December 1st, 2016
31 Beers of December – Day 1 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
@BrooklynBrewery @thirstynobeard @2beerguys
To celebrate the Holiday Season, we have teamed up with beer bloggers and craft beer enthusiasts around the country to host the sixth annual beer advent calendar. This is the season of sharing and we intend to share our love of beer with you. We can’t believe it’s been 6 years already!
During the 31 days of December, we will be sharing our favorite regional/winter seasonals/holiday beers with the help from our fellow beer enthusiasts. We hope that you tune in every day, to hear our stories and share our holiday cheer.
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Blogger: Ryan Jansen
Website: 2 Beer Guys ; 2beerguys.com
Twitter / Facebook / Instagram: @thirstynobeard / 2BeerGuys Facebook / http://instagram.com/ryanjansen
About Ryan: I’m a blogger, husband, & father who makes ends meet the same way Homer Simpson did. Did I mention I like to drink good beer?
Beer: Black Chocolate Stout
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery – Brooklyn, NY
Website: http://brooklynbrewery.com
Twitter: @BrooklynBrewery
Beer Details:
-Style: Russian Imperial Stout
-ABV: 10%
-IBU: Doesn’t matter
Commercial Description:
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 three distinct mashes. 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.
Given this beer’s higher ABV and sturdy character, we think it’s a prime candidate for cellaring. Find a cool, dry spot away from light sources, and see how it changes in the years to come. You never quite know what will happen when you age a beer: perhaps the body will smooth out, notes of vanilla, oak, and tannins will come to the front, or hints of leather and soy sauce will make themselves known. No matter what, remember that beer is meant for drinking, so don’t keep it to yourself for too long.
Why I selected Black Chocolate Stout:
I’m sitting here blogging on the last night of November sipping my Black Chocolate Stout wondering what have I got myself into? I have a love-hate relationship with blogging, I love the idea of it but I’m such a perfectionist that I don’t do it often because I think what I write is junk….
And then comes 31 Beers of December, the brainchild of Sean 6 years ago, I love the opportunity to write a short blog about a winter beer because there is an established framework. Hopefully, this will spur me on to write more.
Surprisingly unless I’m wrong (which is un-possible) no one has reviewed Black Chocolate Stout in the first 5 years of our 31 Beers of December. On to the beer, the 2Beerguys family has had a long relationship with Black Chocolate Stout. I can remember going to Ian’s house in the early days of the blog and our beer reviews and trying all of these beers we had never had before but found on a shelf somewhere. There were many warm nights, there were many cold nights but I can’t ever remember an early night. Sometime in December of 2006 we got our hands on a 6 pack of Black Chocolate Stout. Once we reviewed the beer we all agreed that we loved it and then Ian found a recipe for stout cake with a stout frosting that he made with the Black Chocolate Stout. My mouth is just watering from the memories. So in short, I chose this beer because of nostalgia but when I uncapped this bottle I quickly remembered that I should have chosen it because of the flavor and the quality.
About the 2Beerguys.com:
Founded in 2006, 2Beerguys.com has been devoted to spreading their passion of the craft beer world. Originating primarily as craft beer reviewers, they have molded their organization into premier craft beer educators and ambassadors for craft beer industry. Their passion has taken them on the wild ride of home brewing and beer education. 2Beerguys.com believes that you deserve a good beer, visit http://www.2beerguys.com for more information.
About Brooklyn Brewery:
Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1987 by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter. Originally contract brewed at Matt Brewing Company, Garrett Oliver was brought on as the brewmaster and helped to design their Williamsburg brewhouse. The brewery is planning on building a brewery in Staten Island in order to increase production.
For more information, please visit: http://www.BrooklynBrewery.com/