Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Brooklyn Brewing Company
Brooklyn, New York, USA
By Oiznop
Being the baseball junkie that I am, I have always had a fondness for the nostalgia of the grand old American game. From the Murderer’s Row New York Yankees of the 1920s and 30s, to the Miracle Mets of 1969, to the Bill Mazeroski home run to win the 1960 World Series for the Pirates, to the bums of Brooklyn, otherwise known as the Dodgers. Brooklyn, New York has had a fascinating baseball history. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers always seemed to be the poster child of abuse at the hands of their cross-town World Series rivals, the Yankees. That is at least until 1955 when the Dodgers finally got the best of the Bronx Bombers and won the coveted championship that October.
Alas, the Dodgers left the hallowed grounds of Ebbets Field for the sunshine of Chavez Ravine in the late 1950’s, and Brooklyn, New York was without it’s beloved bums. As a result, the landmark house that Jackie Robinson built met the wrecking ball, leaving the fans of Brooklyn with only memories. Since that time, however, much has happened in Brooklyn. For beer drinkers, the birth of the Brooklyn Brewery, purveyors of many a fine suds like beverage, comes to mind. One of the Brooklyn Brewery’s signature drinks is its version of an imperial stout called Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Not exactly a replacement for the Dodgers, but when it comes to consuming a satisfying brew while waiting for baseball season to begin, this one is worth trying.
The Brooklyn Brewery had humble beginnings. In 1984, Associated Press correspondent Steve Hindy returned from a six-year tour in the Middle East and settled in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood. While overseas, Hindy had caught the home brewing bug from diplomats stuck in Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where alcoholic beverages were forbidden. (That had to be torture! Trust me, if I were in any of those backward countries for an extended period of time, I’d be climbing the walls for a brew, too!). With his downstairs neighbor, Tom Potter, a former lending officer at Chemical Bank, Hindy quit his job and founded the Brooklyn Brewery. After hiring brew masters Bill Moeller, and later, Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery was officially opened in 1996. To his credit, Oliver became single handedly known for developing many a Brooklyn beer creation, including the Black Chocolate Stout.
Brooklyn BCS resembles the imperial stout beer style, but kicks it up several notches. This is one stout that can literally be compared to a hunk of decedent chocolate cake. Quite frankly, Black Chocolate might be the richest, thickest and darkest stout you’ll ever taste in your beer-drinking endeavors. The head is a nice sudsy brown that has decent staying power before melting. The body has a deep rich thick black hue. Aromas of mocha, chocolate, cocoa, molasses and malt rise to the nostrils. Tastes of very bold chocolate and coffee are all over the tongue, with a noticeable tobacco earthiness coming out in the finish. A lovely warming effect on the taste buds is also detectable.
According to the Brooklyn Brewery web site, the way Oliver and his brewers create this confectionary quaffable is by using three mashes to brew each batch of beer, achieving a luscious deep dark chocolate flavor through a blend of specially roasted malts. Served in a snifter glass, Black Chocolate Stout is an excellent companion with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, fruit tarts, and ice cream. It is also a very good accompaniment to strong cheeses, and that after dinner cigar.
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is brewed every year for the winter season, so the timing of this article is way off the calendar, however it is highly recommended that the beer connoisseur find an aged bottle of this award winning dark elixir. Who knows, left over bottles may still be available at your favorite specialty beer establishment, so keep your eyes open, even as the temperature outside rises. Like the world-famous bridge that links Brooklyn with Manhattan, the Brooklyn Brewery has become synonymous with New York City (beer) culture. And unlike the old Dodgers of yesteryear, Brooklyn BCS and the brewery’s other drinking delights will not be relocating anytime soon.
