Review: Dogfish Head's Theobroma

I know, I know, I review a lot of Dogfish Head beers. But can you blame me? They're easily at the top of the craft beer game and just have so many unique and interesting brews under their belt. There's a whole fucking section just for their beers at my local beverage store.

Anyway, I picked up a bottle of another beer from their ancient ale series: Theobroma. Theobroma is based on a chemical analysis of ancient pottery from Honduras that revealed a very early chocolate-based alcoholic beverage. So what did Dogfish Head do? They recreated the ancient beer in a modern way, much like they did with Chateau Jiahu (which is delicious). So let's take a look at what Thobroma is all about!

Appearance: 4/5
Theobroma looks quite delectable. It's a nice golden amber in color, but pours with not a huge amount of head. The weird - or possible coolest - part of Theobroma is the amount of yellowish flakes floating around in it. I'm not sure which ingredient they come from, but they're very present and make me very curious about this beer.

Nose: 1/5
For boasting such a wide range of flavors and ingredients (cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, chilies, and annatto), Theobroma has a very neutral aroma. I can kind of pick up some notes of either chilies or chocolate, but nothing more.

Taste: 4.5/5
Despite its amber color, Theobroma tastes a lot like chocolate-infused ale. The chocolate notes are most present, but from my experience with beers using chilies I can definitely pick out the spice from them in the overall taste. It's very complex and tasty.

Mouthfeel: 4.5/5
Theobroma sports a full body and interestingly dark beer for its color.

Finish: 4.5/5
Theobroma goes down quite smooth, leaving behind a sweet, full aftertaste. I feel this beer's presence long after I've taken a sip. It's definitelt full-bodied and has sweet and lightly spicey notes that make you want to go back for more. In fact, I'd say the chilies and annatto come through most prominently in the finish.

Total Score: 72/100

Not all of Dogfish Head's odd brews are winners. Theobroma looks nice and tastes pretty good, but it's not perfect. It has little to no aroma and isn't mind-blowingly original. It is nice, though, and I would recommend it for the interesting blend of honey, cocoa, and spices. Just don't expect a shocking, earth-shaking experience.

Until next time, cheers!

-Blake