Notes on beers brewed by
Plain and simply? It's ugly. The classic, muddy brown dirty dishwater Dubbel. I mean, it does generate some head, and for a beer of this ABV that's no mean feat, so a little credit where credit is due, but that color ... Botanicals and whisk(e)y aromas dominate the nose, with a similar mix coming through in the initial tastes. Alcohol is warming, but for me it was very short on the back end. Lots of licorice and aniseed. Some bitter warming whiskey. A lemony finish, a little orange and final...
750 mL corked & caged. Expensive at around $21+. I’ve become much more discerning in terms of the beer I buy these days. Brooklyn is a brewery that I generally trust, but at these prices some bottles might be purchased, others might not (Kriek). Even Brooklyn has to pull me in with the beer description and contents. I bought this because this beer does that. Love a Tripel, and white wine barrels are a ‘thing’ for me too. All in all, plenty of things to pull me in right here. Big pop on...
An apparent jet black pour with a tan, very modest head. Some lace. Nose offers a touch of sinus clearing alcohol and a decent bourbon whiff. Light burn in the mouth and in the throat, nothing too offensive but you know that the bourbon and the 10.6% are both in the house. Quite a light mouthfeel with no density to speak of or any oily syrup. Low viscosity, light burn. Belgian notes are mostly suppressed by bourbon - a shame. Bourbon/Belgian yeast combo not working for me. The bourbon pushes...
32 oz growler from AleYeah! Roswell in September, and then about six weeks or so later, as a 32 oz growler from JUGS in Sandy Springs. Most of these thoughts are from the initial growler fill, with supplemental additions on part 2. Part of the Brewmaster's reserve series from Brooklyn, here's the official word. Pour is a golden one, a bit like a decent Belgian Strong Pale. Head is high and pitted. Retention is pretty good and there is some lace. Nose is characterized by a very strong, potent...
Not too often one sees a wheatwine so it's always a beer that I'm interested in. Some fairly conflicting information regarding the ABV here. I've read (and heard) everything between the low 7's and 10 (Untappd has 7.6%, beeradvocate 10% and Brooklyn's own blog 9%), so I'm really not sure what the truth is. Part of the draft only, Brewmaster's Reserve series, this came from Hop City in Atlanta, GA and I took a 32 oz growler of it. Pour is not much more than a golden, macro lager affair and...
On tap at Taco Mac Metropolis, Atlanta, GA, USA. Arrived at TM on a Sunday knowing that this beer had been tapped a few hours earlier. Asking my waitress if it was still on she said "no" and suggested the "similar", Brooklyn Pennant Ale! Good grief ::faceplam::. Anyway, I decided to investigate this myself by going to the bar - it was STILL pouring. Ho hum. From notes. A hazed, orange pour with a decent head and some lace. The lace is well formed and is nice and sticky. Nose and tastes are...
750 mL corked & aged beer from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Always very excited to try a new beer from Brooklyn, especially one in one of my favorite styles. The pour has a beautifully rich, butterscotch, lemon yellow hue, but to be honest the head, lace and retention are not all that great. The nose delivers the lemongrass aroma as advertised. Quite attractive. The taste is where things start going a little awry for me. There is no doubt that the Sorachi Ace delivers an absolutely unique...
=== Original review form 2/21/09 === 750 mL corked & caged affair, $7.99 from Tower on Piedmont, Atlanta, GA, USA. I must admit, when I saw the description that included the honey and the citrus peel I was expecting a beer that fell more into the Belgian Strong Pale category, so to see a Belgian Dark flow from the elaborate bottle was a slight shock. I love the green and gold color scheme. Pour is a rich looking, thick, tight-headed beer with a reddish Dubbel appaerance. Head has a delicious...
Two draft pours at The Brick Store, Decatur, Atlanta, GA, USA. Delighted to come across this; an unexpected and happy surprise. Beer forms a not especially attractive, Dubbel brown body but is topped with a wispy, white head that is sustained well to leave great lace. appearance redeemed. I was NOT looking forward to this because I am not a fan of rye at all. HOWEVER, there is absolutely ZERO rye character present - I mean NONE! I guess that may disappoint some people, but for me it was the...
64 oz growler sourced at Charleston Beer Exchange, Charleston, SC, USA. Pour is a very pale, slightly hazed macro lager, yellowish color. Looks like a slightly watered down Duvel and lacks the large, fluffy head and retention and lace that one would expect to find in that classic. Nose has a massive pear ester character. Absolutely HUGE! We still get the esters in the taste, but it is less pear based and more of a general alcoholic solvent. Some light, white pepper and spice, but not as large...
12oz bottle as a single from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. $1.50. Best before April 2008 notched on the label - it's now October 2008 but I doubt that it will matter much. I MUCH prefer this beer as the old recipe i.e. as a Winter Warmer, and although I DO like the Scottish Ale style, I don't think that this beer is a good as it was prior to the recipe change. Head is poor and does not last long. No lace. Nice, dark copper color but average clarity. Malty tastes are still big, and to be...
$11.99 from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. GREAT looking 750mL corked & caged bottle, a super looking presentation. It pours a light, honey colored body and a big head in the Tucher 500 mL glass. A lot lighter than the other version. After an initial big frothy head it fades to give a much less dense, wispy type of head. Some very fine lace. Smell has pretty much a sweet, light alcohol and not a great deal else. Tastes are a simple, sweet grapefruit juice. Not much else in terms of...
On tap at Tyler's Taproom, Durham, NC, USA. Served in a Brooklyn snifter, $6.00. Flanders Oud Bruin? Not to me. This appeared to be an overly sweet Dubbel. Typical, dirty brown Dubbel body with some floaties. The overwhelming sensation and taste here was sweet, sweet, bubblegum. The bubblegum aroma and taste were extraordinarily strong to the point of being distracting. No hint of any sour notes that one might expect in a more typical example of the (alledged) style. Hubba-Bubba aged?? I...
On-tap, Taco Mac, Newnan, GA, USA, $5.25 a pint. Pours somewhat macro looking, with a clear golden body, a small head but with better lacing than one would normally associate with a macro lager. Aroma is distinctly "Belgian", but muted and not obvious. Standard sugars (mild), a little alcohol and characteristic yeast. This is a very light "Belgian" Pale and it reminded me a little of Duvel, but MUCH, MUCH lighter. Duvel light anyone? Initially served WAY too cold, the beer develops with...
Attractive 12 oz single from Mac's as part of the $6.99 mixed sixer. Glad to pick this one up as a single, as I didn't really want a full complement. Attractive Blue & Yellow pastel label. Absolute golden clarity on the pour with a nice head. Virtually no lace. No hint of wheat. A bit of a strange bitter, grapefruit twang in the nose. Mildly chemical. This reminds me so much of an English IPA. Very mild hop character, but full of layers of flavorful malt. Very tasty. Not quite sure why, or...
=== Updated 07/08 === This bottle was either $7.99 or $8.99 from Highland Beverage, Hiram, GA, USA. Sweetness is very prominent on this tasting, with a warming glow from the alcohol. Still love it! === Original Review 06/07 === $8.99 at Green's, Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. 750 mL corked & Caged. Ridge on the neck reminds me of the Westmalle or Westy bottle on steroids. Review written BEFORE reading the review in BA Mag! Simply the best American beer I have tasted in a LONG time. Bought one last...
Had this a few times from the bottle, but this is my first review from a draft offering. On-tap, Taco Mac, East West Connector, Austall, Atlanta, GA, USA. 16 oz pour. Frankly, very disappointed. This beer looked and drank like an American macro lager! Apart from a little banana in the aroma and taste I could have been drinking a BMC swill product. Perhaps served too cold, it looked way too clear, had way too much carbonation and felt very thin. No hint of clove and depth, nor was there any...
$4.50 on draft, Taco Mac, The East West Connector, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pale orange. Small head with little or no lacing. Sweet, clean and refreshing. A simple, but a tasty and satisfying IPA, nice on draft and in the bottle. Great sessionable potential in terms of the taste, but a 7.00% ABV might prove a bit strong. Really good staple.
A surprisingly brown beer, that lacked the ruby red highlights that the style often has. Some head, but poor retention and almost no lace. Obviously malt based with some spicy overtones, perhaps some ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, but whatever spices are present they serve to provide a little bitterness and dry warmth. Highly drinakble with a nice orange peel bitter citrus finish. Not hop based but just dark enough to suggest a hint of smoke and dark winter days. A very nice beer that is highly...
Mid-Amber pour, average head and lacing, fairly standard looking, nice micro appearance. Soft malt nose, quite low key. Tastes are dominated by the malt backbone which is strong and solid. Not a big mouthfeel but its a full tasting toffee like experience. High drinkability since it combines a nice satisfying mouthfeel, with a strong malt taste that is easy to quaff. Solid and delicious. Surprisingly refreshing too.
Amber red pour with little or no head to speak of. No lacing. Mainly malt in the nose and the body, with a little hop bitterness coming through. Balanced, but very uninspiring. Quite plain. Insufficient carbonation for me, making the whole experience a little flat. Mouthfeel rather too thin for much more than average ratings. Nice jazzy striped bottle (different to the one pictured). Not one of BB best efforts.
=== 2005 Vintage, notes added 11/05/05. === Continues to grow on me. Definitely less viscous than so many others in the style, even lighter color and better head than I remember from the '04 version. Good lacing too. This is the American BW that is not an American BW! Don't get me wrong, it still has the warming alcohol and the hoppy characteristics, but these seem to be increasingly reserved for the finish rather than the upfront tastes. === 2004 Vintage === Standard pour, color and lack of...
Brooklyn makes several delicious beers, but this isn't one of them. Standard brown, caramel colored pour with a disappointing head and lace. A rather ordinary brown ale with nowhere near enough body for my liking. Quite dry and thin which may be a function of the American version. I like a darker, maltier, less dry version of the brown ale than this. Aroma is not especially noticeable, nor is much else about the beer. Mild vinegar acidity in the palate too. Brooklyn packaging leaves you in no...
One of a split sixer from Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA and subsequently in the Brooklyn mixed 12 pack. Very pale color, even for an IPA. The pour leaves a small head with little or no lacing. Very pale orange color and lots of clarity. Aroma has more sweetness and malt than expected, and not much hop character. This is an especially dry IPA on my palate, with a very clean feel about it. Characteristic citrus hops and nose, with grapefruit being dominant. The finish is also dry and...
Very nice beer for two main reasons; Firstly I found it very refreshing. A little edge of bitterness and malt, but the right amount of smoothness to take the edge off a thirst. Secondly it looks great. I think this starts with the bottle! I like the simplicity of the Brooklyn packaging and the predominately yellow label catches the eye. When the beer is poured, the head is solid and not too overwhelming, but hangs around long enough to make it better than average. With Pilsners and the like...
=== Note 01/10 === (I have a feeling that this used to be categorized on BA as a Vienna Lager but now falls under the American Amber/Red banner. This is certainly in line with what Brooklyn says about the beer, and the dry-hopping does seem to lend a typical American abruptness to the brew). === Updated 08/08 === 12 oz bottle. Amber hue, minimal head but nice lace. Bumped appearance scores for the beer in general. Remains quite dry and surprisingly bitter when considering the Vienna lager...
=== 08/11/06 === (05/06) Vintage. Continued improvement. Still looks the same but with increasing lactose, cocoa and milk chocolate notes. Milder. === 11/26/05 === (05-06) Vintage. Mostly the same characteristics as below, but some apparent extra bitterness. I'm going to wait some more for this to mellow out. === 10/25/05 === Now sampling a year old (04-05) vintage, the same vintage that I reviewed a year before, below. Either one of two things has happened. Firstly I suppose it is possible...
INITIAL REVIEW FALL 2004: Well, I guess it's lost a bit on me - the whole pumpkin ale thing. I get a beer that is a clear orange color, quite attractive with a little head but next to no retention or lacing, followed by a drink that has definite pumpkin overtones, but a nasty, peppery, prickly spiciness at the end. I don't much care for it. The aroma is not very nice at all, with a sickly (vomit like) touch. EDIT: Fall 2005, drinking a year old '04 Post Road Pumpkin. The aromas have...