Beer Review: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

On a recent Saturday night, I stopped by my local liquor store on the way to a friend's house to grab us some beer. We're kind of beer snobs, and love trying new or interesting looking craft brews. On this particular night, I was in the mood for something dark and heavy, like a stout or a porter.

The beer that caught my eye was the Black Chocolate Stout from the Brooklyn Brewing Company in Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn Brewery puts out a number of excellent beers, so I was excited to try this one. The beer came as a 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles.

I cracked a couple beers and poured them into pint glasses. The beer poured slow and thick with a thick, foamy, tan colored head that stayed atop the beer for much longer than average.

I picked up my glass and took a whiff. The beer had a strong alcohol smell, almost medicinal. It was only then that I grabbed the bottle and took a look at the alcohol content of the beer. It weighs in at a heady 10.1 % ABV, which explains the distinct smell and explains why the beer came in a 4-pack, not your regular 6-pack.

The beer had a nice mouth feel, with very little carbonation and a thick, heavy texture that was substantial but not overwhelming. It was smooth and creamy, just what I was looking for from a beer on a cold day.

The beer started with a nice chocolaty taste, and then quickly the sweet and nutty taste from the malts started to come through. It finished with a bit of spice and a strong final hit of alcohol. The alcohol taste was to be expected from a beer this strong, and while it was a strong flavor, I didn't find it distracting or overpowering. The beer left a slight twinge of alcohol and malty sweetness as an aftertaste, which I found prompted me to want another sip.

This beer, which contains both Williamette and American Fuggle hops, does not have much hop bitterness, which is keeping with my expectation for this type of beer. No IBU rating is printed on the bottle or on Brookyln's web site.

Overall, I found this beer to be a flavorful and strong sipping brew that was great for a cold day. I wouldn't suggest this as a session beer, as it's strong flavor and high ABV really made it a sipper, not a chugger, but it was very pleasant and I'd certainly buy it again given the opportunity.