Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is an imperial-style stout from Brooklyn Brewery in New York, bottled at 10.0% ABV. The name points to its profile: dark roasted malts, with chocolate, espresso and roasted-grain flavors, and a full body that finishes warm. Stouts at this strength usually have a thick, slow-moving texture and a low-to-moderate hop presence. The bitterness tends to come from the roast rather than from hops, closer to unsweetened cocoa or dark coffee than to citrus or pine. Expect some residual sweetness to balance that roast, and expect the alcohol to show up as warmth in the finish rather than as sharpness. The brewery typically releases it in the colder months. At 10% this is a beer to pour in small measures. Serve it cellar-cool, around 50 to 55°F (10 to 13°C). Straight from a refrigerator, around 38°F, the chocolate and roast flavors close up and the body feels thinner and more bitter. Let the bottle sit out for 15 to 20 minutes after chilling, then keep tasting as it warms in the glass, because the sweetness and dark-fruit notes in strong stouts tend to open up as the temperature rises. The best glass is a snifter, a tulip or a stemmed teku-style glass. Their narrow openings hold the roasted, cocoa-like aromas, and the bowl lets you swirl gently and warm the beer with your hand. A standard shaker pint works, but it lets the aroma escape quickly. A pour of 6 to 8 ounces is plenty for a beer this dense, and it makes a bottle easy to share between two or three people. For food, the roast and sweetness suit desserts that are not too sugary: flourless chocolate cake, brownies, dark chocolate truffles, or vanilla ice cream with a small pour of the stout over it as a float. On the savory side, the roasted character works with grilled or braised red meat, smoked brisket, and mushroom dishes. Aged cheeses such as sharp cheddar, gouda or blue also hold up, since the stout's sweetness offsets their salt and sharpness. Because the beer is strong and rich, keep the food either simple or equally intense, so neither one covers the other.