Brooklyn Brewery Cuvee Noire

[SpanishCastleAle]

I've seen it on draught in 2 different beer bars over the last couple of weeks but I can't find a whole lot of info about it (and virtually nothing on HBT). It's a Brewmasters Reserve beer but isn't even listed in the Brooklyn Brewery Brewmasters Reserve page, only on the blog page.

From the blog:

“They said the Belgian yeast was too spicy. Too…unpredictable. But he didn’t care. Didn’t care that black ales with German, British and American malts didn’t normally go out with Belgians. The Brewmaster threw caution to the wind and went ahead and joined them anyway. The result is Brooklyn Cuvée Noire.”

The bartender said it was essentially a big stout made with belgian yeast which is reasonably accurate imo. I thought it was really good but I had just had my first Ten Fidy right before it so it probably came off less sweet than it really is...and I was pretty buzzed.

 

[PearlJamNoCode]

I had this a couple nights ago. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. A great stout without any of the harsher, roasted flavors that US brewers sometimes go for.

 

[lotusworker]

I just tasted this last night at a beer "class" comparing old and new world beers. I believe it was bottled in 2012, so this may be different than the OP.

Let me tell you, that this was one of the finest big beers I have tasted (I guess it is about $25 for a big bottle, so I have champagne taste). It exploded in my mouth full of chocolate, roasted malts, with hints of vanilla, raisin, and a slight citrus flavor. This beer inspired me to try and craft something close to this although I probably won't. I mean who thought of a Belgian Stout. I will have to pick up a bottle of this and will try and harvest their yeast if possible after I pick up my own oak barrel.

Here is the info from their website:

Malts: Weyermann Pilsner, Simpsons Chocolate, Crisp Black, Breiss Black Barley
Additions: Sweet Orange Peel
Hops: German Perle, Slovenian Aurora
Yeast: Our special Belgian strain
Alcohol by Volume: 10.6%
Original Gravity: 17.3° Plato
Availability: Q2 2014
Format: 12/25.4oz (750mL) cork finished bottles

Once upon a time, we created a beer called “Cuvée Noire”, and this beer lived beyond the strictures of beer styles. It had a stout-like malt structure, Belgian fermentation, and an irresistible personality. We loved Cuvée Noire, but here in Brooklyn our admirations have never been limited to beer. So our brewing team quietly introduced this beer to one of our other enthusiasms – Kentucky bourbon oak. After many months of aging, those six bourbon barrels produced a “Ghost Bottle” nicknamed Cuvée Elijah, some of the tastiest beer we’ve ever made. And then, of course, we drank it all. Ummm…yeah. Sorry about that.

But you will forgive us, because now we’ve made some of this beer for you as well. Brooklyn Cuvée Noire starts with a solid base of German malts, builds color and flavor from British and American roasted malts, gains rum notes from Mauritius raw sugar, grabs a hint of citrus from sweet orange peel, and then ferments under the flag of Belgium. Our Belgian house yeast lends the beer a gentle spiciness on a dry, brisk palate displaying notes of chocolate, coffee and citrus. Then follows six months in oak barrels, which marries all the flavors while adding overtones of vanilla, coconut, and flowers. Finally
the beer is bottled completely flat and undergoes a full refermentation in the bottle. If this all sounds like way too much, let us assure you that it is, in fact, just right. Cuvée Noire is big enough to take a steak to dinner, roasty enough to love Mexican molé sauce, and complex enough to enjoy with nothing more than a good conversation. You’ve never had anything quite like it.

And as for the style thing, well, we sometimes believe in beer styles, but we’ll all just have to relax about this one. After all, Brooklyn Cuvée Noire is delicious, and it’s from Brooklyn, not Belgium. We don’t have a king, and no one’s gonna fence us in.