Brooklyn Local 1

Having somewhat trashed the Local 2, I felt it was only fair to give Brooklyn a shot at some redemption.  For those of you who haven't perused the archives of this blog, one of my first reviews was of the Brooklyn Brown Ale, which was easily one of my favorites of our trip to the Outer Banks (during which we tried 19 different beers in a week).  It's drinkability and flavor were through the roof, and drove me to try many different brews from Brooklyn.  This brings us to the Brooklyn Local 1.  It's somewhat of a related beer to the Local 2, being a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.  My assumption is that they're brewed with the same strain of Belgian yeast, but I have no proof of that to back it up.  One interesting fact I found on the Local 1 - it's carbonated completely by it's own fermentation.  The beer is bottled flat, and the yeast and sugar are added so that the beer carbonates itself during it's refermentation.  More info on it can be found here. 

Belgian Strong Pale Ale is possibly my favorite style.  At least, Duvel, my favorite beer is one.  As such, it's got a lot to live up to for me.  So many times when I have a Belgian Strong Pale, I have to look for ways in which the beer differentiates itself from Duvel.  Because that single beer epitomizes the whole style for me, I find it necessary for other beers within the style to justify their reason for existence.  Fortunately, Brooklyn's Local 1 stood out to me in a way that no other beers in the style have.

The beer poured a hazy amber color with reddish highlights.   There was a 2-3 finger foamy and firm white head that had incredible retention.  It left great lacing on the glass as it progressed, even until the very end.  The bubbles streaming quickly to the top of the glass provide a champagne-like look that's quite attractive to the eye.

The smell initially struck me as very similar to Duvel.  There's a musky hay smell with apple and banana.  Grass, flowery hops, sweetness and spice.  The smell is strong and fairly complex, but very pleasant.  It has a natural and refreshing quality to it.

The taste initially is sweet and tangy, with banana and a hint of spice around the tongue.  Underneath a touch of orange sits pleasantly on the tongue.  Towards the back of the throat, a nice bitterness takes over that's not too strong, mostly rounded, but still has a bit of edge to it.  The aftertaste seems a bit watery, but that could just be my mouth watering.  Refreshing and very well balanced.

In the mouth the beer feels airy, with a light body and a high level of crisp carbonation.  It's wet and refreshing, with a little bit of warmth in the mouth after swallowing, and in the throat as it goes down.

Overall, it's light and easy to drink, despite the high alcohol content.  The flavor of the alcohol is very well hidden, and only the warmth it leaves really belies it's strength.  It's fairly similar to Duvel, but the citrus flavors make it stand out, and it seemed a bit sweeter and lighter.  It's a taste that would be hard to get tired of.  I think as I drank I was reminded of standing out in an open field in summer.  There's a raw wildness to it that's hard to put my finger on.  A great Belgian Strong that stands well on it's own.

- Adam