Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

Posted on Dec 30, 2008 in beer reviews |

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Damn, this is a beer I wait all year to drink. Brewed in where else… but Brooklyn, New York by the Brooklyn Brewery. As usual with Russian Imperial Stouts, this one is a little on the kick your ass side, 10.6% ABV. This is one of my favorite styles of beer…

“Inspired by brewers back in the 1800′s to win over the Russian Czar, this is the king of stouts, boasting high alcohol by volumes and plenty of malt character. Low to moderate levels of carbonation with huge roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavours. Often dry. Suggestions of dark fruit and flavors of higher alcohols are quite evident. Hop character can vary from none, to balanced to aggressive.”¹

Appearance

Into a pint glass and poured heavy, I got a thick 1″ head. Super dark coffee colored beer is topped by a dark beige, fluffy head. The retention is there, but the head does drop slowly to ¼”. The best part, the lacing is coating the side of the glass. The bubbles are well-defined and tight.

Smell

Great googly-moogly. Smells of dark bitter chocolate like 85%. Coffee underneath. Very sweet caramels in there as well. The aroma fills my nose – getting stronger as the glass nears. Much like the Mendocino Special Imperial IPA.

Taste

Toasty, roasty good. Super chocolate flavor sits high in the saddle for the whole ride. The roasted malts make this a delicious beer.

Mouthfeel

Creamy and full bodied, this beer fills the mouth and washes over the tongue. The alcohol lingers after the beer is gone – a little sting to say “hi, I was just here.” The carbonation is very slight. That would be one thing I’d change… or at least be curious about. This beer is so good that I hesitate to question its creator.

Drinkability

Very smooth. If you weren’t aware, this beer could get you in a lot of trouble if you’re not paying attention. My first few samples of the beer were large, then I realized that I might want to pace myself.

Bottomline

Mmm mmm good. This beer is worth the wait every year. Get it the week its released and be amazed.

A-

Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Posted on Dec 21, 2008 in beer reviews |

2 comments

Post Road Pumpkin Ale comes from Boston Brewery. 5.00% ABV.

This last pumpkin ale poured out a rich, light copper color with almost no bubble trails. The bready looking head retains well leaving thick lacing behind. The smell is faint spice with the malt showing through. Nutmeg mostly. Some allspice but all of it is really muted.

The taste is surprising. This is one pumpkin ale that is more ale than pumpkin. I’m not sure what to make of that fact. It seems like something that could go either really well or end up as a cold glass of fail. They succeed for me.

Nicole finds the finish to be pleasantly spicy. Doesn’t coat the mouth in a bad way. The slight carbonation is refreshing but not overstated. Really drinkable beer.

Definately fares better than the Oktoberfest reviewed earlier…

Nicole liked it. I liked it. It isn’t as forward as the Screamin’ Pumpkin Spice Ale but that isn’t a bad thing. Two different beers, the same yet different.

B+

Brooklyn Oktoberfest Beer

Posted on Dec 21, 2008 in beer reviews |

0 comments

This is another brewery that I suppose instills a natural confidence in my mind. The Brooklyn Brewery is making an medicore Oktoberfest. 5.50 APV

Brooklyn Oktoberfest Pours out as a light caramel copper and the usual bready head that I’ve seen all night. The head drops within minutes and leaves a respectable lacing across the surface. Eventually, it retreats all together.

Smells of malt and bread. Not at all like other Märzens. Light on the nose and nothing at all like I’d except from the BBC. The scent is almost gone in 15 minutes. No smell what so ever…

I like the taste well enough. It has a dryness that make me think “good hops” but nothing that puckers the lips. But when you inhale as you drink, there is nothing there. With aroma being one half of flavor… this beer falls flat

The mouthfeel is a little weird though. The aftertaste makes you think there is a lot more alcohol that there really is… weird. not that pleasant. The carbonation is also a bit different than I’m used to drinking… more pronounced. buzzy on the lips is the best way I can describe it.

Decent taste but not really worth another try.. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. The grade is half taste, half disappointment.

C+