I have this bad habit of posting a review up for a beer long after it first hits the market. Let me tell you why that is. First off, I like to age beers for a while, at least those that will improve from ageing anyway. I tend to do this for a period of a year or two or even more at times. Then, when it’s finally time to pop the beer, I take my tasting notes, flesh out my thoughts into a review within a few days while memories are still fresh, and then eventually get around to posting to my website.

I’ve gotten better at decreasing the ETR (Elapsed Time to Review) between the time that I pop the bottle and get the review posted. But I do still like to age beers out, and I guess I always will. Case in point: Heavy Seas Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout. This is a beer that I bought in late 2011 and only just now popped in October of 2012.

The interesting thing with Siren Noire, though, is that while I was sitting on a bottle, Heavy Seas revamped the brew for 2013. More on that to come, but first let’s talk about the bottle I’m sipping tonight. Siren Noire is part of the Mutiny Fleet series of specialty brews. It was introduced in February of 2012, and Heavy Seas describes the beer thusly on the label:

Imperial Chocolate Stout Alc./Vol. 8% Stout brewed and flavored with chocolate. Sirens are the sea nymphs of legend whose beautiful songs lured sailors off course to their demise. Mere mortals are unable to defy their sweet calls. Can you resist the dark?

I paid a very reasonable $6.99 for my bottle a few years ago. Let’s see how it is shall we?

Heavy Seas Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout pours to a jet black but not completely opaque color. Held to the light, a slight reddish tinge can be observed coming through. The head is thick and creamy and tan in color, and the nose is absolutely packed with rich powdery cocoa notes. Taking a sip, the beer is a bit thinner in body I think than I am used to for an imperial stout, but it makes up for that with its amazing chocolaty punch. The beer is packed with powdery cocoa notes, dark bittersweet chocolate, a hint of licorice, and at the last a balancing roasty dark chocolate bitterness. A bit of the alcohol warmth pokes through, too.

What a tasty beer, and a surefire treat for chocolate lovers. A bit more body would have made this a 5 star brew, but as it is it gets a respectable 4.

As I mentioned, though, Heavy Seas has changed this beer for 2013. Here are the new specs for you:

Style: Imperial Chocolate Stout

ABV: 9.5%

IBUs: 18.5

Hops: Mount Hood

Malts: 2-Row, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley

I don’t have the ingredients list for the 8% version I am drinking tonight, but I assume the hop and malt varieties are the same, only the quantities have changed. The beer is in what Heavy Seas is calling their “Uncharted Waters” series and they say this about it:

This year’s Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout has been revamped. We’ve aged it for three weeks in bourbon barrels, which gives the beer darker notes of raisin and fig. We’ve also tripled the amount of chocolate nibs and added vanilla bean.

OK, as good as the old version is, this one sounds even better. I’ll be back with details when I find a bottle.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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