Don't Fear the Chocolate. . . Beer

Royce and Sapporo teamed up to produce a seasonal chocolate brew which I stubbled across at a local foreign food store - of all places. Royce is a chocolate company located in Sapporo Japan (Sapporo is no longer the home of the beer as the name suggests but they do have a brewery in Hokkaido) and while this is not my first chocolate beer it was distinctive and quite tasty. The chocolate doesn't make it sweet but instead adds a deeper richness to the taste with a slightly bitter finish. The malt and chocolate seem to be deeply entwined to suggest that it was more then just an additive. The smell of rich chocolate fills your nose as the can is opened and matches the thick dark chocolate like color of the beer. Chocolate Brewery is all win, but one serving is likely enough to satisfy both the beer & chocolate enthusiast.