Chocolate? They aren’t kidding with this bad boy: While many beers with “chocolate” in their name achieve their flavor through the use of special malts, Sam Adams’ Chocolate Bock is  flavored with real chocolate: Specifically “slowly aged on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs from Felchlin, a renowned Swiss chocolatier. Known for their quality these wild cocoa nibs, harvested from the rainforest of Northern Bolivia, impart complex aromas and flavors of chocolate, honey and vanilla to the beer.”

And so it goes.

Best I can describe Chocolate Bock is with a hearty “you got chocolate in my beer!” There’s nothing subtle about it; this is choco-brew that any dessert fan or sweet tooth is going to love. While dark, dark brown in color, it’s not especially heavy (alcohol is just 5.5% by volume), and Chocolate Bock quickly turns from unusual to easygoing. (Try it just a bit warmer than fridge temperature, maybe 15 minutes out of the icebox.)

While the carbonation is slight, the sweetness and bitterness are reasonably well balanced here, offering strong chocolate notes, a little coffee, and, as promised, a honey finish that makes you ready for another sip in seconds. Yeah, this is a beer for sipping by the fire, not chugging at a kegger, and it’s certainly something for rare occasions instead of everyday drinking. To be sure, this bottle sat in my fridge for over two months before I finally got around to drinking it. Wish I’d cracked it open sooner.

5.5% abv.

B+ / $16 (750ml) / samueladams.com

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