Beer AND Chocolate...Life can be SO Good! (Youngs Double Chocolate Stout)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Youngs Double Chocolate Stout
Date:	20/04/02 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Yummy Scrummy, It's CHOCOLATE!

Disadvantages: Not as luxurious as the name suggests

Think of that perfect combination of beer AND chocolate and you have Young’s Luxury Double Chocolate Stout. As a long standing chocoholic AND beeraholic this was my dream come true. I HAD to sample these delights so I purchased a couple of bottles, for my husband and I (I hate to drink alone), and trundled merrily off home to give my taste-buds a treat. I was itching to enjoy that taste of promised luxury!

Produced at Young’s Brewery in Wandsworth, it is a really dark ruby stout with a creamy bubbly head. Double Chocolate Stout is made from pale malt, chocolate malt, crystal malt, roasted barley, sugar and Goldings and Fuggles hops. They even add melted chocolate to the brew, after the fermentation process, along with chocolate essence. This all adds to that chocolaty texture.

Young’s Brewery dates back to1533, where it was set up as the Ram Brewery. As one of the oldest known breweries in the UK it is steeped in history, and thus commands great respect amongst the beer drinking populous. It was bought by Charles Allen Young and Anthony Futhergill Bainbridge in 1831 and has continued, under the name of Young’s, ever since. It produces a number of fine and tasty beers, for example Waggledance, Ramrod, Dirty Dick and Winter Warmer. All are unique, so I was expecting good things of the Double Chocolate Stout.

Young’s web-site (www.youngs.co.uk) gives a history of the brewery, a merchandise section and recipes, among other interesting features. My favourite recipe is for Young’s Double Chocolate Beer Parfait…sounds wonderful! There is also a link to Young’s Wine Direct site where you can purchase many of their creations (Double Chocolate Stout is £15.95 for 12 bottles).

This stout is available in 500ml (just under a pint) bottles from selected Young’s pubs and in Supermarkets such as Tesco, Safeway and Co-op. It can also be found in Oddbins and some regional wine and be
er sellers. Expect to pay from around £1.50 to £2.00 for a bottle, so it is quite reasonably priced for such a large sized bottle. I have never been fortunate enough to visit a pub where it is on sale, so I’m afraid I can’t comment on what it would retail at.

Double Chocolate Stout weighs in at 5% ABV, so it not a weakling in the alcohol stakes. Tastewise, it is slightly sweet (but not overly so), with the bitterness of the dark chocolate showing through. There is the quite strong roasted flavour that you would expect in a stout, but this mixes well with the maltiness of the hops. It also has a slight coffee flavour with a nice chocolate aftertaste. The aroma is faintly chocolaty; with the hoppy and roasted smell predominating. The texture, when drinking, is pleasant smooth and creamy.

If you want something that tastes of Mars Bars or some other sweet (and often sickly) brand then Double Chocolate Stout is NOT for you. It is more of a dark chocolate, like Bourneville. The chocolate is not as strong or luxurious as the name and label suggest, so I suppose some would say this is a bit misleading. I think it is really nice as it is though, because if it was any sweeter it may be harder to drink it in larger quantities (and I may be tempted to share a bottle!)

The bottle is brown glass with a nice purple label displaying the product details, alcohol content and the Ram symbol of the brewery...but we aren't intersted in the packaging. I am much more interested in what is inside!

Beware when you open the bottle because it is a very lively beer. The creamy head is quite foamy and is liable to spill if you don’t allow it to settle before adding too much to your glass. When adequately rested the beer will settle down nicely. The effect produced is aesthetically and sensually pleasing: The lovely aroma, and the contrast between the extremely dark brown (chocolaty) stout and the creamy beige head, make it a
firm favourite of mine.

I recommend Young’s Luxury Double Chocolate Stout as a really good and drinkable beer. I can think of few types of stout that are THIS creamy and chocolaty! I like the roasted taste of stout, but many people don’t like Guinness or Murphys: My mum, for example, says that all they all taste like burnt rubber. I think that this product is a lot easier on the palate for the “Stout Novice” and also maintains enough of stout’s traditional qualities to make it worth a try for the seasoned drinker.

Try it with chocolate fudge cake for that ultimate chocolate experience. Try it on its own as a tasty drink on a cold winter’s night……but DO try it!

BREWERY DETAILS:

Young & Co's Brewery PLC,
The Ram Brewery,
High Street, Wandsworth,
London SW18 4JD
Tel. 020 8875 7000 Fax. 020 8875 7100
www.youngs.co.uk

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