2012 Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 94.5 points

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  4/16/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points

  2001 Chardonnay Magnum Tasting (New Jersey): As usual, very rich and chocolatey with the bourbon notes on the finish. With age this was lightly charged with small bubbles. So rich, and great with the carrot cake. A real contrast while sitting by a fire!

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  2/1/2013 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points

  Extremely small-production imperial stout aged in ex-Bourbon barrels.
  
  Ridiculously black (545 EBC!) color with a big, persistent, cappuccino-colored head. Quite rich and moderately vinous, yet somewhat restrained nose with huge, oak driven character; aromas of spicy wood, Bourbon vanilla, some smoke, a little bit of maple syrup and a hint of chocolate malt. The beer smells more like an over-oaked new world red wine than anything beer-related. On the palate the beer is much more expressive than the subdued nose with powerful oaky and syrupy attack, followed by sweet Bourbon vanilla notes and nuanced flavors of nutmeg, milk chocolate, raw cocoa, mocha latte and roasted malt. Mainly oak flavors upon oak flavors, layer upon layer. The beer feels more vinous than any imperial stout before. Very creamy, supple mouthfeel with very low carbonation. Most of the malt flavors and practically all of the hop bitterness are overwhelmed by the powerful oak character - yet this beer is surprisingly enjoyable and balanced. After a while, faint aroma hop nuances of citrus fruits and flowers emerge underneath all that oak. The long, complex and layered finish shows no warmth despite the high alcohol (10,5%), but instead lots of dark-toned, heavily oaked flavors of sweet vanilla, maple syrup, Cuban cigar, some bitter wood notes, a little allspice and hints of barley wine caramel malt. The aftertaste just goes on forever.
  
  I'm not a big fan of powerful oak aromatics nor Bourbon (which is basically a spirit based on new oak aromatics), but this beer manages to be surprisingly enjoyable, even though it is mainly just about oak and very little of anything else. Perhaps the beer will age nicely, integrating the oak better and letting the malty characteristics show more? I feel it is probably impossible to pair a beer this oaky with anything, so this is best served as a dessert among a few beer lovers. One of the most over-the-top beers I have ever tasted. Somewhat worth the price at 26,90€ for a big 75 cl bottle.

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