Black Ops - Four Roses Small Batch
Brooklyn Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours black and settles pure black that swallows all light in its path with with fluffy, creamy tan head that lingers for a long time and provides an enticing amount of thick ropes of lacing. Such a gorgeous BA imperial stout.

The nose led by a crushing amount of oak from the barrel that is present as soon as you open the can - literally a tsunami of oak that is followed by a little booze and a big dollop of rich cocoa and vanilla.

The oak is present on the taste as well, but more restrained, yielding center stage to the rich cocoa and vanilla flavors, with a nice bourbon flavor and warming on the finish. So delicious.

The mouthfeel reaches valiantly for thick and creamy, but is a bit thinner than expected for a beer of this gravity. Still, this is an exemplary representation of the BA RIS style that is worthy of your consideration, IMHO.

 

16 oz can with 12.4% ABV served in a Belgian snifter.

I've had Black Ops a number of times in the past. It's been a while since the last time but I was surprised by this. Surprised because I didn't realize at first that this is a didn't version; surprised by the dominance of bourbon aromas; and surprised by how well the ABV is hidden. Not surprised by the high quality of this exceptional classic.
Overall. Excellent if a bit too sweet.

Current version is 12.4% ABV.

Poured can into 12oz stout glass. Look: Pours dark black. Half-inch khaki head. Smell: Bourbon/0ak up front. Vanilla/chocolate follow. Taste: Follows smell profile. Unfortunately it has a tin can flavor. Feel: Medium body. Not quite as thick as a true Russian imperial. Overall a pretty good barrel aged stout. Would have rated better without the can taste and better mouth feel. Really should be sold in bottles. Maybe next year.

2024 release, 16 oz can

Pours black with thick layer of tan head. Oaky bourbon aroma on top of dark chocolate. Taste is similar, a bit hot. Not a Medium to full bodied.

 

 

The aroma is strong roasted malt with oak, coffee, bourbon, and dark chocolate. The appearance is dark brown with a small head. the taste is like the aroma and rather boozy. The palate is thin for a stout almost flat but slightly oily. Overall a good beer with flaws.

This is a premium solid beer for the winter. Dark chocolate, burnt oak, vanilla. Toasted malt, low carbonation but doesn’t take away from the substance. An absolute must

A decadent blend of milk chocolate, cocoa nibs, and vanilla oak flavors. Incredibly rich and exotic.

(16 oz can, 12.4% abv, 2025? vintage, no date/code on can... poured into a snifter)

L: almost bronzed, creamed coffee brown foam, lacing in little splashy streaks; dark brown liquid, not edging toward total black... second pour put up more head, still collapsing rapidly, but tight with a few fish eyes

S: dark chocolate, heavy vanilla-ed wood overtone, roasty malt milk, subtle-to-steady dark cherry bourbon highlights... the bourbon cut makes it domestic, but its base is undeniably RIS

T: much of the same on the palate, with the roast coming to the fore... almost a fermenting yeasty back note in the aftertaste, which I didn't detect in the 5 other cans I enjoyed over the past couple weeks... the pure alcohol, but not so much the bourbon definition rings loud... totally an RIS; no American-style hop voice

F: a sweet stout cut with rye vodka? - smooth a greeting after which the rolling ethanol and rumbling roast rip a wide, icy stun up on the palate roof, while the booze and unfermentable artefacts shimmer at the floor, but any viscosity is perhaps muted, attenuated in the finish... the body-mellowing impact of this brew is something I haven't felt in a while - sublime; sensorally arresting

O: this is more like a BBCS aged in bourbon as opposed to the bottle-conditioned, thin, spritzy, lightly funked Black Ops I had years ago... both 4-packs I've tried were slightly, but noticeably different, interestingly enough... worthy of scooping up many more 4-packs for aging, but not too much aging, 1-2 years (2474)