Boulevard Brewing Co. Smokestack Series- Chocolate Ale

Howdy everyone.  Got a post from the road for you.  Hanging out here in a hotel room on a rainy day in Chaska, MN with nothing to do but drink so I figured I would make the best of it.  Last night I purchased a bottle of Boulevard Brewing Co. Chocolate Ale to help buffer the boring time.  This brew is a collaboration between Boulevard Brewing and a local chocolatier named Christopher Elbow.

Due to the dark bottle I was expecting a darker ale and was surprised that it poured a cloudy light copper color.  Not really sure why I just was. The aroma is very complex with a background that is a bit like a Belgian Ale with those distinctive fruity esters followed by a serious chocolate aroma coming from cocoa of a rare variety from the Dominican Republic.  The flavor is interesting to say the least.  I get the cocoa flavors up front followed by some banana and vanilla flavors mixed in with a slight malt.  The  hops are almost non existent.  You get a decent alochol note up front (9.0%) but as it warms this dies down a bit.  I do get a bit of Belgian candy flavor and chocolate finish as well.

Final snobs:  I did enjoy this beer.  The chocolate was not as pronounced as the aroma would imply.  The combination of chocolate in a brown ale and not a stout made me a bit skeptical but I was happy to be wrong.  I got this at a liquor store in MN but keep your eyes open.