I think a lot of craft beer drinkers have a list of what they consider to be holy grail beers. These are the ones that you’ve always been interested in trying but have never found, or they’re too expensive to justify buying. Some examples of these could be Belgian Trappist beers, Russian River’s Pliny the Elder and Younger, and Alchemist’s Heady Topper. All of these are both difficult to find and expensive. Belgian Trappist beers have to be imported and can be difficult to find, while the others are regional breweries. For example, Russian River beer can be found in Pennsylvania but only in the greater Philadelphia region. We live in the opposite corner of the state. You can find Alchemist beer in New York, but the closest location is still over 100 miles away. To drink one of these holy grail beers requires a commitment to searching for them and then being willing to pay for them.

I’ve never set out to make my entire list of holy grail beers, but I may in a future post. Still, I have always known of a few beers that I’ve always wanted to try, and this past weekend, I finally got to try one of them: Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout.

What Is World Wide Stout?

Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout is a high-alcohol imperial stout that the brewery releases on occasion throughout the year. I believe they release two or three versions each year, and the list of active beers on Beer Advocate includes 10 versions, although some of them were most recently released in 2024. World Wide Stout dates back to 1999, when it was brewed with the goal of being the strongest beer in the world at the time. The bottles are easy to identify with their vibrant green “Caution Caps,” and those who enjoy the beer are encouraged to age the beer, which allows the alcohol to die down a bit and the flavor notes to intensify.

One of this year’s World Wide Stouts is Xocolatl, which perfectly fits into the brewery’s roots of producing culinary-inspired beers. The name Xocolatl is the same word that the Aztecs used for chocolate and was consumed as an ancient sugarless drink that included ground cacao. Xocolatl, the beer, was brewed with roasted cocoa nibs, Madagascar vanilla, cinnamon, and Cobanero and black Urfa chilis. It comes in at a whopping 15% ABV and 50 IBUs. This is the first year that Dogfish has brewed Xocolatl.

Reviewing Xocolatl World Wide Stout

As I mentioned, I was able to drink Xocolatl World Wide Stout this past weekend. This was my experience.

Visual

As I mentioned in my review of Great Lakes’ Cran-Orange Wheat, I’m a sucker for beautiful artwork on a beer can or label, and Dogfish Head delivers with this beer. They use their standard brown bottle with the brand’s logo raised in the glass. The logo is a flat gray-brown with cream-colored artwork and text popping out from it. There is also a small portion of the artwork that is in a metallic copper color that makes the label feel special and luxurious. At the center of the design is the beer’s name and a depiction of the cacao fruit surrounded by what I think are wheat stalks.

When you pour the beer, it’s immediately obvious that you have a stout in your glass. The beer is extremely dark, which is characteristic of an imperial stout, with a light head that stays pretty short. With stouts, porters, and hazy beers, I like to hold the glass up to a light to see how much detail or light gets through the liquid. In the case of the Xocolatl World Wide Stout, no light gets through.

Scent

The initial scent notes are what you expect from an imperial stout. I got notes of roasted maltiness, coffee, and chocolate. After the initial sniff, you can begin to pick up hints of cinnamon and vanilla. I don’t think you can smell the chiles. In general, it’s a very pleasant scent profile that entices you to take the first sip.

Taste

I think the first thing to get out of the way is discussing what drinking a 15% beer is like. I don’t mind high-alcohol beers but usually top out at 10 or 11%. I was a bit nervous to try this beer because of its high ABV since I’m not a huge fan of hard alcohol and don’t enjoy it when a drink has a strong alcohol flavor. I did trust that it would be good, though, because the World Wide Stouts are always reviewed well, and the other high-alcohol beer I’ve had from Dogfish Head (Tropical Squall) was incredibly smooth.

My first sip of Xocolatl blew me away because of how smooth it is. In fact, if you didn’t know it was a 15% beer, you wouldn’t believe it. There is a warmth to it that reminds me of drinking wine, but there is none of the harshness that can be associated with liquor. It is easy to drink. That being said, it is a 15% beer, so drinking it slowly and enjoying it is wise, because you will absolutely feel the alcohol.

After the shock of its smoothness wore off, I was able to concentrate on identifying flavor notes. It obviously tastes like a stout. It’s rich and has a foundation of roasted malty goodness. There are also the coffee notes that are common with imperial stouts. You also get the cocoa notes that deliver on the name, but I don’t think the flavors are any stronger than I experience with a standard imperial stout. I also get the hints of the vanilla and cinnamon. On the back end is a warmth that I think comes from the chiles and not only the high alcohol content. It’s certainly not a spicy beer in the sense of heat, but the chiles deliver a subtle hit that is welcomed.

Overall Rating

I really enjoyed this beer and will try more of the World Wide Stouts in the future. I think it’s a perfect beer to drink on a cold winter’s night when the weather is harsh outside and you have nowhere to go. It’s an overall pleasant drinking experience that I think any stout drinker will enjoy. I would consider it a rarity drink for me. As much as I love it, I can’t justify spending $11 per bottle on a regular basis. Because as much as I enjoyed it, it’s not $8 per bottle better than Sierra Nevada’s Narwhal. Yet it’s still unique enough to try the different versions of World Wide Stout on an individual basis, but I’m unlikely to ever buy it in a four-pack. If you’re a stout fan, like complex beers, and are comfortable spending $11 on a single beer, it’s worth a try.

Xocolatl did teach me that high-alcohol beers in the 15-20% range are worth trying if the flavor notes and beer style are intriguing. I now really want to try Dogfish Head’s 120-Minute IPA. Their 90-Minute is one of the best beers I’ve ever had, so I think the 120-Minute will be delicious. But it’s another beer that I’ll buy as a single instead of in a four-pack. Thankfully, we have a distributor near us where you can buy singles, and they always have 120-Minute available.

Score: 8/10