Bison Organic Chocolate Stout

Brewed by Bison Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Berkeley, California USA

Deep, dark burgundy. Inviting, chocolate aromas. Rich flavors of cocoa, nuts, and sweet bursts of caramel. Nice roasty aromas. A mild bitterness fails to balance out all the sweetness, but it’s still a pretty good stout.

Well, it’s not a Rogue, but I will tell you it was tasty non-the-less. The chocolate desperately tried to reach the frontline and offer me something spectacular, but it failed. At least it’s organic. I’ll give them credit for that. Go buy a Rogue Chocolate Stout.

On tap at the California Brewfest. This dark brown ale poured with almost no head. One can smell the chocolate immediately. The flavor was chocolate and malt, with a slightly carbonated mouth feel.

In the pantheon of Young’s and especially Rogue, this beer is somewhat of a let down. The color is spot-on, the aroma is hearty with roast and chocolate malts. Unfortunantly this beer is a sprinter. The malt and hops are all up front and dissapate as they spiral down into an abrasive earthiness. I would love to make a ice cream float with this. But if you’re looking for a good organic stout, go with Wolavers.

If you had told me at the outset of this beer tasting odyssey that I’d begin to really enjoy chocolate flavored beers I would of had a witty come back like..."No way!". Hmm. Anywho, this stuff pours as black as a Labrador Retriever and started with a full head but dwindled to just a ring around the edges. I can smell the toasted malts and chocolate aroma with the glass sitting a foot away as I take these notes. Cocoa is evident in the taste but not overpowering and it balances nicely with the stout bitters and malt. Refreshing mouthfeel finishes with a quick hop hit. This is an excellent beer and I’m looking forward to this next Maine winter and exploring all the new untried chocolate stouts and porters that I’ve gained such an affinity for.

Not as good as the Siletz Chocolate Porter, but still nice. Dark, dark coloring, with a nice roasted malt aroma. Well made, as evidenced by the thick mouthfeel and coffee qualities. Bitter finish, though not overly so.

bottled, jet black. aroma of malt and chocolate, so is flavor. roastt and simply, very drinkable.

Bottle: This stout yields flavors of heavy malts with burnt scents, molasses, dark chocolate and mild coffee. I also picked up some earthy and charcoal aromas. From what I could discern in the hops was mild hints of grapefruit. The light brown head was small coupled with a good lacing. The color was beautifully black with almost a muddy, cloudy body. The finish was moderately astringent. Not bad. Like an evening cup of coffee. Thanks Indiana_Red for the share factor!