Brooklyn Local 2

Friday was the release party for the newest brew from Brooklyn Brewery, the Local 2.  Since the Local 1 was incredible, Dan and I had been looking forward to this beer since we heard it was in the works months ago.  The Local 2 is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, weighing in at 9% ABV and putting it up against beers like Rochefort, Chimay Grande Reserve, and Gulden Draak.  That's some fierce competition to live up to.

The beer poured a deep, murky brown with reddish highlights.  It's head was a dirty brown color, 2-3 fingers thick, and frothy.  All in all, it's an attractive looking drink.  The head had good retention, sticking around for quite a while, and leaving some lacing on the glass.

The smell was fairly complex, and predominantly wild and sweet.  There was a tart smell, apple cider and spice that dominated the nose at first.  It then gave way to more grassy aromas - hay and other sweet plant smells, with a hint of flowers underneath.  The smell of honey comes through as well.  Even though it says it was brewed with citrus and honey, I didn't notice any citrusy smells, although it could have been masked by one of the other aromas.

The taste was initially round and sweet, with some of the hay flavors coming through as well.  I didn't notice citrus in the taste either, so it made me wonder what exactly was going on with that.  Still the smell was a fairly good indicator of the flavors of the beer, and I got some apple in the taste.  The one major surprise was the moderate level of bitterness present in the back of the mouth, leaving a rounded bitter aftertaste that sticks with you for a while.  However, there was a disturbing medicinal flavor, possibly from the honey, possibly from the alcohol, but it sat just around the edges of the flavor and reminded me of vicks vapo-rub or minty breath spray.  I tried to ignore it and just enjoy the beer, but it kept getting in the way for me.

In the mouth the beer sits somewhat thick, round, and heavy.  It's got a substantial feel to it.  The carbonation is moderately high, but round rather than sharp.  I found the carbonation a little distracting as I drank the beer, and I felt like this was contributing to the medicinal flavor somehow.  The beer was on the wet side, and at first was warming from the alcohol, especially in the throat.

I felt that this brew was a little bit of a chore to get down.  It's disappointing because I had such high hopes for it.  There were definitely some very good aspects to the flavor, but between the high carbonation and the medicinal quality I had a hard time focusing on them.  The sweetness was a little cloying, and the bitterness although unexpected did not offset it quite enough for my tastes.  As the glass progresses it gets a bit better as the carbonation drops off some.  I really enjoyed the wildness in the aroma and flavor too.  All in all it's decent, but not one I'd go out of my way for.  The balance just seems off.

- Adam