Ahhh...the lager. This is the staple of Brooklyn's beers. The brew that started it all and is always the excellent fall-back if the more specialty brews aren't able to be acquired. I'm expecting excellent mediocrity - one of my better phrases.
This beer pours an excellent golden color with that classic lager look of a full white head and decent lacing. The smell didn't disappoint either with a nice, full hop scent with touches of barley. Basically, the standard-issue beer scent. The Lager had a tiny taste of fruit in it with hearty hops and barley. But, aside from this, it was quite basic. The texture was very smooth with a slight carbonation. But, otherwise, there wasn't much going on.
Overall, this is exactly as I expected it to be. I enjoyed it as a buffer beer at the brewery and it served its purpose well. It's great, but not the best you'll ever have. But, it's an extremely solid backbone. Don't ever pass this beer up if it's offered to you.
Appearance - 3.6
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.53/5
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale
This was a brew that, when I was at the brewery, I died to try out. But, the taps were running dry with this flavor, so I had to hold off. So, when I got these brews to test, I made sure I got the Brown. Let's see how it was.
The Brown Ale pours a dark brown with a slight red tint and translucent body - just a bit of cloudiness. It had minimal head but very nice lacing along the glass. It had a nice roasted barley smell with a hint of fruit. It had a taste that was slightly reminiscent of an IPA. Hints of roasting and sweetness embodied the beer. The texture was a little disappointing. It went in smooth, but it mellowed out quickly and died with with hardly any fight but the hint of bitterness at the end.
This brew wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting it to be. But, it was a good brew. It went great with pizza and it's a nice, light-bodied ale to enjoy with a hearty meal. Definitely one to suggest, but not my favorite Brooklyn brew.
Appearance - 3.7
Smell - 4
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.7/5
The Brown Ale pours a dark brown with a slight red tint and translucent body - just a bit of cloudiness. It had minimal head but very nice lacing along the glass. It had a nice roasted barley smell with a hint of fruit. It had a taste that was slightly reminiscent of an IPA. Hints of roasting and sweetness embodied the beer. The texture was a little disappointing. It went in smooth, but it mellowed out quickly and died with with hardly any fight but the hint of bitterness at the end.
This brew wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting it to be. But, it was a good brew. It went great with pizza and it's a nice, light-bodied ale to enjoy with a hearty meal. Definitely one to suggest, but not my favorite Brooklyn brew.
Appearance - 3.7
Smell - 4
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.7/5
Brooklyn Brewery Pennant Ale 55
This was probably my favorite brew of the day when I went to the brewery on a tour. I'm hoping that when I have it again with a clear mind for judgement, it's just as good.
It pours with a nice brown complexion and a transparent body. It has a simple tan-ish head and excellent lacing. It had a bouquet of hops and barley. It was reminiscent of your standard-issue ale. This brew had a slight orange taste - strange. It also had some very smooth hops with a slight bitterness to it. It contrasted itself with some sweetness, as well. The texture is where this brew really shines. It starts smooth and goes to bitter with a nice flow. It was very smooth and had just the right amount of carbonation.
Overall, this brew impressed me just as much as it did at the brewery. It's by no means the best ale I've had in my life. But, it's a great, cheap brew that would go great with any meal or just as a session brew. One of my current staples in the Brooklyn arsenal.
Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.7/5
It pours with a nice brown complexion and a transparent body. It has a simple tan-ish head and excellent lacing. It had a bouquet of hops and barley. It was reminiscent of your standard-issue ale. This brew had a slight orange taste - strange. It also had some very smooth hops with a slight bitterness to it. It contrasted itself with some sweetness, as well. The texture is where this brew really shines. It starts smooth and goes to bitter with a nice flow. It was very smooth and had just the right amount of carbonation.
Overall, this brew impressed me just as much as it did at the brewery. It's by no means the best ale I've had in my life. But, it's a great, cheap brew that would go great with any meal or just as a session brew. One of my current staples in the Brooklyn arsenal.
Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.7/5
Personal Tasting - Brooklyn Brewery
It's the end of the year and my friends and I were bored so we are gonna have an interesting night. We're having pizza, chips, and brewskis. And what better to have than Brooklyn Brewery. We just went on a tour of the brewery and had a great time there so we thought we should revisit the beer itself. I'm gonna try to total through 3 beers each of Pennant Ale, Brown Ale, and Lager. Let's hope I can give each a decent review and then finish them.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale
This was a beer that I was a little apprehensive to try. It's a Founders brew - win. But, it is infused with scotch, a derivative of whiskey. If you've read my AFA entry, you know whiskey and I do not get along. Let's see how it goes.
This Bastard pours very opaque with some visible sediment. It has a nice brown scotch color with no head to speak of. It has a hint of scotch whiskey in the bouquet (ugh). It also has some fruity bits with roasted barley and hops. The taste was very minimal to start that flowed into an alcoholic bite. There was a slight hint of whiskey and then the rush of flavors came in with caramel and sugar - prime ingredients in whiskey. The texture was the same as whiskey with a bite at the end. No carbonation, as expected.
Basically, whiskey and I don't get along. But, this was actually a very pleasant experience. I think I enjoy the smell and taste of it, but once that alcohol kicks in, forget it. Good thing this is around 10%. Great brew, make no mistake.
Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.1
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.85/5
This Bastard pours very opaque with some visible sediment. It has a nice brown scotch color with no head to speak of. It has a hint of scotch whiskey in the bouquet (ugh). It also has some fruity bits with roasted barley and hops. The taste was very minimal to start that flowed into an alcoholic bite. There was a slight hint of whiskey and then the rush of flavors came in with caramel and sugar - prime ingredients in whiskey. The texture was the same as whiskey with a bite at the end. No carbonation, as expected.
Basically, whiskey and I don't get along. But, this was actually a very pleasant experience. I think I enjoy the smell and taste of it, but once that alcohol kicks in, forget it. Good thing this is around 10%. Great brew, make no mistake.
Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.1
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.85/5
Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale
The first from hopefully a long line of brews from Founders. The dirty bastard scotch ale is pretty much just a brown ale that has its ABV bumped up a bit, this one sits at around 8%. It pours dark brown with a good amount of sediment at the bottom of the glass and no head at all. The smell is quite nice and consists of caramel malts, molasses, hops, and a bready note that I can't quite figure out. The taste is initial alcohol with a strong earthly and molasses finish. It tastes a little like scotch but not as strong as I would have thought, overall it is very good an interesting, and once you get used to the flavor you'll enjoy it more and more.
Appearance - 3.6
Smell - 3.7
Taste - 3.8
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 3.73/5
Brew Tasting the Twenty-first
We're consistently unable to find the Founders Breakfast Stout. So, we're kind of settling for less by taking any other Founders brew we can find. The one tonight is an interesting category of brew that infuses beer with hard liquor. List after the break.
1) Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale
1) Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Unibroue La Terrible
This is an interesting one made by Unibroue, a bit of a change of things when compared to other Belgian strong ales. It pours dark brown with a slight amount of light shining through and an off-white head that actually lasts quite a long time. The smell is quite normal for a strong ale and consists of caramel and dark malts, licorice, and bitter dark chocolate. I was hoping for the same type of taste as I found with the smell but it was somewhat lacking. It was much more watery and alcohol tasting than I would have liked, although it went down relatively smooth. The Chimay Blue is much better choice in my opinion.
Appearance - 3.8
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.6
Overall - 3.75/5
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