Review: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

Chocolate Indulgence (AC: 7%)
Brewery Ommegang

8.5 out of 10

For the 10th anniversary of its founding in October, Brewery Ommegang introduced its new seasonal chocolate stout, "Chocolate Indulgence." Ommegang touts the brew - packaged in a one pint, nine ounce bottle with a cork - for being made with real Belgian chocolate. Chocolate, when used as a featured ingredient, can make a beer's flavor overwhelming and its texture pasty. Ommegang keeps the cocoa in control, producing a fine stout with a complex bouquet and a continually changing flavor.

Chocolate mousse and raspberries stand out as the most dominant aromas. The raspberry aroma is atypical of a stout, which normally smells more like chocolate or coffee. However, Ommegang uses a special strand of Belgian yeast, which introduces the fruity note to a typically straight-forward brew. The brew's general aroma lacks the alcoholic tinge that sometimes comes with high-alcohol beers.

The beer pours a solid black with two full fingers of dark oatmeal head on top. Chocolate Indulgence's foam is a bit bubbly. It lacks the solid appearance of a Guinness head, but it's still an admirable and enjoyable sight.

The taste of Chocolate Indulgence starts with dessert flavors - black coffee and creamy peanut butter. Midway through, it evolves into a very smoky, almost meaty flavor. The beer likely pairs well with steak for a meal, or works just fine on its own as an after-dinner treat.

Unlike many chocolate stouts, Chocolate Indulgence can be tolerated for more than one glass. The heft and alcohol content of the beer style generally discourage drinkers from having more than a pint. However, Ommegang's variation is lighter than usual, leaving more room in the stomach for another glass or two.

Stouts that get better by the year

On Nov. 10, The Bistro in Hayward, Cal., hosted the West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Fest. The one-day event gave brewers from the Rockies to the Pacific a chance to show off their best (and most complex work).

One of the more popular concepts was to age a stout in a bourbon barrel, giving the heavy, hearty beer an even more powerful flavor. Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Six Rivers Brewing Co. and Stone Brewing Co. all submitted stouts to the bourbon (or whiskey) barrel aged competition.

Stone Brewing's whiskey barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout took second in the category. The brew matured to a whopping 10.8% alcohol by volume during its time in the oak barrel.

Creating "big" or "extreme" stouts appears to be a point of pride for many Western breweries.

The Great Divide Brewing Co., based in Denver, Col., makes a 9.5% oak aged Imperial Stout known as Yeti.


North Coast Brewing Co., from Fort Bragg, Cal., brews an 11.6% Old Rasputin X Anniversary Stout that ferments in bourbon barrels for up to one year.

The big, barreled beer trend stretches as far East as Michigan, where Founders Brewing Co makes its Kentucky Breakfast Stout (10% AC) by storing the brew in bourbon barrels for two years. However, a simple Beeradvocate search indicates that once you go farther East than Michigan, barrel aged stouts are few and far in between.

I'm not sure if the extreme stout is a good thing. According to the reviews I've read, these brews tend to taste more like brandy or whiskey than actual beer. Quite often, the review ends by saying that a slight hop taste comes in at the end, which appears to be the only attribute that distinguishes these beers from their distilled cousins.

The American habit of making things bigger and more innovative is certainly not something to undermine. However, beer is a simple pleasure.

The Europeans embraced the concept of good beer long before Americans, yet Europeans never decided to toy with their tried and true recipes. Americans, on the other hand, seem to be rushing to create the next crazy beer, something so off the wall that people will just want to try it.

Perhaps its the thrill of the challenge that motivates these brewers, because I can't imagine them brewing these high alcohol, strange tasting beers for the general public.

Taking Guinness global

Guinness took control of the global stout market for one reason: advertising.

Its famous "Guinness is good for you" ads in the 1930s and 40s convinced stout drinkers worldwide that the brew not only made them mentally feel better, it improved their physical state as well. The slogan, it turned out, was based on a survey conducted in the 1920s. People told the beer company that they liked the stout because it made them feel good. And so the legend was born. In addition to the clever copy writing, Guinness also used simple cartoon characters, including the now-famous toucan to promote the beer.


Since then, there have been a variety of memorable Guinness ads.
A 1994-95 ad known throughout Ireland featured a man doing a dance routine while his Guinness settled.


The most recent American Guinness ads included the "Brilliant!" series, as well as the current campaign which features miniature beer men kicking symbols inside the stout. The campaign aims to promote Guinness' head-forming routine, which makes the beer look alive momentarily.


The newest European ad, however, takes a different approach. Shot in Argentina, the commercial--"Tipping Point" shows a line of used items--shelves, paint cans, tires--knocking each other over in a domino effect. The end result is a replication of a pint glass filled with Guinness, made out of used books. The commerical cost 10 million Euro and included no special effects.

Guinness' message may be that it plans to continue its international campaign and leave behind its most reliable markets--Ireland and England--where sales have dropped in recent years. Hence it teters between going back to the areas it knows best versus exploring the new and exciting regions of the globe.

In any case, check out the commerical. It may not make you want to have a Guinness, but you can talk about the feasibility of the commerical over a pint.

Strange stout: Hakim Stout

Hakim Stout, brewed by Ethiopia-based Harar Beer Factory, provides stout drinkers with a strange proposition. Can a Russian Imperial Stout produced in a country with a large Muslim population and an incredibly warm climate really work?

Judging by the online reviews of the beer, I'm guessing Hakim Stout didn't cut it.

Most of the reviews on Beeradvocate said the stout lacked both the body and the maltiness to qualify as a full-fledged Russian Imperial, or as any sort of stout for that matter. Other reviews noted the lack of head on the poured beer and the clarity of the beer--both are bad signs, since stouts are typically foamy and opaque.

Nearly all online reviewers put heavy emphasis on the sugary sweetness of the brew. Though Russian Imperials should have a dark fruit/molasses taste, it should not be the dominant flavor.

For the experience of saying you consumed a beer from Ethiopia, it's worth picking this rare brew up. However, for the purpose of enjoying beer, look elsewhere to find a strange stout.

The sentimental stout

Castle Milk Stout, brewed by South African Breweries or SABMiller--as in Miller Lite and MGD--ran a series of ads I can only describe as odd by American standards.

Whereas Budweiser or Sam Adams or Keystone (yuck) ads try to appeal to the hipster in every American with something sexy, chic or comical, these commercials actually present an altruistic message to their audience.

Granted, the commericials still endorse the idea of tribal kingdoms, but let's take societal advancement one step at a time.

Check out both commericals and see what I am talking about.

Proper Half and half

For beer drinkers who'd like to get some of the stout flavor without the girth in their beer, mixed drinks like the half and half or black and tan work great.

This video shows you how to make a half and half (where the beers remain separated). Both of these drinks involve a stout (a dry Irish like Guinness works best) and a lager (historically Harp or Bass.



As you can see, making a good half and half requires some patience and touch. If you pour the stout too quickly, it'll mix with the lager.

If the two should happen to mix, that's not a huge problem. Most bars (though not all) consider the mixing of the two a black and tan. Either way the drink tastes great.

Variations on the theme include:
Guinness and Blue Moon (A Black and Blue)
Guinness and Magic Hat anything, probably #9 though (Black Magic)
Guinness and Sapporo (Black Sap)
Pretty much any creative name with the title black in it is conceivable.

Strange Stouts: Cerveza Potro

Pierhead Purchasing, a beverage importing/exporting giant, recently added a new brew to its arsenal: Cerveza Potro, a Mexican stout (or porter, according to brewer Cerveceria Mexicana) with 4.7% alcohol by volume.

It was reviewed by Roger Protz and Tom Cannavan on beer-pages.com. The following a brief summarization of what they noted:

Color: Burnt toffee
Smell: Roasted cracked wheat, also fruity character
Taste: Roasted grain flavor, slightly medicinal?, finishes with berry flavor
Texture: medium-to-full body, dry finish

Cerveceria Mexicana first started brewing Potro in 1991 under the name Colt. With Pierhead--best known for its handling of Belgian Duvel brands--now in control, the brew will likely reach a larger audience globally.

As if a Mexican dark beer wasn't marketable enough, the stout/porter also comes in a strange bottle reminiscent of tequila containers.

Pierhead’s Director of Imported Beer, Michael Cook, told talkingretail.com that the introduction of a dark, complex beer in the market of Mexican brews--notorious for light, easy-to-drink beers like Corona and Dos Equis--will appeal to both young and elder beer drinkers.

“The Mexican beer category is currently flourishing, and Potro adds an entirely new dimension to the sector," Cook told the Web site. "As an artisan, old world style Mexican cerveza with a modern look it will appeal to beer aficionados as well as the young style set. We predict great things for the brand in the UK.”