No light came through the poured beer -- it's a silky-looking opaque black. There was about a half-inch light brown head, but it fell very quickly, leaving slight lacing on the sides of the glass. It's got a delicious roasted malt aroma with very strong bittersweet chocolate notes, but there's also a faint floral character lurking in the background. The flavor is predominantly a creamy chocolate, but you can also taste hints of caramel, coffee, and burnt toast. The maltiness is well-balanced with the hop profile, which added a little in the way of fruitiness (blackberries, maybe plums?). I was expecting more of a bitter taste from an Imperial Stout; Brooklyn's website says this beer only has 51 IBUs, which is on the low end for this style. The 10% ABV does not disappoint, and this IS finishes with a slightly bitter, slightly dry warmth. This is the kind of beer that should be sipped by itself or had with dessert.
I believe this is the first Brooklyn beer that I've had. I had heard good things about Brooklyn beers, and this one grabbed my attention. I will definitely be looking for other Brooklyn varieties to try in the future. Cheers!
