Chaos Mountain Cocoborealis
Labeled as a “triple chocolate stout,” Chaos Mountain’s Cocoborealis certainly has a strong chocolatey character. The malt bill employs chocolate malt and chocolate wheat while cocoa powder is added during brewing. The 6% ABV stout is then aged on cocoa nibs. And yet, the beer is far from decadent as I was anticipating.
Normally, with a beer like Cocoborealis, it’s flavors are ideal as an after-dinner treat. Unfortunately, the lack of sweetness or any decadent traits leave me wanting more from the beer. I don’t believe that I’ve ever complained about a beer not being sweet enough, but this stout certainly needs something to help with the large amount of cocoa powder that dominates the flavor profile. A decent bit of roasty coffee notes and a soft earthiness are still present, but the beer needs more.
I purchased Cocoborealis with dessert in mind. The beer isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not as decadent or as rich as it probably could be. There’s probably a bit too much cocoa powder in the mix as that’s the driving force behind the stout.