Beer Description
Sweet Baby Java might confuse people with another DuClaw beer, Sweet Baby Jesus. Even though they are actually sister beers they are, in fact, different beers. Sweet Baby Java is based on the Peanut Butter Chocolate Porter (SBJ) but infused with special hops and espresso. According to DuClaw,
Our single bestselling beer of all time, Sweet Baby Jesus! Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, Hop Gunned with cold-steeped, whole bean espresso to infuse it’s iconic, lightly sweet chocolate and peanut butter flavor and aroma with warm notes of coffee… without any additional bitterness! One sip of Sweet Baby Java and you’ll wonder, “Where has this bean all my life?”
ABV: 6.2-6.5%
IBU: 53
Grain Profile: Pale, Chocolate, Crystal, Black, and Brown Malts; Roasted Barley, and Whole Bean Espresso.
Best Served: 55F, in a goblet or snifter. This beer is good cold but some flavors will rise as it warms.
Beer Review
I was actually disappointed when Sweet Baby Jesus was first released. I expected more peanut butter and more chocolate. I felt as though it struck out on both accounts. However, that was back in 2011. Perhaps I was not fully ready to appreciate it. That being said, Sweet Baby Java is pretty darn tasty.
If Mary, the mother of our Lord, drank a beer it would have been Sweet Baby Java. It’s sweet, smooth, comforting, yet still bold and strong.
Tasting Notes
Aroma: The scent is full of peanut butter and chocolate. They coffee is faint at best. I would go on a limb and say that this is one of the very best in the aroma category. However, it’s dependent on how much you like peanut butter.
Taste: The first taste on the tongue is a sweet coffee stout. Many coffee stouts are bitter but this one is VERY well balanced. The sweetness fades to espresso bitterness as it finishes.
Texture: This beer is lightly carbonated but just the perfect amount to dance in the mouth a bit. The beer was rich but not “thick”.
Finish: The finish is slightly bitter and almost hoppy. However, it does not linger on the tongue very long.
Comparisons: The obvious comparison is the Sweet Baby Jesus by DeClaw.
Sweet Baby Java
Pros
- Amazing aroma
- Well balanced
Cons
- It's not socially acceptable to drink this at work, in place of coffee
