As a Pennsylvania native, I have always known the town of Hershey for one thing: chocolate. Home to the famous Hershey’s Chocolate World and amusement park, the otherwise quiet town doesn’t get much attention besides the occasional announcement of a new candy flavor hitting the market.

I would like to draw attention to another product that hails from Hershey: Troegs’ JavaHead Stout. Using locally produced products, the Troeg brothers, Chris and John, have crafted a smooth brew that has complementary flavors of coffee and Hershey’s favorite flavor, cocoa.

The beer’s cleverly designed bottle looks foreboding at first — my immediate thought was that there was a big skull adorning the label. Upon closer inspection, however, you can see that the eyes of the skull are actually two coffee pots, and the teeth are pint glasses full of beer.

Not everyone enjoys black coffee, and not everyone will enjoy this dark, malty beer. But, if you are a fan of bitter, black coffee you should definitely consider giving this beer a try.

My first impression was that the beer doesn’t actually taste like coffee right off the bat, but rather the java flavor comes as a strong aftertaste. The coffee and cocoa notes remained on my palette for an unusually long time after I had sipped the beer. JavaHead reminded me somewhat of a Guinness with regard to its dark, heavy and coffee-dominated flavor.

As I mentioned before, not everyone will enjoy this brew. I tried something new this week and offered one sip of the JavaHead to each of my roommates. One described the taste as, “if you mixed 16-hour-old coffee with a cold beer.” Another said she felt like she was eating potpourri or a wreath that she hangs on her door at Christmas time.

Even though I would classify myself as a self-proclaimed coffee lover, I cannot say I loved the flavor in an alcoholic beverage. If you’re looking to sample something from Hershey that isn’t chocolate, this unique brew may be just the thing you’re looking for.