Inviting full-bodied dark ale (with mildly frothed creamy head) drapes light-roasted mocha malting atop brown-sugared maple molasses sugaring. Dried cocoa overtones lead the way, followed by brown chocolate and roasted coffee whims.

On tap at Three Wise Monks, bold 17th anniversary celebrator ransacks dark-roasted black chocolate creaming and wood-charred black patent malting with volatile sooty charcoal astringency. Mild black coffee stead deepens burnt toast acridity and hop-charred nuttiness. Anise, vanilla extract, raw molasses, cocoa powder and cola nut illusions seep into the burly mix.

Sludgily rich and immensely creamy high-gravity Imperial Stout (12%abv) magnifies chewy dark chocolate syruping with glutinous anise affluence, tarry molasses sugaring and densely compact roasted barley flakes. In the midst, fudgy chocolate-caked sweetness serenades black cherry, bourbon and burgundy sentiments. At the finish, hickory-smoked mocha malting spreads across tertiary chocolate eclair, chocolate truffle, chocolate liqueur and cappuccino undertones.  

Embracing a nuttier coffee affluence than Atwater’s Vanilla Java Porter, full-bodied dark ale layers caramel-burnt black patent malts, dark chocolate richness and coffee bean roast atop ashen hazelnut-walnut-cola conflux.  Raw molasses bittering and dark-roasted hop char advance malleable mocha mass.

Richly embittered full body tosses raw dark-roasted chocolate sludge and dry black patent malts at heightened oats-charred Blackstrap molasses influence. Dark-roasted hops coarsen harsh tar-like chewing tobacco acridity. Black coffee, dark cocoa, anise and walnut illusions add depth to monstrously robust dark ale memorializing dumbfounded doomsday prognosticators.

Frothily creamy full-bodied winter stout spikes aggressive chocolate-spiced molasses richness and dark-roasted caramel malting with wood-smoked campfire embers. Chewy cookie dough thickness enhances anise-sweetened mocha theme. Chocolate eclair, chocolate liqueur, milk chocolate, nutty coffee, bourbon and rum undertones gain momentum.

Lusty full-bodied oak-aged stout leaves heavy bourbon mark on sweet brown chocolate and cream-sugared coffee overtones. Fudgy cookie dough yeast sinew melts into dark-roasted mocha malting, acrid hop-charred bittering and back-throated peat smoke. Benevolent vanilla, coconut and cola nut illusions deepen chocolate bourbon truffle finish.

On tap at Blue Ribbon Tavern, richly creamed fruited stout loads fudgy dark chocolate syrup atop pureed black cherry insistence with exceedingly good results. Plush vanilla overtones sweeten black patent malting. Ancillary black cocoa, chocolate cake and cocoa butter illusions settle alongside cherry-dried blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry fruiting.

Lavishly designed “chocolate wheat Imperial” collaboration between Danish gypsy brewer and respected Akron craftsmen evenly spreads various mocha indulgences above heightened dark-roasted Tomahawk/ Chinook hop bittering and ashen pine embers. Creamy black chocolate, dark coffee, fudge, espresso, cocoa and vanilla overtones pick up smoked oats char at peat-moistened hazelnut bottom. Heavy anise influence tethers light dried fruiting to bustling chocolate-coffee theme. Leaning towards the bitter side, complex full-bodied dark ale never fails to intrigue.

On tap at Doherty’s, intriguing limited edition ’14 curio blends stylishly bittersweet mocha malting into oaken rye whiskey. Heightened dark-roasted hop char triggers heavy black and brown chocolate assault. Dry bourbon whir recedes into dark rye breading, brown-sugared maple molasses sapping and black cherry-pureed dried fruiting.