Dogfish Head Theobroma

To say that I have been anticipating this beer for quite awhile now is understatement most pure. After giving up actively looking for it, due to scarcity of supply, I finally stumbled on a few bottles at the King's Contrivance Liquors and Smoke Shop last weekend. The hype of this brew's ingredients and origin were nigh-legendary - but did it live up to my expectations?

Vitals:

• Name: Dogfish Head Theobroma
  

• Brewery: Dogfish Head
  

• Style: Spice/herb/vegetable beer (Category 21A, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

• Alcohol: 9.0%

• Serving: 25.4-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

• Appearance: 6 - Pours a peach-amber color, that resides clear in the glass, and is a deep gold towards the bottom. The head is foamy and white, fading slowly to a moderate lace.

• Nose: 5 - Subtle, with notes of citrus, honey, cocoa, and a spicy background.
  

• Taste: 7 - A solid mix of equal parts fruity base and honey, with a hint of cocoa in the background. The chili flavor builds up strong in the middle and through the end, where it leaves a pleasant burn in the aftertaste, mixed with a residual sweetness.
  

• Mouthfeel: 8 - The body and carbonation are medium and well-balanced, and consistant throughout each drink. Beyond the chili spice, there's little aftertaste to speak of.
  

• Holistic: 6 - The varying tastes and ingredients are so well balanced that beyond the chili flavor, none of them stand out. The cocoa in particular seems to be barely present, and lost in the shuffle.
  

Overall: 32 - A good beer, but not at all what I was expecting. From the initial descriptions of ingredients, I was looking for a cocoa/chocolate punch that never came, but was pleasantly surprised by the chili intensity. All in all, far more balanced than I anticipated, and quite quaffable. It strikes me as been good for an occasional glass, but not quite unique enough to seek out on a regular basis.