Americas Dirty Summer Blonde Chocolate Beer

Brewed by Americas Brewpub
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Aurora, Illinois USA

On tap at America’s Brewpub, called Chocolate Ale on the menu, brewed with Ghirardelli chocolate. Not quite sure what style this was, but it was delicious. Medium golden in color with a lasting, off-white head. Very bubbly. Chocolate aroma is rather striking, with some vanilla as well, giving a slight creme-soda flavor mixed with chocolate malted milk. After taking my first sip, I was immediatelly taken aback by the milky, creamy thick mouthfeel, just like taking a drink of milk. Chocolate malt flavor mixed with vanilla, white cake, brandy. Very low carbonation, despite the bubbly appearance. Devilishly good.

One would not expect a chocolate beer to be so light in color. This beer has a great chocolate aroma. The chocolate does not overpower the flavor of the beer. A decent mouthfeel with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I was surprised at how well this went done on a hot summers day.

Something different. The aroma is great. The chocolate flavor is somewhat overpowering and masks the hops and malt flavor - but that’s not all bad if you like chocolate. I’ve had other chocolate beers that were totally undrinkable. For those who like chocolate and a lighter beer, this isn’t bad at all. It’s a nice niche beer. I suspect women might prefer this more than men. I’ll certainly have another glass or two.

GABF 2005: Golden hue with a msal head and little lace. The aroma has a big WOW factor of chocolate with a hint of pale malt and some grassy hops. The flavor is just that, mocha. It drowns out everything else. An "E" of effort but this is a beer for those who don’t like beer. At least the brewer was dressed up like one of those ooompa lumpas from Willy Wonka at the fest, that was interesting.

On tap at GABF 2005. My wife really liked this and would have had me rate this higher if I would have let her. Lightly hazy straw color with a frothy head. Milk chocolate aroma which is relatively surprising coming from a blond beer. My first thought was…Weird, it’s blond but it tastes just like one of those chocolate, foil covered Easter eggs you get around Easter. Lightly carbonated as well. Smooth light body. There is no way I could drink a glass of this. I would be sick. However, I’ve given it some what of a higher rating to reflect my wife’s fascination with it.

No movement. Mostly translucent pale gold. Aroma of white chocolate, vanilla extract and sugar cookies, but it’s all downhill from here. No carbonation. Swishy and sweet vanilla and a white chocolate stream do little to interject any personality or semblance into it. "Lackluster" pretty much sums it up.

Four beer snobs took a sample of this crap, looked at each other, made the same horrible face, and said, "Candy Corn!!!" And we could not finish it between the four of us to save our lives.

on tap at brewpub. slighty different name, but specs are the same so i will review it under this one. somehow this worked well. aroma was richly creamy milky chocolate. tastes like a golden ale with chocolate cream liquer mixed in. i think this brewery does a decent job with making overly sweet beers drinkable somehow. if that makes sense.