When it comes to bold, robust wintry beer flavors, few are more desirable than chocolate. Even without the addition of chocolate malts and flavorings (which can also be tasty!), chocolate is one of the main flavors found in porters, stouts, inky dark ales, and other winter brews. This is typically thanks to the malting process — sure to bring out tastes reminiscent of cacao.
While drinking dozens of beers to find the true chocolate bombs seems like a great afternoon activity, we actually don’t want to take a nap at two o’clock in the afternoon and wake up hungover around dinner time. That’s why we once again turned to the brewing professionals. We asked a handful of well-known brewers and beer experts to tell us the best beers for fans of chocolate and — as always — they delivered!
Keep reading to see all of the dessert-like, chocolate milkshake adjacent, and choco-filled choices that the pros passed our way.
Boulder Shake Chocolate Porter
Adriana Terron, brewer at LUKI Brewery in Arvada, Colorado
ABV: 5.9%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Boulder Beer’s Shake Chocolate Porter has always been a go-to for me when I get the hankering for a tall glass of chocolate milk, but with alcohol, please. The chocolatey-ness is way up there without being overwhelming. It’s got a velvety smooth and rich mouthfeel, but it’s still very drinkable for what it is.
Boulder Beer has been through a lot as of late, so I feel good continuing to support the place that used to give one of the best brewery tours around.
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Jason Santamaria, co-founder and brewer at Second Self in Atlanta
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $7.50 for a 22-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
Rogue’s Chocolate Stout is a great example of how to get a lush, rich, chocolate flavor into a beer. It’s also a great beer to mix with. Mix it with a spiced beer to get a sweet, chocolaty heat or a coffee beer to get a mocha beer.
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
Manny Salvatori, lead brewer at The Bronx Brewery in Bronx, New York
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $11 for a four-pack
Why This Beer?
I immediately go Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. It’s a pretty classic Chocolate Stout, one of the first that I had ever tried, and a brewery that I have worked closely with in the past. It’s brewed with real dark chocolate and it is just incredibly silky. If you dig chocolate, find this beer.
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Brad Bergman, director of brewing at Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina
ABV: 12%
Average Price: $17.50 for a four-pack
Why This Beer?
While there’s a lot more than just chocolate going on in this beer, this is one that everyone should try at least once. It’s super complex, laden with a ton of malty goodness like chocolate, coffee, caramel, honey, vanilla. It’s also paired with the oaky, spicy bourbon barrel character. It’s always been one of my favorite BBA offerings that also has a healthy chocolate backbone.
Copper Kettle Mexican Chocolate Stout
Brandon Proff, managing partner at Our Mutual Friend Brewing in Denver, Colorado
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $11 for a 22-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
I don’t know how they do it, but it hits every note you expect from a beer with that name. A little heat from chili peppers, cinnamon spice, roasty bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla character all come through on the palate. They’ve been making it forever and it’s always solid.
Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter
Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder and brewmaster at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
I didn’t know what to expect from Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter, but it delivers on all fronts. For the collaboration beer, this 100-year-old iconic brewery brewed a porter with Hershey’s chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, and cocoa nibs.
It’s quite tasty with chocolate milk flavors and a dark roasted character.
Moksa Indulgence Stout
Isaiah Mangold, innovation supervisor at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California
ABV: 12%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Indulgence from Moksa Brewing Co. is loaded with big malty chocolate with layers of coconut. It tastes like a German chocolate cake in beer form. What could be more chocolatey than that?
Faction Nyx Stout
Matthew Barry, director of operations at Fieldwork Brewing Company in Berkeley, California
ABV: 12.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
This beer is aged for four whole years in St. George Spirits B & E barrels. It’s like a booze-soaked fudge brownie with a dry cocoa finish. The body is massive and feels like it has barely leaned out from all that time in the barrel. Exceptional.
Great Divide Yeti Stout
Charles McManus, head brewer at Phantom Canyon Brewing Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado
ABV: 9.5%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Yeti from Great Divide is hands down one of the maltiest, chocolate-forward beers without having any actual chocolate added. It is rich and decadent and like a dessert in a glass.
Odell Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout
Max Shafer, brewmaster at Roadhouse Brewing Co in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
ABV: 8.5%
Average Price: $14 for a four-pack
Why This Beer?
With zero hesitation, I would pick Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout from Odell Brewing Company. I love the balance this beer has with the high ABV, milk sugar, and of course, milk chocolate. When I think of ‘milk stouts’ I think of beers that are overly slick and heavy on the lactose. Lugene does not present either of these things. The roasty malt backbone melds perfectly with the addition of lactose and chocolate.
I find myself sipping this beer while making dinner or enjoying a dessert heavy on the chocolate. Since they don’t make it often, I grab it whenever I see it and even let some of them cellar in my garage beer fridge.
North Coast Old Rasputin Stout
Mark Youngquist, founder of Dolores River Brewery in Dolores, Colorado
ABV: 9%
Average Price: $11 for a four-pack
Why This Beer?
This Russian imperial stout is so full of body and flavor, it’ll slow your drinking to a crawl. It’s so rich and creamy that you’ll want to savor every moment. It’s so chocolatey and sometimes otherworldly that if you’re pairing it with chocolate, you may have a hard time knowing where the bar ends and the beer begins. It’s definitely a one-and-done beer for me, but the journey is sublime, momentous, and introspective.
Burial Winnower Porter
Patrick Ware, co-founder and head of brewing ops at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, Arizona
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Burial’s dedication to artisanal chocolatiers is clear in this beer. I really appreciate the nuance of this offering as we (brewers, that is) tend to go over the top with syrupy sweet chocolate. Bright fruit notes from raspberries play really well with mindfully sourced raw cacao nibs that lend an espresso-like roast character to a sweet-ish base porter recipe. Well done.
