Beer Review: Chocolate Rain (2012, fresh)

Reviewing the Chocolate Rain from The Bruery.
Score: 98

2012 vintage bottle (batch 2) served in my brand new Kate The Great balloon glass and enjoyed on 05/12/12.

Appearance: Pours a jet black color. This looks like motor oil. Completely opaque. A thin layer of brown/milk chocolate head quickly and completely settles. Minimal, oily lacing and minimal retention. This nearly 20% ABV beer is intimidatingly heavy on appearance. 4.5/5

Smell: Rich milk chocolate, vanilla beans and lots of modestly sweet raisin/dark fruit. Smooth molasses. Sweet on the nose, but not Dark Lord sweet. There is a little alcohol heat, but not nearly as much as you'd expect from a 19.5% ABV beer. 5/5

Taste: Sweeter taste than the aroma, but this beer is still far from cloying, "diabetes-inducing" sweetness (or even Dark Lord-like sweetness). Sweet and creamy vanilla and milk chocolate throughout. Ample warming alcohol heat on the midpalate, but no "booziness" flavor in conjunction with this palate sensation. Plenty of bitter cocoa, bourbon and molasses flavors to boot. As the beer layers, I detect a little sweet dark cherry flavor akin to the Black Albert. Just a little bit of oaky/wood flavor.

Mouthfeel: A little short of full bodied. Minimal carbonation. Has a slick mouthfeel that falls between syrupy and oily. Sweet and warming finish. 4.25/5

Overall: Sweet, rich and decadent. This beer is incredibly/surprisingly smooth and drinkable for the ABV. In my opinion, Chocolate Rain absolutely lives up to its hype. I can see why some think it's too sweet of a stout, but I did not think it was. I personally prefer this brew to Bell's Black Note. I doubt I could drink a whole bottle of Chocolate Rain -- be it because of the ABV or the layering sweetness -- but I probably could and would regularly knock this one back during the winter months if it was readily available in 12 oz bottles.

Recommendation: Everyone should seek a bottle of this stuff out to share with a small group of friends.

Pairings: A cocoa-nib rubbed filet.

Cost: $40 for a 750 ml bottle.