I love a Chocolate Stout, so a Double Chocolate Stout sounds absolutely, doubly delicious to me. I recently reviewed the Fort Collins ‘regular’ Chocolate Stout and was really excited to try the Imperial version of the brew. If you read the “That’s a lot of stout, man” post, you’ll remember that we thought the regular version was a little thin in body and the ‘chocolate’ was really more like a hint, at best. Maybe the Imperial version would be that rich and chocolaty brew that we were hoping for the first time around - or maybe not. The pour was promising, with a thick caramel head bubbling up to about three fingers and slowly fading to a small, but deliberate quarter inch. On the nose there was a little less umph than I anticipated, but coffee notes dominated and there was a hint of earthy malt and a touch of sweetness. The first taste, however, was like being hit with a stiff coffee uppercut. Bitter, oily coffee was almost all that I tasted from start to finish, with very little else to speak of. There was a hint of alcohol, but not an overpowering amount, while the most notable exemption from the overall flavor was, um, chocolate. I thought that was the point. Maybe it’s just me, but if the name of your beer has the words ‘double’ and ‘chocolate’ in it, there should be at least a hint of some incarnation of chocolate in there somewhere, right? Basically, if the name were Double Coffee Stout it would be perfect, because that’s what it is. If you’re a fan of dark, espresso-like coffee stouts then definitely pick up this beer - you’ll love it. However, if you’re expecting something inline with a Young’s or Brooklyn Brewery double chocolate stout, don’t even bother. Overall, this beer is strikingly one-dimensional and honestly, a bit of a disappointment. Proceed with caution, and maybe a quart half and half… Cheers, ~G

score 3.25