Heavy Seas Barrel Aged Chocolate Volcano Chocolate Dessert Stout

Review Date 12/11/2021 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Imperial Stout   Brewery: Clipper City   Country: USA   State: Maryland   $ Per OZ: $.18 (B)   ABV: 9%

So Heavy Seas brewing has a chocolate imperial stout, but I’ve never tried it, or even seen it in stores for that matter. Less well known, though, is that they have a barrel-aged version of this beer. You just know that when I saw it on tap at Taco Mac, I ordered up a glass. It’s called Chocolate Volcano Chocolate Dessert Stout, and it served up quite the double whammy after my glass of Founders Sweet Repute Barrel Aged Wheat Wine.

Heavy Seas beers are invariably on point, at least in my experience, and I am always happy to see them on the shelf or from the tap. Taco Mac does a good job rotating them through, and kudos to them for that. Heavy Seas says about this particular beer:

Chocolate Volcano blasts your tongue with a lava flow of velvety richness. Brewed with imported cocoa powder and cocoa nibs and overflowing with decadent chocolate flavor, you better take cover, Chocolate Volcano erupts all year. This full-bodied imperial stout pours an opaque, deep mahogany color with a fluffy tan head. The nose is dominated by intense chocolate and hints of roasted coffee beans.

And again, my glass of Chocolate Volcano was barrel aged. Chocolate Volcano has an alcohol content of 9% by volume, definitely a sipping beer. Enjoy it with dessert (perhaps best with a chocolate lava cake? The beer oozes gooey chocolate just as the dessert does) or as dessert itself. I paid $8 for my glass at Taco Mac, and that seemed a fair price to me. Total Wine sells the non-barrel-aged version near me, in Alpharetta, for $12.99 a six-pack. I need to go get some.

My glass of Heavy Seas Barrel Aged Chocolate Volcano Chocolate Dessert Stout arrived a jet-black color with no head and a rich dark chocolate nose. Taking a sip the beer is full in body with powdery cocoa notes and boozy bourbon. The chocolaty dark cocoa is smooth and rich just like the aforementioned lava cake dessert, and combines with the booze quite nicely indeed. Finishes dry from the warming alcohol, the dark chocolate, and the boozy bourbon that intensifies at the last.

This is a nice beer indeed, and one I would love to have for dessert again.

 Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??