Black OPS
Brooklyn Brewery

Black OPSBlack OPS
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From:
Brooklyn Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #269
ABV:
11.6%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,937
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 12.35%
Reviews:
903
Ratings:
2,586
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 05, 2024
Added:
Dec 20, 2007
Wants:
  472
Gots:
  1,280
Brooklyn Black Ops (2008 commercially available version) was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented in the bottle with Champagne yeast. 940 cases produced.

10.7%-2008
11.6%-2009
11.3%-2010
10.7%-2011
10.5%-2012
11.5%-2013
11.6%-2014
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

2.6/5  rDev -37%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5
Thanks to Mike for opening this on an impromptu tasting night. It pours a deep, deep brown and black color with a mocha-colored head that cloudy up pretty big but fizzles out quickly, much like the layer of fuzz you'd get from a Coca-Cola. No lacing to speak of, but some alcoholic legs will trudge down the sides of the glass upon swirling.

The aroma isn't as robust or omnipotent as you'd like a barrel-aged Russian imperial stout to be, but it does have quite an array of things going on; vanilla, cocoa nibs, dark fudge, deeper dark plum sweetness, plenty of oak, and a faint onset of bourbon. Some roasty malts bring up the rear. The aromas are all there, but for some reason, they don't "mesh" like they should, and rather than a wonderful bouquet of smells, it seems more like a slightly jumbled mess.

From the first sip, I'm surprised by how thin, spritzy, and light this beer feels on the palate. Is that perhaps an induction of the champagne yeast? Not so sure why you'd want a huge, barrel-aged stout to be so carbonation and effervescent, but it transcends into a slightly watery and thin mouth feel, something that typically doesn't bode well for beers of this stature and style. It's like a Russian imperial stout with the mouth feel of a soda... What the hell?

The taste is also extremely mild, like the aroma; faint bourbon, mild cola flavors, a hint of wood, lasting cocoa beans, and a little roasted malt. Once again, everything here seems to be it's own separate entity, rather than a masterful blend of the whole, resulting in more of a random concoction of flavors mixed into a glass than a real, barrel-aged stout. Also, I've never had a barrel-aged, 10%+ ABV stout that was so easy to drink before. Seriously, it was gone in seconds. The flavors were so light that such a feat was possible... Usually drinkability like this is good, but for a helles lager or pale ale... NOT a Russian imperial stout.

I think my rating may be little harsh... The beer was not awful, disgusting, or hard to drink by any means, but it is incredibly overrated (and probably over-priced), and it's one of the weakest attempts at the style that I've come across, especially for having some decent acclaim. I appreciate Mike's generosity of sharing, but we both agreed that this is not how a stout was meant to be. I still don't understand all the positive reviews.
Jul 06, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of CruzinCooler
Reviewed by CruzinCooler from New Jersey

3.32/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Hmmm. Strange complexity even for a Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout. Hints of chocolate and coffee are expected. I’m thinking the Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon comes out being a bit more sour than sweet.
Mar 05, 2024
Photo of Matt_W
Reviewed by Matt_W from New York

4.06/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Got a bottle as a gift in 2016. Just opened it today February 18, 2024. Poured dark black with very little head. Smooth with a bourbon bite after taste. I think I like the Goose Island bourbon barrel a little better. Overall a good beer but its one and done. I put a wine saver in it and will break it out in a couple of weeks. Cheers!
Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.24 by BeerMe8 from Florida

Dec 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.88 by Blazer22 from Colorado

Dec 14, 2023
 
Rated: 3.63 by Agriverbear from Texas

Dec 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by VaporDome from New York

Nov 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by mmilyko from Nevada

Nov 17, 2023
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.62/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of bourbon, a touch of chocolate. Taste is strong of bourbon, light vanilla and chocolate. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.
Jun 25, 2023
Photo of izraelc
Rated by izraelc from New York

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours dark as night. Tan foam. Chocolate aroma. Dark cherry chocolate body. More tart than sweet. Light bitter alcohol finish. Good but not great.
Jun 17, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by smi69 from New York

Jun 13, 2023
 
Rated: 3.44 by npendres from Wisconsin

Mar 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.03 by joran from Kansas

Mar 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by blackcloud from Alaska

Feb 27, 2023
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Solid black appearance with a very thin but lasting head.
Light carbonation with an above average body. Slight oily slick feel that coats the mouth.
Aroma is bourbon, scotch,malt, coffee, roasted malt.
Taste is malt,coffee,roasted malt, bourbon and wood.
Feb 27, 2023
Photo of mvanaskie13
Reviewed by mvanaskie13 from Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a wide mouth grip shaped glass: color is black, head is tan and presents a thin top and dissipates to a ring and spotty top.

Smell is light bourbon, vanilla, toast, chocolate, espresso, roasted malt.

Taste is more emphatic: bourbon, oak, toast, vanilla, chocolate, espresso, roasted malt, dark fruit, light booziness for this strength.

Mouthfeel is low/moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, low bitterness but notable boozy feel but still seems smooth.

Overall a smooth feel at nearly 12% with nice cacao and oaked flavor.
Jan 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.12 by WynnO from Florida

Jan 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.27 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Jan 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by petrusek23 from Ohio

Jan 15, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by doctorgary from New York

Jan 11, 2023
Black OPS from Brooklyn Brewery
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 2586 ratings