I love dark beers. Whether a stout or a porter, the darker the better. On a recent trip to Jungle Jims, the greatest grocery store on the planet, I grabbed a bunch of different beers. They have a huge selection of beers by the bottle and picked some stouts, some porter, an IPA or two, and a handful of lagers. One of the beers I picked up was a bottle of the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Anytime you mix beer and chocolate, you are in for a treat.
This beer comes from the Brooklyn Brewery located in, you guesses it, Brooklyn, New York. The brewery is quite new, having only opened in 1987. But their beers are good, and have made quite a bit of noise in the market.
The brewery was started by former associated press correspondent Steve Hindy. He began this venture with former Chemical Ban lending officer Tom Potter and they were off. What makes these two guys so special is their difference in beer making and their experience when it comes to the process of making a brew. Steve, working for the AP, has seen how beers are make in Saudi Arabia and Syria, as well as many other countries in the middle east. However Tom had little experience making beer learning from his neighbor how to make his first batch.
Part of the reason their beers are so high in price is their alcohol content, but also the limited quantities of these beers. They have such a small operation, and its hard to find these beers outside of the east coast. They charge more because they are forced to make more beer and end up with less than expected due to their sizeable operation. But by the time you grab one of these you don’t care what it cost.
Coming out of the Bottle
This beer pours thick. It’s a heavy, quite dense beer that offers the drinker something to get exited about. Once it hits the glass, there is literally no head what so ever. The makers of this beer put more attention into the ingredients behind their brew than the small things that most look for in a brew. This brew maker also has a long line of beers that are easy to find and cheap to buy. But this beer is sold in four packs as it packs higher alcohol content and is much thicker than your average beer.
Let the Beer Hit the Nose
When they say chocolate I am sold. The nose doesn’t lie. That is just what it smells like. Imagine taking a chocolate bar, melting it over an open flame, and addend some booze! It smells thick too and appears to be engine oil sitting in the glass. The beer becomes an almost experience before you even taste it.
Hits your Lips
The beer is not as thick as it seems coming out of the bottle or sitting stable in the glass. The first taste you get is dry and sweetness on the back of your tongue. But then you get a poppy almost soda pop flavor that sticks to the center of your palate. By the time the beer is gone you can understand where that 10% ABV comes from.
The aftertaste sticks around too. Its nice to see a beer that has such a high ABV, comes across the tongue like a stout should, but then leave that sweet molasses flavor in your mouth for what seems like days. This is not a beer you chug either. Enjoy this. It will be gone before you know it and you will want another one as soon as you suck the last drop from the glass.
Beer: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Location: Brooklyn, New York
ABV: 10%
