Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Dark brown with brown lacing foam head. Chocolate in aroma and taste, still bitter in taste, light coffee notes. Think I drank it bit too cold, could not quite appreciate. (Galveston 201605)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours out extremely black with just a wisp of a tan head. The aroma is just alcohol and hops. The mouthfeel is solid and think. The taste is of a normal imperial stout but not special. It is a good brew and worth drinking again.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

22oz bottle -

OK. So the idea of using ancho chiles in a beer really sounds good because...well, ancho's are excellent in cooking. Combine that with the though of chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla...sounds like the makings of a beer with potential.

It was ok, not good, not great. It seemed to really lag in delivering a really great beer, and slightly muddled/lost flavors. The aroma has that dry/powdered chocolate Hershey tin aroma, weak notes of coffee/roast, woody in a tree bark kind of way and some alcohol. The flavor beefs up the interest in the beer with a chocolate/vanilla profile. The ancho chile was REALLY, REALLY buried and I found no cinnamon flavors/aromas anywhere in this beer. Finish was on the astringent side. Far from memorable. Barely average.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

22 oz bottle. Pours brown-black with a medium frothy tan head that goes to a thin film that leaves some lacing.

The aroma is subdued - roasted grains with a little cinnamon and chile.

The flavor is sweet chocolate malts with a little spice and some heat from the chile in the finish with some residual sweetness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, an OK stout. It's pretty subdued, and there are better alternatives.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Purchased at the Coop in Montpelier, VT. Pours a real dark brown colour with a frothy beige head, decent retention and small lace. Chocolate nose with roasted malt, light spices and vanilla. Slick mouthfeel with a little stickiness. Fruity taste of dark fruits, roasted malts and a nice coffee finish. Not really tasting much spices. More fruit than chocolate as well. Decent, but not as good as I expected from the reviews.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A brownish black appearance with a tan head. Aroma contains some chocolate, coffee, and some pepper notes. The flavor is a bit sour with dark fruits, caramel, cinammon, and a hint of hot spice. The aftertaste is both sweet and spicy. Overall its a pretty good spiced beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

This well done brew is climbing the charts. Really nice all around. Big black beer with two finger mocha head. Aroma is predominantly chocolate and vanilla, but the spices and peppers are there. A little more pepper in the flavor. A thick brew, but smooth and no heat for a 9% brew. Possibly the best Clown Shoes beer.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Very nice looking brew - dark black with a 1/4 inch dark tan head that clings to the glass. Aroma is chili and chocolate, with an emphasis on the chili. Tastes range from dark chocolate to a pleasant heat brought from the chilis. Clown shoes did a great job melding the dark malts with the chili and vanilla as this is a sipper with different nuances as it warms to room temperature. Solid brew!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Comes out of the bottle a rich, warm sable just a red tomcat whisker above black. Head is fairly thick, fine-bubbled, and toasty tan. Aroma has chocolate, coffee, nutty and earthy notes, very appealing. Flavor fills the mouth with semi-sweet chocolate, quality coffee, nutty and earthy notes plus hints of caramel and hops. Full-bodied texture has plenty of tingle and fizz. Now, how does one say "Excellent beer" in Mexican Spanish?

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This is a heavy sipping beer. I actually was expecting slightly more based on the style and who is brewing. Still a great beer, just was hoping this would be in the elite. For 9%, the alcohol is not hidden that well. Deep roasty, malty flavors followed by some chili and spices...which I think somewhat drowns out the chocolate flavors. Maybe I'm just not a huge fan of chili pepper in my beer. Not something I would get again with so many other imperial darks to sample. Moving on to Vampire Slayer and Black Unicorn next.