Craft beer column by Jim Flash Gordon of Revolution & Oskars Bars
We are used to going to our local bar, ordering a Pint or a long neck of beer, craft or not, it’s what we do. This week we purchased a selection of seasonal brews by Brooklyn Brewery, all in 750ml bottles, same size as a wine bottle. These beers are strong and made for sharing. I wasn’t sure how our Waterford clientele would take to sharing beers, but they took to it like hops to craft! Guys ordering a bottle with 2 or 3 glasses, sharing it, exchanging views, and then buying another large one, but never the same on twice.
BROOKLYN LOCAL 1 – 9%
THEY SAY – In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we forge barley malt and hops from Germany, aromatic raw sugar from Mauritius and yeast from Belgium into our latest beer, Brooklyn Local 1. Behind the full golden color you’ll find an alluring aroma, a dynamic complex of flavors, Belgian flair, Brooklyn fortitude and a dusting of our special yeast. To create this beer, we use the old technique of 100% bottle re-fermentation, a practice now rare even in Europe. It gives this beer a palate of unusual depth. Enjoy it locally or globally, as an aperitif or with your favorite dishes.
WE SAY – Limitedly produced luxury ale with sticky, stable, snow white head and deep golden blonde colour. Aroma of banana, honey, vanilla, marzipan, cloves, cinnamon, grass, brandy; fruity taste, banana, very refreshing lemony touch, mango, malt sweetness, yeasty, ending in a grassy and peppery, quite long hop bitter finish with lingering malt sweetness and some warming alcohol. Very good and very Belgian tripel-like.
BROOKLYN LOCAL 2 – 9%
THEY SAY – Here in Brooklyn we’ve combined European malt and hops, Belgian dark sugar, and raw wildflower honey from a New York family farm to create Brooklyn Local 2. Our special Belgian yeast adds hints of spice to the dark fruit, caramel, and chocolate flavors. After 100% bottle re-fermentation, this ale reveals a marvelous dry complexity, enjoyable by itself or at the dinner table.
WE SAY – Belgian-inspired strong beer with light beige, stable, moussy head and dark wine red colour, misty. Pleasant aroma of figs, banana, port wine, caramel, cinnamon, overripe plums and pears, citrus peel. Sweet fruity, thick and rich taste, banana, marzipan, chocolate and caramel, citrus touch, retronasal spiciness (cinnamon), fluffy and full mouthfeel, yeasty, medium long finish with peppery hops and some warming alcohol. Very well balanced and excellent.
Sorachi Ace – 7.6%
THEY SAY – Brooklyn Sorachi Ace is a classic saison, a cracklingly dry, hoppy unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, but featuring rare Sorachi Ace hop.Fermented with our special Belgian ale strain, we add Sorachi Ace hops post-fermentation. After 100% bottle re-fermentation with Champagne yeast, the beer emerges with a bright spicy lemon zest aroma. It tastes like sunshine in a glass, and that suits us just fine, especially with seafood dishes and fresh cheeses.
WE SAY – The beer pours a hazed light golden yellow with a generous bubbly off-white head. The aroma is light fruit, yeast, citrus, and spices. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation. There is a hint of creaminess. The flavour is honey, hops, yeast and some light fruits and spices in the background. Very VERY VERY drinkable.
