Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - Brooklyn Brewery

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - The tap poured a jet black color into my pint. There was a creamy brown light head,

Aroma - The roasted malts, chocolate, espresso are the major notes here. In the background are some blackcurrant notes, anise, and vanilla traces, and lastly some alcohol traces.

Taste – There is a strong roasted malt bitterness, major smoked chocolate notes. The espresso, peppery hops, and anise complete the finish.

Mouthfeel - Very smooth and creamy full bodied brew. Coats the mouth with roasted chocolates.

Drinkability - Wow can't taste that 10%. Great stout.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2007 00:48:34 | More by stereosforgeeks

Liquids

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

The pour may have been nitro, but this beer took five minutes or more to settle and was like a third of a glass of beer and half head after the first poart of the pour...totally thick and creamy. The head was ultra brown. Thing of beauty. Smell was hoppy imperial stout, with that slightly stale aroma I notice in a lot of brooklyn stuff--floral hops in style, but more of dying flowers. Taste was full and similar to the aroma, add a roasty smooth malt flavor that was appealing and very drinkable, but as it warmed the stringing alcohol, and dying flowers poked through. It's not that the taste was bad, but big beers and stouts, other than alcohol, tend to have the taste (and score) bias due to the intensity of flavors compared to paler-malted brews. This doesn't mean they taste better, they just stand out more. Given the style, the flavor here was on par and average for a typically above-average style. This does not mean it tasted bad, it tasted delicious, it just lacked a certain something to put it over the top in the catergory, flavor wise. Mouthfeel was unmistakably full, and points given for the beer-head-mustache I had on the first sip. This beer slammed me on an empty-other-than-peanuts stomach, and I didn't totally realize it was 10% until too late. Half the glass was still full after about ten minutes, but I had to put her down for 20 minutes and sip slowly after that, as I started floating.

I've had better, but this is a good brew. Of note, I didn't like it in the bottle when I tried it last year, but I would get this on tap again, despite the generally 'middle of the road' ratings.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2007 16:29:53 | More by Liquids

shivtim

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at a BW3 in Mishawaka, during the North Carolina/Duke basketball game (which I won a 25 cent bet on). Also, the US beat Mexico in soccer, 2-0.
Anyway, served in a pint glass, a beautiful opaque black with hints of brown and a small dark black head. Excellent so far. Nose is heavy roasted malts, sweet chocolate, and the slightest hint of sweet ethanol on warming. Taste is nice thick roasted malts with hints of milk chocolate, and lingering bitter chocolate in the finish. A little bit syrupy. Full mouthfeel, quite smooth. Drinkability is good, but watch out for that ABV. I had no idea this was over 10%, the alcohol is very well hidden. I would have guessed 6% or so.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2007 05:21:51 | More by shivtim

auxiliary

Rhode Island

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I love chocolate so i was all over this like a hot dog LOL.

appearance - Color is black, nice brownish tan head, watch it, i poured it too fast and it overflowed almost. Nice lacing, one of the best.

smell - is a mix of chocolate, malts, coffee, mmm nice.

taste - was like a mix of chocolate and roasted malts.

mouthfeel - Full bodied, little strong, ABV is 10% wow!

drinkability - This was the 06-07 bottle.Love this thing, I have one more left in my fridge, hope to go out find some more.

** Drank the 07-08 on tap , still yummy!

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2007 22:09:30 | More by auxiliary

aforbes10

Iowa

4.55/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I'd just tried this year's bottling back in Indiana, and now at the Drafting Room in PA i see the 2005 version on tap. I jumped at the chance. Served in a snifter looking very dark brown to black with a little chocolate brown head. Odor is bitter cooking chocolate and some indecipherable dark fruits. Smells delicious and tamer than the fresh version. Taste is a fantastic chocolate with slight bitterness. Some cherries among the chocolate. Coffee on the finish. amazingly well balanced. velvety smooth. a deluxe drink experience. A year's aging does wonders for this already fantastic brew.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2006 16:14:34 | More by aforbes10

Umbra

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a dark black with dark tan head. Retention and lacing within the large wine glass was stunning. Aromas of roasted malts and cocoa.
Big dark chocolate and bitter espresso notes. Bittterness sort of sat there on the tongue, without enough caramel from the malts to throw it off the couch. Came off less creamy than I had expected, yet still had a very light mouthfeel as it was considerably less viscous than other examples.

Overall, I unfortunately received this and the Young's Double Chocolate at the same time to share. The creamy, vanilla goodness of Young's was really what I was looking for at the time, which detracted from my overall enjoyment with the Brooklyn version. Very good nonetheless.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2006 19:28:18 | More by Umbra

BBM

New York

3.73/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this one on tap, and like it better than from a bottle. It pours a thick black color with a nice brown head and good lacing. Too much alcohol in the nose, but there is also hints of chocolate, coffee, and dark fruits.

More impressed with the taste fomr the tap than from the bottle. The flavors were much more complex, and seemed to dance on the tastebuds for a longer period of time. Black coffee, baker's chocolate, a hint of bitter hops all to be found. Mouthfeel is chewy and a bit sticky. It's a high ABV, so drinkability isn't great. But this really is a finely crafted winter beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2006 23:12:38 | More by BBM

tommy78

North Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I was finally able to try this beer on tap, and it is truly excellent. The appearance of the 06-07 version was a consistent chocolate colour. The smell is what makes this beer great. It had a more intense coffee aroma than the bottled version. In fact, I would go as far as saying it had a bite. The aroma definently drew me in. The taste matched the aroma: a combination of coffee malts and sweet cocoa. The mouthfeel is mostly smooth, with some kick to it. Given the high alcohol content, the drinkability is exceptional. I ended having three pints in one sitting, and I barely noticed it. It is worth the price of admission!

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2006 00:32:22 | More by tommy78

Calico

New York

3.18/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

I've had the '02-'03, the '03-'04, the'04-'05, the'05-'06, and this one (the '06-'07) in bottles. All of them impressed me.

The '06-'07 on tap, though... when I was pouring it at the Real Beer Expo in Rochester, it had a nice roasty chocolately slightly musty aroma, what I expect in a Russian Imperial Stout. I had it on tap more recently, though, and it has a very strong diacetyl note in the aroma. Quite jarring. Not what I'd expect. I should note it was served at way too cold a temperature, though.

Appearance: quite dark, marvelous head, good retention.

Smell: butterscotch dominates. I can barely make out some caramel and chocolate notes.

Taste: Was served too cool for me to really judge. I detect some roasty notes amid the maltiness.

Mouthfeel: Good and thick, as I'd expect. Full body, slightly syrupy feel coating tongue.

Drinkability: After one of these, I was drowsy. That does not normally happen to me after one beer. If a half-pint were an option at this particular pub, that's what I'd order.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2006 01:52:28 | More by Calico

plaid75

New York

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a dead black hue with a 2 finger pillowy tan head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell was a strong upfront coffee and chocolate aroma. Good toasted grain element as well.

The taste consisted of a sweet chocolate and caramell ballanced by a solid coffee and burnt grain. Not overly sweet. ABV was hid well.

The mouthfeel was heavy and chewy.

Overall a very drinkable imperial. ABV is hidden well.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2006 14:37:02 | More by plaid75

bklynbeerbaron

New York

4.47/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Lazy Boy Saloon, White Plains. Poured into a Brooklyn Brewery weizen glass.

Appearance: Pitch black, ain't no light gettin' through this sucker. A gorgeous, tan, creamy head that lingered to the bottom of the glass. What every stout should look like.

Smell: A sweet aroma of roasted chocolate.

Taste and mouthfeel: No hop flavor here, just plenty of roasted malts, which creates a flavor similar to a piece of really good bittersweet chocolate. Alcoholic bite comes across similar to a liqueur-flavored truffle and is slightly warming. Finish is vaguely smoky. Mouthfeel is superb: smooth, creamy and rich without being cloying.

Drinkability: Yeah, it's a sipper. A beer I could sip all night, 8.5 ABV be damned.

Notes: Just a big, bad, beautiful stout. Went great with the burger I had, though I'm sure it's even better with any chocolate dessert.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2006 03:42:57 | More by bklynbeerbaron

dragonbrew

New York

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tried this one recently at the brewery. Right up front I'll say it, a fine beer, my absolute favorite from Brooklyn. Even had to take a few bottled versions home, same results.

Fantastic black beauty with deep brown head that virtually stuck to the sides of my glass. Looked and felt like I was drinking an ice cream float, only tasted much better.

Robust roasted malt hints overwhelm the nose right away, leading right into the taste, which was fenominal. Hard for me to separate the two since the olfactory sense is hard to divide into two with this one. Chocolate and black java are the key tastes. Dry hop after taste is very remarkable finishing touch.

This one is velvety smooth even creamy in the mouth. Not for the faint of heart, a heavy beer great in the fall and winter.

It's hard to hide that I'm a huge fan, so I'll admitt it, I'll have again and again and would recommend it to any fan of big stouts.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2006 16:24:07 | More by dragonbrew

BillyB

New Jersey

4.63/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Someone spiked my chocolate milk shake with whiskey!

Appearance is Black as night during a full eclipse.

Sweet chocalatey aroma like I've never smelled before. You'd think that Hershey brewed this beer instead of Brooklyn.

Taste is nothing short of amazing. Chocolate meets sharp alcohol in an amazing balance!

Mouthfeel is incredibly full and creamy.
Drinkability is up to you. It's a very big beer but I say bring it on! My friend had this on tap in his house and we worked on kicking it for a while. It was hard work but we did it.
Try it with a brownie and some vanilla ice cream.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2006 18:32:15 | More by BillyB

cracgor

Texas

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My pint was a stark black beer with a little ring of dark brown head. Not very impressive looking at all. Just a run of the mill look to it. It did have a nice floral, burnt malt smell to it. Not as fruity as it was just a sweet fragrance. The beer itself, had an awesome taste to it. Like milk chocolate, with a good hint of spicy hops. It is definitely an american version, but not over the top with the hops like some others I like much less. The beer is velvety smooth, like a chocolate shake. No hint of alcohol on it. Drinks very well. Maybe not enough complexity to drink all week, but enough good taste to keep me wanting a second.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2006 06:00:21 | More by cracgor

AlexJ

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

How is it possible that I have never reviewed this beer? It has sustained me and kept insanity at bay through many cold winters living in NE PA and CT.

Pours like black India ink, thick and viscous with great legs. A draft pour produces a thick, whipped brown froth that clings like Cool Whip, before settling down to a tight cap.

Aroma boasts of expertly toasted dark malts, liquified chocolate, booze-soaked raisins and plum, espresso, fruity licorice, and bittersweet fruity hops.

Flavor is creamy dark chocolate covered raisins melting in a hot cup of fresh espresso. Massive malt complexity, burnt caramel, licorice, English toffee, plum, and creamy vanilla creme brule'. It's perfectly balanced by plenty of pine, fruity citrus, and sweet floral hops. No trace of the strength. This year's version tastes like it's allready been aged it's so smooth.

Body is full, but not huge. Mouthfeel is like liquid silk with a creamy, slippery texture that is a joy to roll around your tongue. Infinately drinkable, a great food and dessert beer, and something I look forward to every year.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2006 22:01:03 | More by AlexJ

TheEclecticGent

Georgia

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Summits in Sandy Springs, GA. It pours into the glass a very dark brown with a brown head that quickly fades. It has a deep rich smell that is dominated by chocolate and port-like aromas. The mouthfeel is heavy and flat, you know its in there. The taste is powerful and is dominated by chocolate with an "on again - off again" hoppyness to it. You can taste the presence of the alcohol, it comes off almost tasting like there is a shot of bourbon in the beer. Very interesting stout, I'm defiantly going to keep drinking this one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2006 17:00:48 | More by TheEclecticGent

Hautacam

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Forms a nice dark brown head above an almost black liquid in a pint glass. The head dropped to a collar. The beer itself looks like an espresso.
What a great smell...espresso again in the nose..very malty.
Complex flavor of espresso( ...a theme here ?), malt, chocolate....the semi-bitter kind....a hint of sugar with an amazingly heavy mouthfeel....like you should chew before swallowing...almost a greek coffee feel....like small particulates are suspended in there...this actually feels better than it sounds!
One of these is enough...it's pretty heavy stuff.
When they came out with this years ago, I used to buy cases so I could still have some after the season. This was the first time I had it on tap....seems about the same taste wise, but with a creamier
mouthfeel. Very good stuff !

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2006 00:15:17 | More by Hautacam

sraimondi

Connecticut

4.9/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Finally had this on nitrous draft at Cafe Luna in Simsbury, CT (see seperate review--great job Louis!). WOW!! While I have always enjoyed this one from the bottle, the draft version is almost PERFECT. The coffee and chocolate flavor is very much pronounced, but not overwhelming. While the bottle version "hides" the high ABV; the draft is even more dangerous, as you cannot really feel the alcohol until afterwards. The carbonation is very soft. A really outstanding brew, served at the right temp at Cafe Luna. By the way, the pizza here is VERY, VERY good!! Mangia.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-04-2005 22:17:42 | More by sraimondi

FirstMan

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Black as night, this one. The head sticks around for a while and has a muddy light brown color. Eventually it unevenly diminishes into little mud-pot bubble-rings across an even layer that just covers the top of the liquid. Lots of heavy lacing on the sides of the glass.

The smell is strongly roasted, toasted grains, chocolate, coffee, molasses, and (my wife thinks) a little hint of soy sauce. Very rich and complex.

Right at the beginning a quick hit of alcohol esters immediately precedes a complex mix of chocolate, roasted malt, molasses, and smoke. Very rich and complicated. Slowly the variety of flavors wanes into a lingering smoky hop bitterness.

Big, chewy mouthfeel. Smooth tempered by tinge of carbonation. Smooth, but not nearly as much as your typical English Stout.

Overall an amazing stout. Highly complex and truly world-class.

My only sidenote would be that this is a one-pint beer for me. It's so good you want to drink it slowly and savor it. I'll stick to other beers for multiples.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2005 01:18:58 | More by FirstMan

ChowHound

New York

2.95/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I love an imperial stout, and this one at first glance and whiff appeared to be a winner. Very dark with a creamy looking tannish head. Aroma of soft chocolates, dried beef, and roasted nuts had my mouth watering. Carbonation was too low in my estimation, and the flavor, while rich with chocolate malts, was too sweet and the texture too thin for an imperial stout. Also, a very strong taste of alcohol was always present, not something I like in a beer. Nasty aftertaste as well. For all its reputation, this brewery should be putting out better beers.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2005 18:11:30 | More by ChowHound

Truh

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got lost in a grove of cocoa trees with this one on 12/19/2004. 16-oz. pour (when it should have been a 10-oz pour according to the board) at the Sunset Cantina.

Thick, wool blanket down of Silver Surfer head that receded and laced like a sputtering black hole. No moon blackest night hue, like the edge of the horizon on a winter night, in the dark, with eyes bolted shut. Chocolate and cocoa predominate on the mouth, with a Galactacus of sweet alcohol bite that shivers down to the metatarsals, practically splintering them. A bit further along, a prune and black licorice chutney gloms around and leaves a scorched earth policy down the tongue and into the throat; tonsils suffering from the plague. Almost a funky exoskeleton of malt that feels oddly wraith-like on the mouth. Generous, but lacking something.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2004 21:44:38 | More by Truh

Suds

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this one recently, as a desert, while out to dinner with some friends. Served on-tap, it was presented in a tall, pilsner style glass, with a thick brown head. The color was absolute obsidian: complete and solidly black. The aroma is intensely coffee-like, with a serious chocolate malt character. As the beer warms, a bit of alcohol creeps into the smell, along with a subtle ripe-fruitness, which add a lot of depth and complexity. The beer is full, thick, and substantial. A big front-end malt sweetness is balanced with roasted flavors that come out in the mid-taste and finish. It’s a soft, creamy, and almost silky beer, with a hell of a lot of flavor. This is one beer to remember and seek out.

Serving type: on-tap

11-01-2004 00:26:42 | More by Suds

PSUDREW

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Maybe my new favorite stout. I am actually rather surprised, while this feels like a stout in your mouht, it doesn't feel that way in your belly. this is highly drinkable, IMO.

Pours a dark, rich brown, very thick, very creamy, with a nice creamy, tan head. desert in a glass. Smells like roasted mocha (yeah, I know...) very nice.

It is appropoe that chocolate is the main taste in this bear. yeah there is malt, and some hops, but the chocolate definately shines through here, mixed with a spice, roasted malt flavor. Other people have mentioned this, and it is true, the chocoalte is overpowering, but it is still done in a nice way.

If you get the cahnce, get some for desert and serve with a nice creamy cherry pie...mmm

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2004 02:09:55 | More by PSUDREW

UnionMade

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2003-2004 edition.
The beer is a very deep, murky umber, pretty much black, topped with a thick, dusky olive hued khaki froth. The head dies out to a thick film, but keeps for the remainder of the glass.
The aroma is hugely roasty, with a mellowing smoothness that blends everything seamlessly. The malt is slightly husky, with loads of chocolate and coffee. A bit of burnt toffee sweetness, with a touch of charred wood and smoke. A thin layer of fig and prune esters are spread over the malt, with a dash of date and light chicory. As the beer warms, a bittersweet baker's chocolate becomes readily apparent, consuming the air within the snifter. Very mild alcohol, mostly masked by the burnt, roasty malt.
The flavor starts immediately with mellow, bittersweet chocolate malt, a bit of chicory adding a woodiness that pervades throughout. Pleasant esters are spread over the malt, lending a gentle fruitiness that hints at prune, fig, banana, and black cherry. A touch of blackberry into the finish, meeting mild, balancing english hops. The bitterness is mostly derived from the heavy roastiness, a charred woodiness and black coffee stretching out the finish. A slight alcoholic twang in the swallow. Coffee and chocolate linger in the aftertaste.
A very nice year. I missed last year's version, but this year seems much smoother that I recalled from previous versions. Surprisingly easy drinking for such a massive beer, with an excellent bittersweet chocolate flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2004 02:13:51 | More by UnionMade

RockyTopHeel

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tasted at the Pop the Cap Winter Warmer Event, 1/31 at Tyler's.

Poured a very, very dark brown color with an overfoamed (from a faulty tap) beige head. The huge head to beer ratio doesn't get me down, though, because I've been waiting to taste this one for a long time.

Aroma was smooth, with chocolate peaking through here and there. Upon tasting, I found a very smooth brew with a soft finish full of bitter chocolate and earthy tones. I thought this was really drinkable for an imperial stout, though a touch thinner in the mouth than I had anticipated. It also had a nice crispness, thought it also meant the chocolate only stayed with me for a short time.

I had huge expectations for this beer, and it mostly lived up to them. All around, a smooth, subtle beer (especially for an imperial). Very good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2004 01:05:03 | More by RockyTopHeel