It just looks so fucking good.

The Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is a fine example of American ingenuity and innovation—the same kind of creative efficiency that Obama made the theme of his State of the Union speech last week. It was a kind of motivational pep rally speech meant to make Americans excited about entrepreneurship and exporting the best of the best to other countries so we can get out of this castrating debt.

 

Well, the Black Chocolate Stout is good enough that God should damn it. Way too easy to drink for what the stout is: a %10 abv imperial stout with six varieties of black, chocolate, and roasted malts—all American two-row malts. A thing I wasn’t aware of, two-row malts from North American malted barley differ from their European counterparts, according to the Brewer’s Market Guide. Brooklyn used American Fuggle and Willamette hops. According to Freshops, the Fuggle hops adds wood and fruit tones, while the Willamette adds flower, fruit, earth and spice. Mix in some chocolate, and that actually seems about right. Fruit, dirt and wood go together well enough, and I know from experiences with trying to describe how a heavy, spicy red wine tastes, that those adjectives can work.

As always, keep in mind that people pick out different things in what they drink. I couldn’t pick out fruit tones in the Stout under any circumstances.

What I like about the Chocolate Stout is the force it exerts on a person—a 10 lb claw hammer of beer. Funny thing is it used to come in six-packs, and though I’m not sure why it now comes in packs of four, I have to assume it was because people would get through three or four and suddenly realize that they had really drunk the equivalent of six or eight beers. Getting through a six-pack, which I’ve seen more than one person do (and one person do several times), is more like drinking a 12-pack. And that always sends a person on a lethargic spiral into lurching, and spouting dark puke.

On this night, the first hints of this beautiful beer inspires pre-pubescent resuscitations of intense feelings that I would normally have long ago when discovering something amazing in my grasp that excited me so much it removed all sense from me.

I don’t think anyone could argue that this beer has a range of chocolaty tones, but nothing that would make a person want to lick the air for the last remaining scents floating around. I happen to think that’s good because strong beers just overwork the mouth and end up tiring a person’s ability to taste the beer. A quick waft of the beer and a sip is enjoyable enough, while a full gulp is almost too much.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

Availability: October through March. I’ve noticed that many stores have had it in the past, but it may be something you’ll have to order.

Appearance: Black as the bowels of a cave.

Aroma: Chocolate through and through.

Taste: Chocolate and Malty. The hops were slightly apparent on most sips, but not overbearing at all. There is very little bitterness in this beer, and despite it being an imperial stout, it has the kind of silkiness (for lack of a better way to describe it) that Irish stouts often have.

This beer will make you a better person.

-Joshua L Durkin