Brooklyn Black Ops

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Brooklyn, New York USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle via MrBendo, drank to take away the soreness of my apparent insane leg workout yesterday because I don’t have any ibuprofen (or at least that was my plan...) Anyway, this beer pours elegantly colossal. Though the head settles to a few centimeters of dark chocolaty brown...it certainly starts mountainous. The beer underneath is like the darkest burnt brown you’ve ever seen, believe you me. Nose was predominately roasty, alcoholic, and curiously milky, with a lactic or maybe even oaky vinous twang in the background, but there’s certainly some sort of tartness there. There’s some chocolate milk notes, a little bourbon sweetness and vanilla, some husky grains...certainly not living up to the nose eluded to by some of the higher raters of this beer, however...but whatever. Flavors start soft and chocolaty, turn a little milky and lactic, semi-oaky, adding some booziness that I relate to the bourbon influence along the way, though it’s not really even coherent enough to come across as bourbon, maybe just the generic "booze" effect...The mouthfeel is seriously lacking here, in my opinion...it comes across as rather watery, actually...add to that the seemingly disjointed occasional hotness, or rather that uncomfortable side flavor of cheap booze and it adds up to be quite dissatisfying, really. Its like a watery stout with a liquor like burp essence and chocolate flavors that have nothing to hold on to, The bourbon flavors are pretty much missing in action, and it’s got a phlemgy finish with lactic, milky chalk dust. I do have a buzz though.

2012 Bottle from Wegman’s Collegeville. Thanks to Kevin Wilk for telling me. Pours black with slight head that fades. nose is black malt, fruity ketones including plums and figs, with some coffee and too boozy at the end of the nose. first sip is huge brown malty flavor but a little thin. flavors of irish whiskey and bourbon with a slight oaky overtone: finish is grade school chocolzte milk and seltzer. I had a bottle of this with about 3 years on it and it sucked. This is pretty good fresh.

Pours black with a thick brown head. Bold roasted aroma with dark chocolate, nuts, espresso, hint of bourbon. Silky smooth body. Flavors of dark fruit entertain the palate at first and then moves to a more bitter flavor with chocolate and coffee. Finish is an touch boozy and bitter-sweet. Very pricey bottle, but a damn fine beer.

Tried at Josie Bones Beer Lunch. Black body with dark brown head. Notice the use of the bourbon aging making this Imperial Stout seem a bit boozy but pleasantly so. Notes of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and bourbon.

Serving: 750 ml. bottle from Whole Foods Reston. It pours an inky black with a thick, dark brown head. The nose is a mix of bourbon, mocha, and dark dried fruit. The flavor is more mellowed and balanced than I thought it would be and that’s a good thing. The bourbon is there but on the lighter side. It plays well with notes of dark chocolate, dried dark cherries, and very light espresso notes. Full bodied and rich with soft carbonation and a warm, lasting finish. Nice brew.

2010 vintage drank in April 2012. The beer pours a deep, inky black color with a tan head. The aroma is very complex. I get a ton of chocolate, bourbon and raisins, as well as some roasted malt notes. The flavor is just as great, with some additional notes. The bourbon is front and center, with some chocolate, dark fruit, raisins and alcohol thrown in. As the beer gets a little warmer, I get some oak, vanilla and maple notes. The beer is fairly sweet and boozy, but it is still very easy to drink. Thick, full mouthfeel and low carbonation. Glad I got to try this one.

Awesome and useful caramel notes given from the bourbon barrel aging, almost minty aroma, with a fantastically dark pour, caramel can tend to overpower the rest of the beer, but overall very delicious and highly recommended .

Pours black with a dark brown head that fades. Aroma is very sweet,notes of vanilla bourbon and oak, not really any chocolate or coffe notes. Taste is also quite sweet, rich, as others have stated, its kind of like a flat jack and coke, I was expecting more from this, but its not bad.

Shared by Mike12da. Huge bourbon vanilla nose with cola. Wat too much gas on this one, and it’s pretty thin too. Bourbon takes over the flavor, with a berry-like tanginess. No roastiness at all. Actually not much like a stout at all, just a Jack-and-Coke. Pretty disappointing.

Nearly black with very little head. Modest nose of chocolate, bourbon, caramel, booze, confectioners sugar. Body is thinner than I would have expected for the style. Carbonation seems misplaced. Tastes of cola, chocolate, bourbon, cherries...much more watery than it should be. Generally underwhelming.

750 ml corked bottle, at a tasting with Garrett Oliver. ABV is 11.3%. Black colour, brown head. Aroma of oak, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, hints of fusel alcohols. Lovely smooth flavour, vanilla, chocolate and bourbon. Very enjoyable.