Tall, Dark and Horrible

brooklyn stout

Sure, everyone loves a tall, dark and handsome man, but only a few of us love a dark beer.

My fav beer, Beamish, turned me on to stouts. Maybe because I like ice cream and beer so much together, I’m instinctively turned onto those oatmeal stouts and coffee themed beers. That being said, I picked up Brooklyn Brewery‘s (a fav brand of 80P’s) ‘Black Chocolate Stout.’

Hoping for a rich and delicious feeling, I instead was hit with “poopie-shit with an alcohol after-taste,” to quote 80P. Of course I’ll finish the 6-pack (I mean, I’m not going to waste beer, and such an expensive one at that) but now I’ll just use it for the high alcohol content – 10.6% – than for what I was hoping for – exquisite taste.

Photo: A Good Beer Blog (and they totally disagree of my stout assessment)

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16 comments

  • BS November 5, 2007  

    where brooklyn at? what, what….I mean, I agree that it’s not up to the brooklyn lager/ brooklyn pilsner standards, but you don’t exactly purchase something that’s 10.6 percent alcohol hoping for a light and playful taste on your palette.

  • JoeHoya November 5, 2007  

    The good folks at the National Beer Wholesalers Association would certainly want you to feel like you put your doo-doo flavored beer to good use. To help you dispose of it in ways that don’t involve the “gulp, grimace, repeat” method, they’ve got some pretty decent recipes on their site.

    Check out http://www.nbwa.org/Nbwa/Resources/Cooking_and_Dining_with_Beer/ for some recipe suggestions. Personally, I’d be interested in checking out the “Stout Beer Date Cake with Stout Toffee Sauce” or the “Grilled Sirloins with Stout Beer.” Both should work pretty well with that alcoholic monster you’ve got.

  • gansie November 5, 2007  

    joehoya – brilliant idea! i never cook with beer enough.

  • 80 Proof November 5, 2007  

    Yikes, didn’t realize that interview was on the record…

  • MonkeyBoy November 5, 2007  

    Keeping with the cake theme, I’ve made the Guinness chocolate cake that WaPo’s food blogger posted a month or two ago. It ends up with a nice rich taste and very moist. I think she ripped it from one of Nigella Lawson’s books.
    http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2007/08/my_kind_of_birthday_cake.html

  • BS November 5, 2007  

    mmm…remember this, gansie? I’ll take a brooklyn black chocolate stout cake whenever you’re ready.

  • bobbyc November 6, 2007  

    A beer like this needs to warm up before drinking. Try it again, but let it sit for about 15 minutes or so first, maybe even hold it in your hand during that time to let it warm. A little above 50F should be good.

  • gansie November 6, 2007  

    bobbyc–

    thanks for the expert advice. will have to try that before i relegate the beer to a recipe.

    and, when are you going to post your own beer-making recipe?

  • bobbyc November 6, 2007  

    Beer-making recipe or food recipe using beer?

  • gansie November 6, 2007  

    would love for you to share your recipe for how to actually make beer. but i understand if you need to keep that under wraps for future biznass purposes.

    and if you have beer enhanced food recipes – we’ll gladly accept them too!
    email me – gansie@endlesssimmer.com

  • andrew November 8, 2007  

    I feel the exact same way about this beer. It got good reviews, Brooklyn makes good beer, and I like stout, but this stuff was crap when I got it. It tasted metallic.

  • bobbyc November 9, 2007  

    This stuff will also improve with age. Stronger beers like this can be laid down like wine for years at a time. I’d also challenge you to tuck a bottle or two away and open them around this time next year. A lot of those strong flavors, including the high-octane alcohol tastes, will mellow and make for an even more delicious beer.

    Some of the best beers I’ve tasted have been years old. (JW Lees Harvest Ale from 1998!!!)

  • BS November 9, 2007  

    wow that’s a good idea…you should do this if you still have one, gansie…I’d try, but I can’t imagine a beer – no matter how nasty – lasting a year in my house

  • addROC November 9, 2007  

    You should try the new Choclate Stout from the Ommegang Brewery. I had it for the first time the other day and was very impressed. I’m not normally a huge stout guy, but it knocked my socks off, much better than Brooklyn’s

  • gansie November 9, 2007  

    80P doesn’t like stouts, so I’m in for the year long beer experiment. good call bobbyc!

  • bobbyc November 12, 2007  

    I’m an endless fountain of beer knowledge & geekery.

    If you want a chocolate stout that will satisfy you now, definitely try out Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. Woooo!

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