Overall: 3.5 out of 5 steins
Good for people who like: Barleywine, Stout, Belgian Quadruple
Goes well with: Dark chocolate or a dessert unto itself
Stats: 10% abv
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Bought it at: Sam's Quik Shop
I often find that when beers reach the 10% abv threshold, the alcohol overpowers the other flavors in the beer. This one is no exception. Don't get me wrong, the chocolate flavors are nice and strong. But from nose to finish, you notice the alcohol and that isn't what I'm looking for in a beer. With that said, this is a good choice if you're looking for something new to try in the strong and dark malty category. A quality bitterness balances all the malt. However for the price, and considering the other brews I've had from Brooklyn, I was left unimpressed. This beer is definitely worth a try if it's there, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go get it.
For the record, when the label claims "six varieties of black, chocolate and roasted malts" you should be skeptical. The dark malts are very intense and I'm not convinced that the average craft brew drinker can pick up the differences imparted by all those different malts. What's the real difference between 3, 4, 5, 6 dark malts? We'll all just have to drink more beers and see...
BEER QUOTE
ReplyDelete“I fear the man who drinks water and so remembers this morning what the rest of us said last night.”
—GREEK PROVERB
Interesting review, especially with the bit about the alcohol content. Would be curious to hear how this compares with Young's and Rogue's chocolate stout.
ReplyDeleteMore than that though, I would humbly request a review of Allagash Black and a comparison with this. They seem to be very similar.
I bought a six pack of this back in November of 2007 (when it was sold in six packs). At this point, I still have two bottles left, and it keeps getting better. Even after a year, most of the negative things about this beer are almost gone - the alcohol 'burn' pretty much disappears allowing the full complexity of the beer to come through (not that I can distinguish between the six different dark malts). I'm looking forward to drinking the two bottles I have left, although it will be very hard to crack those open...
ReplyDeleteHickster- I will pick up the Allagash Black next time I'm at Sam's. Young's definitely has a much stronger chocolate flavor and is kind of sweet. Also way less alcohol. I'll have to find Rogue's chocolate stout.
ReplyDeleteMatt- Very interesting, and a great point. I'm sure this beer gets better with age. I'm very impressed that you have kept 2 bottles this long. What's it gonna take to get a sip of one when you crack it open?