Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Beer Tasting: Brooklyn Local 1



The Beer: Brooklyn Local 1
Style: ("strong") Saison
Reviews: Beer Advocate Rate Beer
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Packaging & Date Stamping: 750ml brown bottle; no evident date stamp on bottle

From where & how stored: A parting gift from Monk's/Brooklyn Beer Dinner

Pricing: Retails as low as $7.00/bottle

Availability: Potentially year-round

ABV, IBU, and Other Available Stats: 9.0% ABV; 18.5P
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Bryan's Notes
The Look:
- beautiful fluffy head of foam sits atop this cloudy golden ale
- dissipates while draping itself all over the glass walls

The Aroma:
- damp, earthy meadow
- zesty tartness

The Taste:
- obvious, pleasing tartness
- spicy and bitterness play nicely together
- some floral and citrusy notes in there too
- well balanced
- alcohol kick comes along at the end too

The Verdict: If you only casually read this site, you'll know that I often find the saison to be one of the most food pairing-worthy beers out there. And, this offering from Brooklyn sure does not disappoint in that regard. So lively, so refreshing, so bursting with flavor that matched perfectly with my Easter dinner.

3 comments:

Loren said...

I saw Garrett's post on BA about the "perceived" sweetness in this. I don't believe it. It's a decent Duvel meets Chouffe "Blonde" but to say this is not in any way sweet is quite laughable.

Still, great seeing Brookyln churning out 750ml's on that insanely technical bottling line. If you haven't seen the video it's a must.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

I liked the Local 1 so much I featured it on my podcast last week (episode #85). I've had five bottles of this now and two were dry (saison-like) and three had a definite sweetness (more triple or strong golden-like) and a little heavier body. I like both versions plenty, though I'm sure only one version is intended (sounds like the dry or saison version). I'll keep opening bottles and see if my impression changes.

Bryan Kolesar said...

Thanks Donovan....I'll be sure to check it out, cuz I can't get enough of this beer either and would be interested to check out your review of it on your podcast.

Thanks Loren too for your comment about the video. For those looking for it, go to

http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/beer/

then click Brooklyn Local 1

then click Video Watch Now