Brooklyn Black Ops

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

Bottle pour sampled from a plastic boot. Dark chocolate nose that turns to bourbon and oak as the beer settles. Speaking of settling, the carbonation from the enormous brown head falls as if from a nitrogen draft pour. The color is pitch black. Beautiful! It tastes of bourbon and charred oak with faint dark chocolate hints, a bit of a vanilla and currant finish. Very oaky, moderately bourbony. Alcohol is well concealed. Quite nice and tastefully done.

Shared this bottle with my Dad on Christmas Eve. Great times! Aged about 10 months after purchase. Pours thick and black with an impressive brown head. Nice aroma, not overly strong, but a pleasant scent consisting of bourbon, oak, pine and caramel. This is very smooth and drinks surprisingly a little thin. Big bourbon flavors with some coffee roast, a touch of molasses and dark fruit with mild bitterness in the finish. A good beer. Pretty easy to drink for a 10+% bourbon aged Stout.

Bottle. Pours pitch black with a creamy dark brown head. Big aroma and flavour of roasted malt, vanilla, oak, chocolate and bourbon which is well evident throughout the beer. Smooth mouthfeel. A warmth from the alcohol, although could well be from the bourbon character which shows right through to the finish. Extremely well balanced. There’s hints of peppery aftertones. What a beer!...is what I’d say if I got the chance to try it but it doesn’t really exist...so forget everything I said. (RateBeer Sydney Xmas Gathering 2009 - cheers Oslo!)

Pitch black color, dark brown head. Bourbon and brownies dominate the nose. The mouth is filled with dark goodness, bourbon, dark chocolate, brownies, big bitterness. The bourbon is not as pronounced as with many barrel aged beers, but over all I found balanced and great depth. I personally prefer a bit more bourbon, but this is a great beer nonetheless.

2008 - aged 1 year. Pours black into a snifter. Mocha head with good retention recedes to hug rim. Bourbon and chocolate aromas. Deep chocolate and espresso upfront turning nicely hot bourbon in the lasting finish.

Dark brown pour with creamy tan head and lace. Aroma of licorice, boozy abv, chocolate. A chocolate, abv, flavor with a medium bitter finish. Medium bodied with good carbonation. A very nice beer just a bit off for me.

Pitch black with a small beige head that dissipates after a while. The smell is balanced and complex with pleasant notes of roasted malts and gentle bourbon notes up front. Some roasty acidity, dark chocolate, vanilla and a hint of dark fruits. The taste is also balanced with the bourbon notes well integrated with the rather powerful stout flavors. Nice roasted malts with slight coffee character, dark chocolate. A faint note of sweet dark fruits. Vanilla, oak barrels and some peppery spices. The bourbon accentuates towards the finish which has a roasted bitterness to it and a pleasant taste of alcohol. Surprisingly light body (medium rather than full). Plenty of carbonation. Semi-dry finish. A good beer. Not a bourbon monster. Instead, it’s quite well balanced and showcases a happy marriage between imperial stout flavors and subtle bourbon notes. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

75cl bottle thanks to bret27. Black with a small brown head. The aroma is fruity with dark chocolate, low roast, and a touch of bourbon barrel. The flavor is pretty dry with some dark chocolate, light bourbon and oak, and some roasty bitterness in the finish. Almost light on the body; certainly a drinkable barrel-aged imperial stout, but lacks much impact that I look for in that style sub-category. A pretty interesting beer that was a lot tamer than I expected, with a welcome dryness. I’ll definitely give it the nod over BCS, though it should get it at the price this went for.