends right with a dark, yeasty brew so that its almost like a syncretic blend. I could drink a sixer of such beers these days, in fact, I got a few Sam Adams' Chocolate Ale in the fridge to enjoy this rainy afternoon..
Maybe I should finish them off with some Belgian chocolate I have left? I have some Belgian beer too, but I don't think that will blend well with the really dark (like darker than Turkish Coffee!) Sam Adams..