Hey I just noticed some activity on this old thread. I kind of abandoned the quest because it was so maddening. But I might be motivated to try a chocolate stout or two as the weather starts to cool down.
I had the good fortune of spending 10 days in England this summer on a beer trip. I was in Yorkshire, among other places, and toured several breweries in addition to attending the Great British Beer Festival in London at the end of the trip. I was bummed because I was staying in York, just a short drive from Tadcaster (home of SS) at one point, but it was a Saturday when they are closed! So I did not get to visit. I did, however, have some of their beers at pubs. The chocolate stout is not offered on draft/cask, however.
Anyway, my point in mentioning this trip is that I tasted plenty of cask dark milds, porters, and stouts among the sea of bitters (poor me...). Many of them are what I'd describe as soft, having light carbonation, a silky mouthfeel, more sweetness than some homebrewers tend to allow, and some interesting malt choices (such as UK crystal, Munich, torrified wheat, and dextrin malts). However, I did not see a single sack of grain that did not have a British origin. No Special B or Carafa, for example.
The old breweries also hold on to some traditional practices that we don't understand here, such as "needing" to add sugar in order to bump ABV up above 5% (which is considered fairly high). The Theakston tour guide said that, which amused me. But it means that they still hang on to a frugal mindset, using grain judiciously, and the sugar usage affects flavor for sure. Keep in mind that SS is an old brewery, and the chocolate stout is 5% ABV after blending with cocoa. Sugar is the third ingredient after all.
A few new tidbits from the SS website:
"Brewed with well water (the original well, sunk in 1758, is still in use with the hard water is drawn from 85 feet underground), the gently roasted organic chocolate malt and organic cocoa impart a delicious, smooth and creamy character..."
"Ingredients; water, organic malted barley, organic cane sugar, yeast, organic hops, organic cocoa extract, carbon dioxide."
The Sam Smith chocolate stout is notably low in roast bitterness. It has a mild flavor that allows the chocolate to shine. And it's not as dark as one of my earlier guesses (it is probably shy of 30 SRM).
Sorry if this rambled...