Samuel Adams The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock
Small Batch Series
The Vixen is smooth and rich with an enticing touch of sweetness that ends with a spicy heat. For this unique brew we used carefully roasted malts and dark cocoa nibs for a full bodied and slightly sweet flavor. To this roasty and chocolaty base we added an element of warmth and spice with cinnamon and chilies. Dark and alluring, this brew will keep you captivated.
The Vixen is smooth and rich with an enticing touch of sweetness that ends with a spicy heat. For this unique brew we used carefully roasted malts and dark cocoa nibs for a full bodied and slightly sweet flavor. To this roasty and chocolaty base we added an element of warmth and spice with cinnamon and chilies. Dark and alluring, this brew will keep you captivated.
3.5
294 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Batch 1 2011 aged. Pours a hazy dark brown color with a medium tan head that leaves light lacing. Smells of chocolate, caramel, peppers and cinnamon. Tastes of the same things in the smell but the peppers aren’t very noticeable. Mouuthfeel is thin and creamy with decent carbonation. Pretty solid beer for the most part. I think if I drank it fresher the spice pepper flavor would have came through more. Still got a light veggie flavor. I liked the mix of the cinnamon and chocolate.
Bomber. Dark caramel color with a tan head. Smells like caramel, meat, and green pepper. Taste was very BBQ like and almost salty for me. Was not crazy about this one.
-- rated with beerbasher
Bomber. Dark caramel color with a tan head. Smells like caramel and green pepper. Sweet, old flavor with a little pepper and maybe slight tootsie roll at the end.
22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 10/17/2011. Pours nearly pitch black color with a 2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of raisin, prune, plum, chocolate, cocoa, molasses, roasted malt, toast, dark bread, biscuit, light coffee, cinnamon, herbal, light chile, clove, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt, yeast ester, and spice notes; with solid strength. Taste of raisin, plum, prune, chocolate, cocoa, toast, molasses, biscuit, dark bread, light coffee, cinnamon, clove, light chile, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Light cinnamon/chile spice with slight heat on the finish; with lingering notes of raisin, prune, plum, chocolate, cocoa, toast, dark bread, light coffee, cinnamon, clove, light chile, herbal, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt, spice, and fruity yeast ester flavors; with a nice malt/spice balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very creamy, slick, and lightly chalky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good spiced bock style. Good balance, robustness, and complexity of malt, spice, and fruity yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.
Batch No.1 (Oct, 2011?)
A: dark brown with a finger of transient light mocha foam which stays as a central cap and border with diaphanous continuity. Spotty lace
S: I get the cocoa and cinnamon up front and the chili comes through toward the end, albeit subtly. Some sweet malts and vanilla tones.
T: sweet. The cocoa here is quite strong, and the cinnamon accents well. Theres really no bite or substantial addition from the peppers for me. Rich flavor.
M: Waaay too thin for this beer IMO. I would like it to be chewy and lower in carbonation. this would allow for better ressonance of the beer.
O: Not a bad effort, better than some I’ve had in the "Latin Stout" category. Wouldn’t age it.
Serving type: bottle
11-27-2011
Bottle pour..batch 1...medium black color with decent sized tannish head..aroma is mixture of the cinnamon..chocolate with vegetal traits as well..not really picking up much from the chilies however can’t say that I am a fan of chili additions..mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth and creamy.quite light bodied with no trace of the 8.5 abv...better than expected however chocolate notes take over and this clearly has some stout character..decent
Sampled at happy Harry’s beer and bacon festival. Nice chocolate aromas with a touch of heat on the palate. Pretty good stuff.
This starts OK but doesn’t finish all that well. The aroma is very malty with some chocolate and cinnamon. The color is very dark with a lighter head than expected, pretty foamy. Heavy and oily palate that coats the mouth. Lower carbonation. I think the FG was too high for my liking as this was almost syrupy. The flavor up front is burnt malt, raisin, chocolate. There is a little spiciness bite at the finish but it is overshadowed by everything else. The heavy character became tiresome at the end.
Dark brown with tan head. Chocolate caramel aroma with some sourness. Taste is chocolatey, toffee and some herbal flavors that I assume come from the chipotle. Rich, complex and unique.
Batch No. 2. The aroma of this beer is chocolate and sugar cane with touches of cayenne and booze, and the appearance mixes a clear dark brown color with an off-white, medium head that dissipates quickly to a ring and thin layer of foam on top of the liquid. The taste of this beer is mildly sweet, slightly sour, and slightly umami, and the palate combines soft carbonation, long finish, medium body, and a slightly creamy texture, which makes for a really enjoyable mouthfeel.
Part of the Sam Adams holiday pack at Sam’s Club. Uniqueness points win the day with this one. Spicy cocoa nibs!
1 pint 6 ounce brown bottle. Opaque deep dark mahogany color with slight tan head. Complex aromas of malt and spice. Full body and rich mouthfeel. Nice dark malt flavors. Slightly sweet flavor balance. Non-traditional but interesting blend of slightly heat-generating flavors and rich maltiness. Overall, OKAY.
At Avery Strong Ale Fest 2013--clear dark dark brown with a thin beige head. Aroma is dark and smokey with a meaty and roasty malt backbone, along with some slightly earthy toffee tones. Flavor is a little wanting in the palate, with earthy toffee dominating, along with a little roastiness and sweetness. Kinda ’meh’.
Draught. Pours a near black color with a small tan head. Nose has a little bit of chili in there with just a hint of chocolate coming through. Taste is very slightly sweet with the chocolate coming through more. Very smooth.
From notes: Poured deep opaque brown with a 3-finger dark tan/mocha-colored head. A mixture of cocoa and sweet malt aromas with a touch of the chili pepper underneath. Body is medium-to-full with a slight oily thickness. Deep, rich chocolate/cocoa flavor with a mild lingering heat from the peppers underneath. The cinnamon doesn’t really come through on its own, but helps provide a nice depth by mixing with the cocoa and chilies. I wanted a touch more heat, but thie was very good.
Definite bock notes on nose tangy soft dark fruit light chili notes. Dont get much.chocolate. dark brown pour reddish hies thin head. Sweet brown bread dark fruit soft chili dry spice. Thinner.body lingering caramelized sweetness. With a light back of mouth sweetness. Pleasantly balanced. Interesting beer.
22 oz bottle poured deep, dark rich brown into a pint glass. Nice khaki head. Sweet aroma of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, raisins, & faint chili (way in the background). Flavor is similar to the nose, sweet malt, huge chocolate & yeast. The only hint of chili is the ever so slight numbness left on my tongue. I’d really like some more heat with this one! Medium body, not overly filling. Quite drinkable.
22 oz bottle. Pours a near black with slight red hue. Large tan head. Aroma of coco with just a little chili spice. Big flavor of chocolate. Hearty palate. Very smooth. Overall I liked this one a lot, but I think its too heavy on the chocolate (if that’s possible) and not quite heavy enough on the heat. If there was more roast and heat this would be delicious.
Pours dark brown, with a thick, brownish head. Nose of refined cane sugar, and some dark notes. Aroma of coffee, some chocolate, and some undefined component. That’s probably chili. Not too bad, but nothing special. So far, I have had 3 of 4 of the Sam Adams Small Batch Series. So far, it hasn’t been worth the 26 bucks I paid. They are decent, but overpriced.
Tap at Town Hall Tap. Rich deep red / brown pour with a pure white head. Sweet chocolate, cocoa, and some chili heat. Fun brew, good stuff.
Not much chocolate on either the aroma or palate. Not much chile heat either. Pretty disappointing for such an expensive Sam Adams beer.
Bottle. Strong, one dimensional molasses aroma. Deep mahogany with a minimal head. Chocolate, cola, and vegetal flavor. Medium body, soft carbonation. I was disappointed at the complete lack of spicy warmth.
Brown pour, Aroma is full of chocolate, vegetable notes, and bready grain. Flavor is similar - chocolate dominates here with a flutter of spice (cinnamon, nutmeg) and again some odd vegetable notes. Not a bad one, but I don’t think the chili came through successfully.
Very delicious beer, strong yet very smooth. You would not be disappointed in this beer of choice
Bottle. Sour milk, chocolate aroma with hint of pepper. Dark brown with minimal head. Sweet chocolate malt flavor with a hint of cinnamon and peppers. Okay but would have liked it to be spicier.
Bottle. Dark brown with reddish hints and a dissipating creamy tan head with little lacing. For some reason the smell of this really turns me off- like dirty candy in an ashtray. Flavor not as bad, but not doing it for me- its kind of metallic and really sweet which fades into a roasitness (which is nice). This is just hitting me wrong today.
Draft. Clear deep brown with a creamy beige head. Aroma of chocolate, vegetal chili, bread dough and peppercorn. Flavor is about the same, chocolate with spicy pepper and a dough base. Medium body with a slick mouth feel. Pretty much as described, just kind of a bad idea for a beer.
From the bottled poured a brown brew with a thick brown head. Aromas of malt, hops, and hints of chocolate. Medium bodied with flavors of malt, chocolate, and a hoppy/peppery finish.
It pours fizzy, which looks nice. Ended up with almost three fingers of tan head on a dark brown body.
The aroma is boozy and a little chocolate. A bit of a letdown considering all the ingredients.
The taste is boozy as well. There’s a sweet layer throughout with just a little chili heat at the beginning and some chocolate in the middle. It’s an interesting mixture.
The texture is sticky with moderate carbonation and a thicker body.
It’s an interesting idea with the chocolate and chilies.
Bottle from South Bay Liquor: Poured a beautiful dark brown liquid with a thick frothy head which eventually retreated. Aroma is fair with an initial aroma of lightly roasted malts that have a background scent of milk chocolate and a whiff of some unknown spice. The closest smell I can remember that was similar to this is the smell of freshly dried Ironlak spray paint. The drink attracts my intention from the beginning with a soft chocolate malt base while a dash of spice becomes apparent in the finish and reminds me sort of some rich home made mole sauce. Well balanced throughout the session but there is a strange astringent aftertaste in the finish.