On Tap is a regular column featuring our recommendations on the most unique new draft beer offerings from local pubs.
Our Recommendation: Cherry Chocolate Stout and Oatmeal Cookie
Where: Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant of West Chester, 3 West Gay Street, West Chester, PA
Last month, I saw a sign in Iron Hill Media that they would be serving a Cherry Chocolate Stout during their March Madness Event. When I realized I had a conflict and wouldn’t get to taste this intriguing beer, I was disappointed. Last night, during an impromptu trip to Iron Hill West Chester with friends, I was delightfully surprised to find it on the menu.
The Cherry Chocolate Stout is billed as a “dark stout brewed with 22 pounds of chocolate, aged on black cherries, cocoa nibs and vanilla beans.” I was seated at a table with friends, so by the time the beer arrived there was not much of a head. While it is a dark stout, it is rather a thin stout. That being said, the initial taste flourished with real cherry taste and the chocolate came through beautifully in the finish. If you are a fan of chocolate covered cherries, this is worth giving a try. It’s not an overpowering desert beer, but at 6.5% ABV, so I would not describe it as sessionable.
While I was tempted to order a second stout, I thought I would try the brown ale they call “Oatmeal Cookie.” This is billed as an “English style oatmeal brown ale brewed with raisiny caramel malt, sugar, spices and vanilla.” Again, by the time the beer was served at my table there was absolutely no head. The Oatmeal Cookie was packed with raisin taste, with only a subtle hint of oatmeal. This actually reminded me a bit of Iron Hill’s Winter Warmer. This comes in at 6.2% ABV, which means like cookies, you don’t want to indulge in too many.
My quest for the perfect brown ale continues. What’s your favorite brown ale?
