Imperial Cacao Porter from ShawneeCraft (Shawnee, PA) comes in at 8.5% ABV/30 IBU, and is brewed with raw, unroasted Ecuadorian cacao nibs.
Pouring to a deep brown, this brew has a light tan head that lasts for a while. Immediately you get aromas from the huge amount of roasted barley that was used, as well as chocolate, and a little vanilla.
First sips from this beer bring chocolate notes as you guessed, but its not overwhelming. Additional notes of vanilla and caramel are apparant as well, with a roasted barley taste on the back end. This beer is medium bodied and not overly carbonated, and overall an easy drinking porter. It’s hard to believe this is 8.5%, it really doesn’t taste like it, so don’t get too excited and drink a few of these!
*We sampled Imperial Cacao Porter from a 16oz can
