Name – Brooklyn Black Ops
Country – United States
Type – Russian Imperial Stout
Appearance – Pours an ink black color with a big light brown head.
Smell – Bourbon dominates the nose. Almost burns the nostrils. Some oak and dark malts can be easily picked up as well.
Taste – You get that bourbon taste at the front then it goes into a smooth chocolately malt flavor with a bit of coffee and a bit of oak. It then finishes with that bourbon sting. Gave me the hard liquor shiver.
I knew going in this was aged in bourbon barrels but I really did not expect it to be so highly noticeable in the smell and taste. For the pure imperial stout qualities this is very good. I am not a big liquor drinker let alone bourbon so that part kind of turned me off a bit. I know many view this as an end all be all of RIS. It is good but not the thing I am looking for really in one. It will probably get better with age as I believe it is recommended but for $20 a pop I didn’t want to grab two bottles without knowing what it tasted like first. I think if it was just aged on oak and not necessarily on bourbon used oak I would have probably gone crazy for this.
Overall Grade – B+
14 Comments
Yeah, this is an intense one! I’d be curious to taste a bottle from last year or the year before…this is serious stuff!
January 7, 2010 at 10:10 amI too would be interested how it tastes with some age on it. But I doubt there will be any bottles left at the store next week when I get paid. haha
January 7, 2010 at 11:00 amI’m hoping Scott from the Brew Club can score some of this for me. I’ve been waiting to try it for more than a year.
January 7, 2010 at 1:44 pmI’m a little jealous Mike. I can’t get this here. I think I will do a trade with my brother for a bottle of Russian River Temptation that I can get here. But what’s not to like? You got Beer and Whiskey in one bottle! Sounds like a match made in Heaven!
January 8, 2010 at 11:23 amThis sounds right up my alley, Mike. Recently, a whiskey lush (my brother Don) has helped me develop a taste for bourbon, which I always thought was gross. Now I find myself with a glass of Dale’s Pale Ale and a tumbler of Knob Creek on the rocks more often than I ever thought possible.
Anyway, your review makes me think I’d really enjoy this one, and I’ll definately check it out (and grab another for my brother).
Besides, having the Bert and bourbon both in a single drink is good for the environment, as it makes it so I only need one glass vessel to make it through the evening. Now that’s what I call being Green!
January 8, 2010 at 12:05 pmNot Bert, beer! Stoopid iPhone!
January 8, 2010 at 12:06 pmhaha I would expect you guys to enjoy it. It doesn’t say Whiskey in your name for nothing! 🙂
January 8, 2010 at 2:42 pmLook @ Micheal calling me out! Well, I’m happy to say I did find bottles of it in several places whereas last year it was nearly impossible for me to find. Needless to say, the pressure is off! 😉 Now, do I actually send it to him?
Sounds like an interesting beer. Micheal had graciously sent some Goose Island Bourbon County Stout for me to try – is Black Ops similar to that?
January 10, 2010 at 1:24 pmI do not know if Goose Island Bourbon County Stout is similar. We do not get them distributed down here. But I have heard many people say good things about it.
January 10, 2010 at 1:31 pmWhere in Broward County can I get this? I had my first taste Sat. nite and would really like to surprise my mates for some tailgating for Drive By Truckers. Help!
January 19, 2011 at 1:49 pm@Craig I would start with the Total Wines. There is one in Lauderdale and one in Pembroke Pines. Also the Crown Liquors on Sunrise near US 1 (not the old looking one at Powerline) typically has a good selection. All else fails maybe World of Beer. It will be probably more expensive there if they have it but they do sell take out.
January 19, 2011 at 2:54 pmThanks Mike,I have tried all of those places and more and sadly the cupboard is bare.
January 19, 2011 at 5:54 pmDoes this come out in the first week of January usually?
I’m not terribly sure what the exact date of release normally is. But I think I remember it being generally around the beginning of the year.
January 20, 2011 at 8:07 amI have marked my calendar to get ready for next year.
January 22, 2011 at 7:36 pmThanks.