Tasted: Chocolate Stout 2.0

The story of this beer is, unfortunately, not one I can call my own.  I have to credit Brewmaster Mike with this one.  I think, in an effort to find that one particular flavor, Brewmaster Mike has attempted time and time again a recipe which embodies the flavors contained in this Chocolate Stout.  Specifically, sweet, dry, and complex.  These flavors, in my own opinion, are a difficult combination to achieve due to their relative opposition to each other.  Nonetheless!  Brewmaster Mike has maintained his quest to find the answer to the burning question: How DO you make a beer sweet AND dry?  My metric may not be so favorable for this beer, particularly because of my own aversion to the style and flavor profile.  No offense is meant by this review; I merely mean to document my experiences so that we, as brewers and as a whole, can improve our skills.

Aroma:  6
Appearance:  8
Style:  6
Bitterness:  8
Maltiness:  3
Mouthfeel:  4
Head:  2
Balance:  3

These marks earn the Chocolate Stout 34 out of 55 and a percentage of 62%.  This beer comes at you like a coal black steam powered train of the early 1800's.  Black and intense, your eyes are met with a stark contrast between your surroundings and the flavor train barreling towards you.  Unfortunately, theres nothing that can stop it.  Once you've poured it, your nose is attacked by the pungency of chocolate malt.  Only a short buffer of creamy brown head cushions your plunge into its abyss.  A strange bitterness takes over as you imbibe.  It's not hops that are bittering this beer, but the dark and roastedness of the malt itself.  It bitters and dries this dark concoction to the point of astringency, leaving little room for the sweetness of chocolate to come through.  It is only after several convincing pints that you are able to realize the namesake of this fermented locomotive.  I think for my own purposes, I would change this recipe by reducing the amount of chocolate malt, adding a bit more darker crystal (maybe 60L or 80L), and mashing at a higher temperature (maybe 158).  I think this combination of recipe changes would reduce the malt bitterness and increase the amount of chocolate flavor presented in the bouquet.  In order to preserve the dryness desired by Brewmaster Mike, I also might use Dry English Ale yeast, rather than the Irish that was used for this one.  These suggestions, again, are merely based on my own desires and knowledge of the style.  As our skills improve, we will continue to produce better and better beers.

Recipe: Chocolate Stout (The Raven 2)
Style: Chocolate Stout