Chocolate Banana

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout 5.2% ABV

Wells Banana Bread Beer 5.2% ABV

I am typically not one for fruity beers. As a fair majority of brewers have a tendency to use extracts instead of real fruit in their beers, I am almost always left disappointed and in the end usually just stay away.

However, at a beer tasting a few months ago, I was introduced to a “chocolate banana,” a mixture of Well’s Banana Bread Ale and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (which are owned by the same company). The mixture was quite tasty, although it got lost in the sea of ales one can experience at a tasting. I had purchased the required ingredients (a bottle of each beer) just last week and after having a random conversation with another Double Chocolate Stout fan at the Main Market downtown, I decided to give it a try.

I started by tasting the Well’s Banana Bread Ale alone. The smell is strongly of bananas and little else (as expected), but the banana taste was slightly subdued and more in balance with the rest of the beer once I drank some. The mellow caramel maltiness came through and there was just a slight bite from the hops. The aftertaste brought the banana back into focus and I marveled at the long lingering sweet mouthfeel.

Next, I added the Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, attempting to find a 50/50 mix. The banana still showed strongest in the nose but was overpowered by the roasted chocolate flavors brought under control with just a little bit of hop astringency. The overall mouthfeel was malty and chewy, but never in a bad way. With the two bottles, it took two and a half “pours” to finish them all and the mixture swayed toward each beer in turn. To my surprise I liked the slightly heavier banana pour the most. As the ales warmed up, the carbonation became more noticeable and the edges became less rounded, making the bitterness of the chocolate seize the tongue before the bananas return to soften the blow.

Overall, a fun experiment to try with an adventurous friend, but a more traditional ale might be in order to cleanse the palate afterward.

Thirsty Zymurgist Score: 38/50