Beer Review: Chocolate Abbey

Reviewing a Chocolate Abbey from the Thumbprint series by New Glarus Brewing Company.
Score: 75

2011 Vintage bottle served in a chalice glass.

Appearance: Deep caramel root beer color. Red-brown hues when held up to light. Average lacing, thin fizzy head. Falls somewhere between translucent and opaque. 3/5

Smell: Chocolate and caramel candy, kinda like a tootsie roll. Very sweet and malty. A little licorice. Banana and yeast aroma. Hint of spice or clove. 3.5/5

Taste: Very yeasty, banana and clove-like at first. Caramel on the mid-palate. Almost tastes like root beer candy at certain points. Definitely taste some brown sugar. Finish is like a slightly earthy, sweet toostie roll. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Malty-sweet and slightly syrupy. Medium bodied. Very carbonated and fizzy. Finish is sugary, but dry. 3/5

Overall: This one comes off almost like a chocolatey/caramel wheat or root beer. Not a beer that is up my alley, I guess. Very smooth, but the sweetness is a bit heavy, and thus this one is more a sipper than a drinker in my mind. If you ever wanted to try Tootsie Roll soda, this is your beer

Recommendation: Skip this one.

Pairing: I think this would work well with a light and bready cake (like a pound cake), or a sharper/aged cheese like swiss or gorgonzola. Something salty would work too. I'm having one with a viscous garlic-dijoin pretzel dip (and pretzels).

Cost: $2.99 for a single or $10.99 for a four pack.