Brooklyn - Black Ops 2010

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Brooklyn Black Ops 2010
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 11.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep black color on pour.
Nose of roasted malts, leather, bourbon and oak. Deep, rich aromas pleasantly light up the nostrils.
Mocha colored, three fingered, tight bubbled head; not unlike champagne.
Great legs of lacing up and down the glass. Head will reappear easily if swirled in glass.
Tastes of bourbon, leather similar to the smell. Also noted rich (dark) fruits and dry chocolate flavors.
Soft carbonation.
Full flavored, complex tastes. Slight boozy alcohol, but not a distraction. Each sip brings you back for more.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Weddings are special times, and as such they call for special attention to details. From choosing the bride's wedding gown to the coat and tie for the groom, to the flower arrangements, the music selections, the dinner menu and the cake, no detail is too unimportant or overlooked. Similarly, weddings are also steeped in traditions ranging from the exchange of vows, the (in)famous "Here Comes the Bride" march to the "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" poem-come-rule.

Several months ago I was able to score a late season hit with a 2010 bottle of Brooklyn's Black Ops. It was squirreled away in the recesses of the beer fridge to be saved for a very special occasion. My oldest daughter was wed this past Friday and as mentioned in the first paragraph, every detail had been meticulously selected by the bride and the groom for this auspicious event. One of the details was, as father of the bride, to deliver a speech and toast to the newlyweds. A champagne toast? From her father, a beer nerd? I think not. It doesn't take long to figure out where this is going.

I couldn't have thought of a better choice. The bottle came in its own lustrous black and silver "tuxedo" label, elegantly wrapped around an equally impressive cork and caged champagne bottle. A Russian Imperial Stout with champagne yeast as a component proved to be a worthy opponent to any fine bottle of champagne. The couple were not only surprised by the gesture, but enjoyed - make that - savored it to the final drop.

Thank you Garret Oliver for making their day so very special, by creating such a fine ale.

My toast to the newlyweds:

"Here's to today, here's to tomorrow and all your tomorrows. May they be filled with health, happiness and love."

Brooklyn - East India Pale Ale

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East India Pale Ale

Brooklyn Brewery

#1 Brewers Row

79 North 11th Street

Brooklyn , NY USA

Est. 1988

www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.9 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review

Deep amber gold color.

Carmel malt and some floral hops brightness in aroma.
Off white foaming head goes to about one finger high.

Great streaked lacing up and down the glass.

Malty  and grassy taste mixed with a slight hint of citrus; very tasty.

Light carbonation.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Brooklyn does their IPA in the English style which is flavorful, but as the British say, "...not my cup of tea." I have grown accustomed to the American versions and the different hop varieties they bring to bear in flavor. I found the beer to be drier and lighter than most tried. Just my personal taste interjection and by no means a knock on the brewer. Let's face it, I couldn't brew anything near half as good as this at home with my paltry experience. But let's say for an English Style, it is close to the mark of what the Brits find in their IPA's.

While this is certainly a noble beverage, I will take a pass as IPA's go in my taste book.

Brooklyn - Summer Ale

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Summer Ale

Brooklyn Brewery

#1 Brewers Row

79 North 11th Street

Brooklyn , NY USA

Est. 1988

www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review

Pale golden straw color.

Grassy, piney and citrus lemony in aroma.
Off white foaming head is about one and a half fingers high.

Minimal lacing on the glass.

Bready malts,soft hops and lemon zest taste on the palate.

Active amount of carbonation.
Light and airy mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

According to Brooklyn, this English "dinner" ale is a common form of summer ale served there.  reading on, they were also know as "luncheon ales" or "family ales". Wow! I think they left out breakfast! Yet it is light and flavorful as it picks up the lemon citrus that blends so well with the hops. The malts give the whole thing stability. There you have it; summer in a can for lunch or dinner. And for the whole family, to boot.

The Pre-Prohibition Style wording on the packaging throws me for a loop. If this is an English style, then who's prohibition? If it is the US prohibition, then did we ever produce such a soft and balanced summer style ale as this? Confused? Don't worry. Crack one open and see what's inside.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

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Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear, dull pale gold color.
Fruity, lemongrass and Belgian yeast funk in aroma.
White foaming head goes to about two fingers high.
Great legs of lacing up and down the glass.
Taste similar to the smell with a twinge of pepper finish.
Bouncy carbonation.
Full flavored but light to drink for the ABV content.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Sorachi Ace is a hop derived from and developed in Japan. It is best noted for its lemon fragrance, thus making it extremely suitable for farmhouse style saison ales.  Sessionable, but watch out for the 7.6% alcohol content.  There is no booziness or alcohol taste as it borders on 8%.  I can easily see getting carried away espscially with the bomber sized bottle.

So find a friend to share with, or at least one that will offer to drive you home safely. On second thought, just get a couple of these, a few friends and sit around the pool in lounge chairs, then everyone has fun and no one needs to get behind the wheel.  That way, you are the Ace and not the Joker.

Brooklyn Lager

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Brooklyn Lager
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear, amber gold color.
Carmel malt and some floral hops brightness in aroma.
Off white foaming head goes to about one finger high.
Great streaked lacing up and down the glass.
Malty taste mixed with a slight hint of citrus; very tasty.
Light carbonation.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Good basic, solid lager.  Better than the majority of most other lagers. It will not treat you like the typical 'yellow' beer. After all, what would you expect from any beer out of the Brooklyn stable?

If you are not sure that lagers are for you, or even if you know that you dislike lager beers, give this one a try.  Its Vienna lager style might just win you over and make you love lagers again.

Brooklyn - Local 2

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Brooklyn Local 2
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown color with a ruby red tinge.
Belgian yeast and fig/prune aromas.
Tan colored foaming head goes to about one finger high.
Great rings of lacing up and down the glass.
Honey in the taste along with the Belgian yeast. A bit dry at the end of the sip.
Good amount of carbonation without going overboard.
Slight note of alcohol but mellow finish.
Medium to full bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Another great Brooklyn brew, the sibling to Local 1.  Unlike its brethren, Local 2 is a darker, maltier ale.  Notably Belgian in style and notably high in ABV.

We definitely took note as three of us shared this magnificent ale and all found the alcohol by the bottom of our glass.

Pick 1 or 2 and you'll have a winner of an ale.

Brooklyn - Summer Ale

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Brooklyn Summer Ale
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Light airy golden color, similar to pilseners.
Dry aroma of  malted barley; hops bitterness present in nose.
White, one fingered head that was quite fizzy.
Spots of lacing down the glass.
Malt flavors with some lemony taste along with some crisp hops bitterness.
Good amount of active carbonation.
Light bodied mouth feel; so easy to drink. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Brooklyn has redefined the term English Pale Ale to come up with an English Light Dinner Ale, or Luncheon Ale. Or Summer ale! Bother!  What ever you call it, get some of this for the summertime pool and beach outings.  Its light airyness makes it very very easy to session and its flavor will bring you back for more.

We had a big move over the Memorial Day holiday and this easy to drink brew went down easy and was refreshing.

So get a move-on and go try it now!

Brooklyn - Local 1

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Brooklyn Local 1
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Cloudy golden yellow pour.
Fruity like banana and peach with honey aromas prevail.
Rich soapy head about two and a half fingers high.
Super delicate lace spotting up and down the glass.
The head bubbles are small and tightly packed like champagne.
Carbonation is medium.  Little presence of alcohol.
Medium bodied mouth feel; complex fruit, yeast and spice tartness. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
As with all of Brooklyn's beers thus far, The Reaper has been particularly impressed by the mad skills of their brewmaster, Garrett Oliver.  The man makes some amazing beer.

There are meticulous details like the logo imprint on the bottle cork and the wire basket.  The bottle is worthy of a fine champagne, even better that it contains this brew.  Its heavy, thick walls and have raised lettering displaying the Brooklyn logo and name.  The 'punt' in the bottom gives you a great place to grab with the thumb when swirling out the last bit of nectar from this Belgian Strong Pale Ale.  German hops, raw cane sugars and a fantastic yeast strain are in the brew.  Top it off with the fact that it's refermented in the bottle, and you get an out of the body experience to savor.

I shared this delectable embalming fluid at a local haunt with a few of my ghoulish friends.  Sinfully deliciousl...muahhahaahaaahaahaaaa!

UPDATE: 9/17/2010 - Lucky me! Garrett graciously posed for a snapshot while pouring some of Brooklyn's finest at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

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Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 10.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep black color from the pour.
Deep roasted malted barley; chocolate aroma.
Rich mocha colored foaming head goes to about one finger high.
Great rings and spots of lacing up and down the glass.
Dry chocolate coccoa flavors and some hops bitterness.
Full bodied mouth feel; creamy and silky. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Although high in ABV, this Russian Imperial Stout shows only chocolate richness. Okay, well maybe there's a slight warm alcohol zing, but oh so subtle.  Dry and bittering, like fine chocolate, the taste simply amazes.  Everything about it is exquisite, from the rich black liquid in the glass to the black and gold label.  I have also had the good fortune to enjoy this Chocolate Stout on tap.  Tasting notes from both were exactly the same, showing the quality in the production runs.

Perfect way to warm up the evening this time of year.  This bottle is from the 2009-2010 limited winter bottling.  Do yourself a favor and seek some of this out soon.  Else, it's, "...wait until next year...", like they say in Brooklyn!

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55

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Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55
Brooklyn Brewery
#1 Brewers Row
79 North 11th Street
Brooklyn , NY USA
Est. 1988
www.brooklynbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark amber brown color.
Nicely roasted malted barley aroma.
Decent foaming head with strings of lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Liked this beer....and then it occurred to me! Since being knee high to a grasshopper, I've been a lifelong Yankees fan! Oh the humiliation of the 1955 World Series. It's when the Dodgers reached back and finally won a series from my beloved Yankees. Can't win 'em all. How sad. But this ale put me in a good mood. And it has a baseball on the label. Let's see...baseball, apple pie and Brooklyn Beer. Let's hear it for the USA!

So let's hear it for 'dem bums at Brooklyn Brewery. They certainly hit one outta' da' ballpark with this finely crafted ale. Good thing that I won't have to wait 'till next year to get another one of these great beers.