Youngs Double Chocolate Stout

Brewed by Wells & Youngs
Style: Stout
Bedford, England

Bottle from LCBO. I found this bottle in my stash, and I have no idea how long it had been there, but the best before date was June/04, so it was definately well-aged. Whether that’s a good thing for this beer is debatable, but it seemed OK to me. Very dark colour, one of the best looking stouts I’ve ever seen. Aroma is roasty, a little stale perhaps, but pleasant. Mouthfeel is thin - my biggest complaint about the beer. Flavour has bitter chocolate alongside some roasted coffee notes. I’ll have to get another bottle soon and try not to sit on it for quite so long.

Bottle 1pt 6 oz - Poured Dark brown with ruby highlights. A nice fluffy tan head graces this and lingers and laces a little. Aroma is of creamy milk chocolate. Flavor is pretty much roasted chocolate. Slightly bitter on the finish. The palate is somewhat watery for a stout. Not as creamy and smooth as others that I have tried. Also lacks the complex flavor that I’ve come to enjoy in stouts. This one is pretty much just chocolate. Fair and drinkable thought to say the least.

Hmmm...chocolate...soo..good...

Bottle. Chococlate aromas both malty and chocolate bars. Sweet full body with roasted smoky bitterness to balance.

Best by date February 2007, Sampled August 2006
Pours with a creamy, almost mousse like, light brown head that I am able to contain to three-fingers thick. The beer is opaque and not quite devoid of color; there is a touch of brown to round out the deep blackness. The aroma smells like sweet chocolate liquor in some ways. It is not as sweet as an actual chocolate liquor and there is only a hint of alcohol, but the chocolate note is definitely there. A touch of burnt grain character is here as well as some spicy beer like notes that I can’t quite put words to.

The taste is fairly light, and could in fact use a bit more creamy, mouth coating heft to it. Lightly sweet, with a chocolate note up front that quickly moves to a light-roast black coffee note. Some lightly spicy bitterness is here, but most of the bitterness seems to be contributed from roasted malt. The finish has a burnt grain acidity to it as well as a lightly burnt bitterness. Chocolate flavors are definitely noticeable and even linger long into the finish, but seem to not be at the depth that my memory of this beer remembers. Really a touch more body would help to round things out immensely.

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Nitrocan. Dark black center, no light coming through; firm, pudding-like khaki head with great retention; it looks like dessert. Aroma is straightforward dark chocolate, maybe some vanilla. Slightly watery mouthfeel, showing chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla; smoky, charred malt character in a medium finish. It would be an excellent stout if things were more concentrated.

Dark Coloring. Good Head. Aroma: Chocolate. Wonderful Stout to have tried in the winter. At O.C. Sweet, Creamy and Chocolate. Very Good.

One of my all-time faves. It’s best from the tap (of course), but the pint can does an admirable job of recreating the lush flavor of the aforementioned tap. The bottle is okay, but like I said, it’s best experienced on tap. (If I mention ’tap’ one more time, I get a free toaster oven.) This beer is sure to please.