Brooklyn Brewery: Black Chocolate Stout

It's 82 degrees outside. This isn't really proper "stout" weather. But I'm moving out tomorrow, so all beer must be disposed of, and there's no way in hell I'm giving away the last bottle that's hiding in the back of my fridge, so here's one last east coast post: Brooklyn Brewery's Chocolate Stout.

The stout pours out an almost entirely opaque black with a touch of redness around the edges, and minimal head. The taste is predominantly chocolate-smoky malts. It starts off very very sweet, though it's really more of a straight up malt flavor than chocolate. The hops aren't very strong in this one, but there is enough there to balance out the sweetness as the beer rolls off your tongue.

Overall a solid brew, but not my favorite stout. It's a bit sweeter than I'd like, and the aftertaste lingers too long. On the plus side, Brooklyn has managed to mask the 10.6% ABV pretty well, so you get a pleasant buzz without the accompanying taste of an alcohol kick. Probably best for those who like big malt flavors and don't mind a sweet aftertaste.

Brooklyn Brewery: Brown Ale

I usually go for really hoppy beers: Pales, IPAs, Czech Pilsners. But for whatever reason Brooklyn Brown is my new ale-of-the-moment.

Beers are usually described as either "hoppy" or "malty." If you want to know what malty tastes like, grab a Brooklyn. It has a smooth flavor that rolls over your tongue with caramel and nutty elements. It's also much more satisfying than Newcastle Brown Ale (the first other brown ale to come to mind), having a much fuller and bolder flavor. In fact, Brooklyn is so bold and dark for a brown ale that at first you might mistake the taste for that of a porter. But the taste is much smoother, and in my opinion, much more satisfying.

I owe Rojas credit for introducing this beer to me, and I suspect that as fall wears on in New England and temperatures begin to fall it will become more and more appealing for him (as well as I). It's definitely more of a wintery ale (it's Pyramid analogue would be Snowcap, though Snowcap is much stronger and much less smooth.)

The benefit of a beer as full bodied and full flavored as Brooklyn is that you can serve it right along just about any sort of food without worrying that you'll miss some of the flavors. Go ahead and serve it up alongside the boldest steak, burger, or burrito you can find.