Like most stouts, Orange Truffle Abduction is inky black with nary a ray of light peeking through. The crown of foam that sits atop the beer is somewhere between off-white and mocha in hue, quick to form but retaining for a decent while. It doesn't show up very well in the video I took of it, so I won't upload it, but the bubbles were very fine in size and tightly formed.
Whatever semblance of stout character the appearance suggested evaporates with one sniff. The orange zest contributes overwhelming scents of juice, flowers, perfume and shampoo. Neither the base beer nor the coco contribute any discernible aroma. The size of the orange additions must be unfathomable.
The base beer and coco manage to show up a bit in the flavor, but not much. Bitter orange peel, sweet orange juice, perfume and a cornucopia of orchid flowers dominate the taste, with coco powder and black patent malted barley taking a backseat. Thankfully the body has more of a juicy sweetness rather than a syrupy one. The carbonation leads to a fairly lush texture.
I like orange and chocolate flavors, but it seems difficult to incorporate in beer without smelling like a cosmetic product. Pass on this one if you find it, go for the raspberry one instead.
In my opinion, Rasberry complements beer as well as orange. It is the chocolate that doesn't work well in the beer. OK to eat chocolate and drink beer, but not mixed in the brew. Otherwise the beer flavor is lost.
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