The Bison Chocolate Stout was something I picked up on a whim during a pilgrimage to the local BevMo. It came highly recommended by my cashier, who is starting to recognize me--an unsettling thought. Nonetheless, it was an intriguing prospect as it claims to be completely organic, which for a beer means ... well, actually I have no idea what forms of regulation are in place in the beer industry for such terms, so it could be completely meaningless.
The immediate taste is reminiscent of coffee; not quite to the espresso level, but certainly carrying a bit of bitterness, which I can only assume is due to the charring of the grains used in the brewing process. Not a lot of malt or hops present, leaving the grain flavors to stand on their own. The carbonation is medium-high, resulting in a slight burn on the tongue that is not due to alcohol (the alcohol burn itself is relatively low). For a stout, this is surprisingly refreshing; most stouts tend to be high-gravity thick beers that coat the mouth like cough syrup, but the Bison keeps the gravity low, which I certainly appreciate.
Pairing Suggestions
This would actually be a decent dessert beer, largely due to the coffee notes present. It would go well with vanilla ice cream or, if you're into chocolate-fruit pairings, raspberries and chocolate or something along those lines. It might work for cheesecake, but I'm not sure that it has enough acidity to cut through the richness of cream cheese.
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