So, grabbed a 4 pack at a new shop by my house, I drank 1 a few minutes ago and I have to say man that is unique. My question is, can anyone who has had a lot of different vintages or batches confirm that the slight sour flavor presented in the beer is supposed to be their or not? I rated it a 4 so it certainly did not take away from the experience... Just have not had any RIS like it so I am curious. Cheers everyone, and thanks for any feedback!
Never experienced the slightest hint of sour in any Brooklyn BCS I've had. Could be infected but I'm not aware of Brooklyn dabbling in using wild bacteria in any of their beers.
I've found RIS can have a tartness. Not to the point where I'd assume brett or wild yeast was used, but it's not an off flavor in RIS IMO. Haven't had BKCS though.
I'd say it's NOT infected. But I did not drink it, so. Sour taste? Man, that is strange to me. If you experienced it, you experienced it, and that is unfortunate...but, should NOT be "sour"
I've had one and two year old vintages. Tasted differently from each other, but neither were sour in the slightest to me.
I would agree with the above posts and say that I did not experience any "sour" flavors. But then again whats sour to you could be different to me. I have had it aged and it is magnificent
I have never had a sour flavor in a BBCS and I have had a lot of it. Maybe your pallette is off. Try another one
Alright, thanks for the input! I read a couple other reviews that described a sour like flavor so I was just curious. It was not sour in a actual sour beer way. I did enjoy it I guess maybe I will have to try it again in a week or two and see if I still pick it up, could have had something to do with the beer I had before it... But I would imagine not as I rinsed my glass and such. Either way it is a unique beer to say the least.
That is what I am thinking, I did not really enjoy the beer I had before it... maybe that had something to do with it. Either way, tasty beer.
I've never experienced any sourness in BCS per se, but I do recall a combination of acridness (from the roast), acidity, and a slight soy-sauce-like edge that I suppose could be construed as tart.
No sour flavors ever experienced in Brooklyn BCS. Truly one of my favorite RIS and I drink a lot of it every year. Hopefully it was just on off day for your palate. Keep us posted.
I agree with the acrid description, that may also be described as tart. Funny thing is for me it is not every time or even every sip. Usually just the first sip or two. I guess my palate has to adjust or be tuned or something. It is more apparent in fresher bottles, also. At least for me. I do love Black Chocolate Stout.
I think that is what it is.... I just do not get the same kind of flavor from FIS, Narwahl, Ten Fidy or old raspy... I know their is no actual chocolate used in the brewing process of BBCS so I just wanted to make sure as it struck me as a little odd for the style... But as I stated before, I actually think that the way my palate picked it up made it very unique and enjoyable... It is my first go around with this beer so I have atleast 3 more in the fridge to go! Will report back.
I had one last night from 2010 and it was good! Has a port wine character to it, that may give it the tang you are talking about. I may be biased, as this and old raspy are my two favorite imperial stouts.
I really enjoy it much better with a year or two on it. I find the fresh to be just a bit harsh. Just my .02.
BBCS is one of my favorite beers. Here are my thoughts, take them for what they're worth: I prefer fresh over aged. The reason I prefer fresh is that I find it to have a bit of a "wet paint" aroma and flavor to it that I absolutely love. Those who prefer this beer aged probably do not like this particular characteristic as much as I do, and it most certainly "fades out" over time. While I would not characterize this flavor as sour, it is a flavor that I have found present in sour beers before, so perhaps your mind is making the correlation between the comparable flavors. Regardless, think about that next time you try one. Maybe you won't get the same flavors as you did the first time, maybe you'll like it more. If you decide it isn't your thing, you can always stick the two remaining bottles in your cellar and revisit down the road. Cheers!
Ya, I decided to champ it up tonight and have another... I went in expecting this type of flavor and I did not notice it nearly as much, it is just a very unique malt profile
Depends on which type of sour you mean, puckering or that general sourness that most beers, particularly darker lagers, leave in your mouth. My guess is that if you enjoyed it then it wasn't infected. That beer is unique to the style because it's so damn easy on the mouth.
Yes, about the unique malt profile- there is a malted milk/chocolate pudding quality underlying that beer. It's a 'first runnings' mash- meaning that they only use the strong initial runoff of the mash to get the high gravity they need, instead of sparging (rinsing the grain bed) and a long boil to concentrate the wort. That long boil will also caramelize the sugars, so using first runnings gives a more pure malt flavor. Have it a few more times and I bet you come to love it .
In regards to different vintages, not sure about you guys but anything with more than a few years on it has been a soy bomb. That said, I've never had anything brewed by FX Matt that ages well.
This is a beer with one of the most distinct differences (for the better) between a fresh bottle and one that has been aged. Edit: meaning I prefer aged.
Great brew. I get a few 4 packs and drink at least one to celebrate the arrival and then I age the rest for a year but not longer than 2 years. Aged is much better. My advice to you is got get more and age them. Don't drik til christmasand then see if you taste anything sour.
Yes it absolutely does to me, not in a bad infected way at all, from my review: Smell - Roasted malts, dark chocolate, slight licorice and whiff of coffee grounds. Taste - Much like the nose, begins roasted malts, under-ripe dark fruits, plumskins, slight black licorice, black coffee, finishes with roasted coffee grounds, sour dark fruit skins, roasted rye bread crusts, and semi-sweet dark chocolate. Good complexity and balance, slight alcohol presence in the finish.
I really wish I would have aged a couple of these. The late bitterness hangs around a little too long for my liking, which I think would have faded out with 6 months to 1 year on it. It was a middle of the pack stout for me this year.
Then you should age some. No reason not to start unless you have a terminal illness - God forbid. The years will continue to fly by. I started aging this beer when it apeared locally on the shelves. Currently I have 2008 through 2012.
Next week we are doing a vertical tasting of this going back to 2005. I will provide you with a full rundown after that.
this is normal. had this beer since 2010 i enjoy the sour. i call it vinous character, though i dont know if thats the correct term? great beer, one of the best values in the industry.
