“This is the famous Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. In the 18th century, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, ordered a stout to be sent to her from England. This beer was brewed strong and hoppy to survive the sea voyage, and it arrived in perfect condition. Soon “Russian Imperial Stout” became the toast of the Russian aristocracy. Brewed since 1994, our Black Chocolate Stout has itself become a modern classic, heralded the world over. It achieves its dark chocolate aroma and flavor through the artful blending of six malts and months of aging. Properly kept, it will improve in the bottle for many years. This stout is the toast of the winter season in many countries, and there is nothing better to enjoy with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, ice cream, fine cheeses and roaring fireplaces.”
Served in to a beer tulip. The impenetrable black appearance is crowned by a dense two finger tanned head that displays excellent retention, eventually collapsing in on the sides to form a kind of egg shape with a sheet of lacing being omitted. A lovely, rich aroma is teeming with luscious dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tobacco, licorice and a certain frothy/lactose sweetness. May we say, very easy on the nose. In the mouth it’s thick and creamy with a solid weight bedding down on the tongue. Full bodied. Mildly carbonated. The first sip yields a brilliant balance between rich chocolate, malt sweetness and molasses. While all this is happening a firm alcohol warmth really fires up the engines. As it presses on through the mid a delicious suggestion of cocoa develops, leading on to the slightly roasted, bitter finish. We can’t ignore that opulent dark chocolate that’s lingering on the back palate either. Delicious! At 10% ABV the sting of the alcohol doesnt try to disguise itself, although it does kind of falter out as the flavour profile progresses. There really is a lot to like about this stout. Rich, full bodied, well roasted and highly palatable. Top shelf stuff.