I've had my fill of lighter beers, it's time for the darkness to return. If only it could guarantee fall-like temperatures with it...but they will come eventually. Poking around the shelves in Labirratorium, there were a few possibilities. A couple of related brews stood together, one with coffee, one with cacao. In the end, I thought the cacao might give me a little more of cooling off than the coffee, so Odyssey's Cocoa came home with me.
It's a pleasing dark color, practically opaque black. The head is a dark beige and fizzy enough at first, but it quickly disappears. There's a deep mellow stout aroma, a little earth and a little toast. The cacao comes out straight away in the flavor, although there's a backdrop of plumb in there along with it. I'm not quite sure if there's licorice, but it seems like there is a little something extra in the anti-bitter department. It's not quite a pastry stout, but it has a way of demanding attention when drunk. It's a little thick on the swallow too, although not too heavy on the aftertaste. It's a little fruitier than I would expect a cocoa stout to be, although it's not the first one I've had with that quality.
Price: €8.10
