United Nations of Beer

Black Chocolate stout

by Matt Morgan
(Beer Delegate, IL, USA)

Black Chocolate stout
Brooklyn Brewery, NY, USA

Stout season is here. Coffee, Toffee, Chocolate, Cherry, the list goes on and on of contortions to the old stout brew.

I've had many a stout beer and it is probably my favorite style for this time of year, as much as Weiss beer is my summer favorite. Stout beer, being robust as it is, lends itself well to other flavor infusions; it's the pack-mule of beer.

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate stout is definitely in the top five of all time memorable stouts.

Brewmaster Garrett Oliver has made large footprints in the land of beer. The austere artisan brewer and author has crafted a masterpiece in this stout.

It pours opaque and velvety with a chocolate nougat color to the head, which takes its time thinning and yields a rich dark chocolate-nutty aroma.

There is some bitterness on the aftertaste which tames the rich flavor going down. It's a big beer, plenty filling and is a whopping 10% abv.

My pour for the pic was a bit zealous, it doesn't normally yield that much foam... it's emphatic.

Not a recommended session beer at $12 for a six pack, but if you figure you'd spend at least $30 for the same six beers at the bar (plus 20%, thank you tip wizard), then it's a bargain.

This delicious Brooklyn Brewery stout is definitely worth picking up and will fill my glass many more times before next spring.