Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

After Beer Crusade noted the lack of stout reviews, I decided to address the problem head on. Honestly, I'm glad that I did.

The Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is one of the best stouts that I've ever had. And they are quite serious about the blackness - this beer is totally dark, with no light coming through. This one pours into the glass like a cup of syrup. There is a very light aroma of bitter chocolate along with a whiff of alcohol.

The taste is terrific! Mildly bitter from the roasted malts, the flavor is mostly chocolate and coffee. There is a bit of heat from the alcohol, but not too bad. Brooklyn's website suggests that this beer would go well with chocolate desserts, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to try that combination. With an ABV of 10.1%, this beer is probably best described as "potent".

Rating = 4.0

Officially, this is an Imperial Stout, which is basically a stout with high ABV and strong malt flavors. This one fits the style very nicely.