Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - Brooklyn Brewery

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

4.94/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz. bottle 12-13 vintage purchased in the greater Washington D.C. area (Cleveland Park Wines and Liquors representin'!) several months ago, poured into a Weyerbacher tulip glass, drank 2/15/13 over ~one hour.

A: 4.75- inky-black coloration, unfiltered haziness swallowing the light; slight lacing around the glass, imperceptible alcohol legs

S: 4.75 - roasted almost burnt coffee, bitter chocolate, slight toffee and caramel undertones, moderate alcohol on the nose

T: 5 - coffee bitterness on the anterior tongue opens the taste buds for a surprising bite of Cascade hop grapefruit, lots of chocolate and caramel in the swallow with lingering aftertaste; hidden alcohol with warming notes throughout the chest

M: 5 - full chewy body, feels like a mouthful of dark chocolate with roasted coffee!

O: 5: as a full disclosure, Brooklyn's BCS is my favorite RIS on the market; it also holds sentimental value for me as one of the first beers that addicted me to craft beer and sparked an interest in homebrewing (I brew a clone of it each year now); the chocolate and coffee aroma and taste are unparalleled with just enough hop flavor/aroma for balancing, maybe the best use of Cascade hops in a non-American IPA/DIPA; I'll continue to be cellaring and eagerly anticipating my vertical tasting in 5-10 years. Cheers, Garrett Oliver and Co.!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:11:43 | More by MNishCT77

barrelofbastard

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-18-2013 20:29:16 | More by barrelofbastard

mikehillman

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%

05-18-2013 17:18:17 | More by mikehillman

Honus1

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%

05-18-2013 02:38:02 | More by Honus1

carlosega

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-17-2013 19:28:03 | More by carlosega

scotv

New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-17-2013 02:59:52 | More by scotv

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-17-2013 01:37:31 | More by SmellsofMahagony

verge

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-16-2013 22:00:25 | More by verge

michaeljstraub

Georgia

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-16-2013 19:58:37 | More by michaeljstraub

stevied71

Australia

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%

05-16-2013 14:13:18 | More by stevied71

acc88

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%

05-16-2013 07:13:58 | More by acc88

cmdmzmjm

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-16-2013 02:25:48 | More by cmdmzmjm

HawkIPA

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-15-2013 17:27:01 | More by HawkIPA

Zimm

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-15-2013 17:23:32 | More by Zimm

Jordy777

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%

05-14-2013 18:46:33 | More by Jordy777

Hugonaut13

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-14-2013 13:44:11 | More by Hugonaut13

HinghamRick

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-14-2013 13:19:54 | More by HinghamRick

Horse_Mullet

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-14-2013 13:11:54 | More by Horse_Mullet

ADTaber

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-14-2013 00:01:52 | More by ADTaber

johntandlich

New York

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%

05-13-2013 22:49:32 | More by johntandlich

russwilliam

New York

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-13-2013 21:59:56 | More by russwilliam

Rand_ale_Thor

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-13-2013 18:41:13 | More by Rand_ale_Thor

tectactoe

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Vintage 04-05 bottling, thanks to Jeff. This baby is somewhere between 8 and 9 years old - let's see how it has held up. It pours dark as hell - black with only a slight bit of dark brown showing at the very edges. No head, literally none, even with a straight down pour. I guess that's what almost ten years in a bottle will do to you, eh? Very still and menacing in the glass, seemingly void of any carbonation.

The first glace, Black Chocolate Stout is a bit more pungent on the nostrils than I was expecting, and it actually contains a strong, almost boozy character. It's like rich, dark chocolate dipped in a booze bath. Lots of cocoa on the nose - some milky, some darker, with a touch of roasted malts on the side. Not getting much coffee and hops are probably long gone at this point.

So far, this doesn't smell so much like a Russian Imperial Stout as it does an American Imperial Stout, but maybe I'm just splitting hairs. Unfortunately some oxidation has gotten the best of this beer - or at least the aroma would tell me that. It invokes a slight sherry character, perhaps lending to the booziness, but it also has the slight smell of wet cardboard, slightly musty and stale. Hopefully it doesn't affect the taste too much.

Leading the charge of the first sip is a mound of smooth, sweet chocolate and a solid offering of boozy, dark fruit sweetness - figs, anise, and the darkest dates around. The roasty character takes a bit of a backseat, and oxidation is present from the middle to the end, again introducing both a mild sherry flavor and a bit of the "stale, wet cardboard" that is especially heavy in the aftertaste. Some sweet and dark chocolates help to balance this out, but I can't help but wonder how much better this beer would be fresh. Without carbonation, the mouth feel is pretty silky and smooth; full-bodied and pretty heavy.

It seems like this beer would age well if you could keep it from oxidizing. Hell, even slowing the oxidation down wouldn't be so bad. It was just a little too much, here, but the beer that lies underneath the oxidation seemed to be doing fine. I'd like to have this one again, fresh, just to compare. Very good stout, although there are plenty out there that I'd choose over this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 11:40:47 | More by tectactoe

acjones

Japan

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-13-2013 01:39:32 | More by acjones

kennymule

Texas

4.11/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pour is black as night with slight head which quickly vanishes.
S- chocolate and coffee.
T- Sweet, almost too sweet, chocolate and roasted coffee and bitter finish. Quite a bit of alcohol on the finish as well.
M- Medium
O- I'm not a huge fan of stouts, but this is a pretty good one. At 10% I won't be slamming them down.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 17:00:44 | More by kennymule