I've had several people mention this beer to me in the recent few months. None of them gave an opinion of the beer, but they noticed something peculiarly Pennsylvanian about this Pottsville, PA brewery and the beloved chocolate manufacturer a short drive away in Hershey, PA. A friend's immediate reaction was horror at the idea of adding chocolate to a beer, and he had also assumed it was the lager from this brewery. Chocolate added to a porter, however, might work out just fine. Should it be in a stout? Probably. But a porter's what we have.
The very dark brown beverage has a significant number of tiny bits of off-white stuff that floats down to the bottom of the beer. The head doesn't last very long, and a minute ring of minuscule bubbles clings to the sides of the glass to let you know that there is at least some carbonation. The aroma is smoky, charred malt with dark chocolate drizzled on top. I'm not gonna lie, this smells pretty good.First sip is dark, bitter chocolate mixed with a dryness that may be coming from either the malt or the chocolate - I'm not going to hazard a guess. Instead, I would say that it somehow manages to bring a sweetness into the bitterness that evens the whole beverage out quite a bit. Generally, it's not that bad to sip. I wouldn't say it was the best porter I've ever had, but it isn't bad at all.
Tip-in is sweet chocolate above a semi-smoky malt with a little earth thrown in to settle things. The middle hits the center of the mouth with needles of carbonation while a smooth, yet somewhat watery, bitter chocolate and sweet malt mixture sloshes down the gullet. The finish is a sudden shot of bitterness as the mouth turns dry and coffee comes in to mix with the chocolate.
Bottom Line: A very interesting beer.
4.0/5