Shimane Chocolate No. 7 is an 8% stout from Shimane Beer Company, from Shimane and it’s a part of their winter lineup of craft beer. It is usually released a few weeks in advance of Valentine’s Day, with the traditional viewpoint that women are going to buy this for a special person in their life. Shimane Chocolate No. 7 is brewed with Belgian saison yeast in the primary fermenter and then fresh Belgian chocolate in the secondary fermenter. At the time of writing, it can only be found in bottle form only.
2014 that had been aged for a couple of years. Best option with this beer.
Shimane Chocolate No. 7 Aroma and Taste
Shimane Beer Company recommend aging this beer from anywhere between nine months to a year but my cellar seems to be the land that time forgot and this sat in the cellar for two years. Shimane Chocolate No. 7 glopped out of the bottle and ended up pitch black with a tiny amount of tan coloured bubbles that begrudgingly came together to form what could be called a head. After making the limpest of efforts to form a head, those bubbles dissipated away to leave an oily layer on top of the beer. There was a strong brandyesque aroma coming off of it with rich chocolate aroma following soon after. The creaminess left a pleasant residual smell on the nose too.
The body was a complex merging of flavours – it started off tasting like a cognac before segueing into something like chocolate and coffee along with a dollop of cream in the mix. I guess the best way to describe Shimane Chocolate No. 7 would be it’s akin to watered down version of a hot chocolate garnished with some crushed nuts with booze thrown in for a quick. Not the most eloquent of descriptions but it does the job. The aftertaste was distinctly boozy though it could have been the cognac flavours fooling my brain.
Shimane Chocolate No. 7 One Line Review
Follow the brewer’s advice – buy a bottle then age it before drinking. You’ll be pleased you did.
Where to Buy Shimane Chocolate No. 7
Shimane Chocolate No. 7 can be bought at the following places online:
