Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout (UK) Review
Brooklyn Brewery
Notes
So…not sure what happened with this one…was it the one who got away, Katy?
I’ve seen Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout at Tesco for at least a year, and I’ve come across it several times in the US too. For one reason or another, I never got around to trying it…or did I? Weird…
Anyway, fast forward to today, when I grabbed two cans at Tesco to complement two others for the 4‑for‑3 promo and chucked one in the fridge.
A couple of things immediately caught my eye. This one is brewed in Sweden by Brooklyn Stockholm, a joint venture between Brooklyn Brewery and Carlsberg, and unlike its American half‑brother, it comes in at 8.4% ABV. The US version sits at 10%… does that make it better? Worse? I guess I’ll have to find out.
On to the findings then…
I took it out of the fridge and let it warm up to around 12°C before cracking it open. It says Imperial Stout on the label and smells like one. No weird aromas, no warning signs. It pours with a nice medium carbonation that took almost two minutes to settle down.
Foreword: I like strong coffee. Espresso. Ristretto. No sugar.
My first sip was something along the lines of: “Shiiiit, this is bitter… OK, let’s have another sip…”
Believe me, this one has COFFEE. Lots of coffee flavour. And yet, the chocolate and coffee notes come entirely from roasted malts — no adjuncts, no gimmicks — and you can taste that honesty in the glass.
The mouthfeel is spot on too. Neither watery nor dessert‑syrupy. It’s that sweet spot that leaves smear marks on the glass and your lips slightly sticky.
Something new I’m experimenting with: I let this one warm up a bit more than usual to see how it changed. For me, 12-14°C seems to be the sweet spot before it starts feeling a little too heavy. Not alcoholic heavy, just “something isn’t quite right” heavy.
Overall, a very nice beer if you’re into mega-bitter Russian Imperial Stouts. It didn’t blow my mind, but it was a pleasant surprise. It’s also very easy to find if you have a Tesco nearby and priced very competitively.