Starr Hill Brewery | Box of Chocolates 2019

We’re no stranger to the mixed 12 packs that our friends at Starr Hill Brewery regularly assemble. There are very few that are disappointing and, what I love is that there are multiple different beers to check out. In this case, we have the same base beer going in a couple of different directions. You may recall we reviewed the 2017 Box of Chocolates – and we were not disappointed. Stouts definitely pair well with this colder season and, in my house, the stout is a style that both the Mrs and I can agree on. Let’s jump in.

Double Bass – Orange Double Chocolate Stout – This beer pours dark, black, a great tan head that hangs around across the surface of the beer. On the nose I quickly find a roasty note followed by chocolate. The orange is subtle at first but when I inhale a little slower and longer, it quickly fills my nose. On the first sip I quickly find chocolate and orange intertwined together with an underlying roast sensation. On the palate this beer fills the mouth with a sweet sensation but leaves a little dry with just a slight roast bitterness. The orange flavoring is more natural than I was anticipating. It isn’t overpowering, pleasant. I wasn’t sure I could drink a whole bottle of this but I certainly could. I’d gladly buy 4 pack.

Double Bass – Toasted Coconut Double Chocolate Stout – This beer pours dark and black like the last. Like the prior beer, the head as the same color, tan, and it’s thick at first before simmering down and stretching across the surface. On the nose I quickly find the coconut and a bit of a fruitiness. On the tongue, two words; Hershey’s Mounds. Seriously. We all remember getting those at Halloween, giving it a try and thinking this is amazing, wow, I should get one of these sometime, then never doing so, until the the next Halloween. Ok, maybe just me. A lot of chocolate and coconut here. Medium body, coats the palate with a wonderful sweetness. This is really good.

Double Bass – Mocha Double Chocolate Stout – Sticking with the theme, another dark colored beer with a nice tan head. There’s a ton of chocolate on the nose of this one that is backed by a nice roasty aroma and some coffee pepper-like quality. On the tongue the roasty notes approach first and create an undertone for the chocolate goodness to flow across. The body of this beer is medium and provides a solid coating of the palate that is very sweet. This is a nice beer but I won’t lie, of the 3 I’ve tried so far, this one is in 3rd place only because I’ve found the others to be a bit more unique.

Double Bass – Raspberry Double Chocolate Stout – I love it when I pour a beer and I immediately get wafts of an aroma I’m expecting. What I’m smelling initially reminds me of a Lindeman’s Framboise. The color and head are all staying true to the beer that came before it. On the nose, wow, raspberry – like fresh raspberry. Perhaps I’m a little more sensitive as I made the kids breakfast this morning and part of their fruit ensemble was a mix of raspberries. Maybe I ate a few when they weren’t looking. Still, the base beer is present with some gentle roast quality and some chocolate goodness. However, raspberry is way up front on this one. On the palate those same sweet aromas carry forward so very well. Raspberry at first then it blends with the chocolate characteristics and is incredibly delightful. This reminds me of when we’d blend Lindeman’s Framboise with stouts. This is an excellent dessert beer.

Final Snobs: This stout pack is a lot of fun! For a house where stouts rule, this is exactly the kind of thing I’d look for when making a selection that would make both myself and the Mrs. happy. I’d still say that the Orange Double Bass is the most unique, and probably my favorite. However, none of these will steer you wrong. Nice job Starr Hill Brewery!

Prost!

Three of the four glasses in this post come from Pretentious Glass Co. Awesome people, excellent glasses – check ’em out.