Chocolate or Cocoa Beer Style
- Color: Can range from pale to very dark depending on the underlying style
- Clarity: Clear to hazy is acceptable
- Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Medium-low to medium-high malt sweetness balanced with cocoa flavors and aromas
- Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Hop aroma is not present to very low. Hop flavor may be lower than is designated for underlying style allowing chocolate to contribute to the flavor profile without becoming excessively bitter.
- Perceived Bitterness: Very low to medium-low
- Fermentation Characteristics: Typical of underlying beer style. Attributes derived from chocolate or cocoa should be apparent in all such beers, ranging from subtle to intense, and in harmony with the overall flavor profile of the beer.
- Body: Varies with underlying style
- Additional notes: Chocolate Beers are any beers incorporating dark chocolate or cocoa in any form. Beers made with white chocolate do not typify this category; however, beers which exhibit attributes typical of white chocolate could be categorized as chocolate beer.
When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, brewers may be asked to provide supplemental information about entries in this category to allow for accurate evaluation of diverse entries. Such information might include the underlying beer style upon which the entry is based, or other information unique to the entry such as type or form of chocolate used or other factors which influence perceived sensory outcomes.
Chocolate or Cocoa Beer Vital Statistics
- Original Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style
- Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style
- Alcohol by Weight (Volume) Varies with style
- Bitterness (IBU) Varies with style
- Color SRM (EBC) Varies with style
2020 Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines used with permission of Brewers Association.