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

Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08

The vertical epic series is a very cool idea the guys over at Stone Brewery had. The concept is that a new beer comes out every year, the first one was released on 1/1/01, and each subsequent beer was released exactly one day, one month, and one year later. Each beer is designed to be aged until some time after 12/12/12, when they can then be consumed in sequence. Each beer is supposed to be a different part of the epic story, with it's own twists and turns. Unfortunately since I haven't been drinking beer nearly that long (I was graduating high school in 2001), the chances of me getting a complete set of the beers are effectively zero. I also made the mistake of not waiting to open it, as I figured I could pick up another bottle to age, but State Line sold out before I could grab it. If I ever see it at another store I'll be sure to pick it up.

The 08.08.08 is in the Belgian Strong Pale Ale style, one of my favorites. This is the same style as Duvel, and the Brooklyn Local 1 (which we tried in the same night).

The beer poured a slightly hazy golden yellow. There was only a minimal off-white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing at all.

The aroma was similar to Duvel, with a somewhat spicy smell laced with banana. I also noticed a bit of a hay smell, or horse blanket, that I first encountered with Ommegang's Ommegeddon. There was a sweet, malty quality to the smell as well, and a trace of alcohol was present underneath.

The taste was overal sweet, especially at first, but there was a mild hop bitterness as well. It wasn't an in-your-face kind of bitterness, but stood out in a negative way. In addition there was a medicinal quality to the taste. The bulk of the flavor though consisted of grass and barley, giving the beer a strong bready feel. Overall, it just seemed like the flavors were harsh. Of course, this is expected with a beer designed to be aged. I had a feeling that it would be a lot better after a few years.

In the mouth, the beer was very highly carbonated, almost overwhelmingly so. It felt light in body, and thin overall. It also was dry, the kind of beer that makes you thirsty after finishing it. I think the mouthfeel was the weakest area for this beer, and I wonder if that's something that's likely to change over time.

Well, I felt as it was, that the beer was ok but not great. Especially when compared directly to the Brooklyn Local 1, this beer was a little hard to get through. The flavors in the Brooklyn were just much smoother and balanced nicely. This is hardly surprising as the beer was designed to be aged, not consumed immediately. I think this beer was an important step for me though, knowing that a little patience sometimes makes all the difference, and the fact that I may not be able to get another bottle to try it when it was meant to be tried adds a little extra to the lesson.

-Adam

Pauwel Kwak

Well, Christmas is over, and my collection of holiday beers is pretty much exhausted as well. There's still plenty to look forward to for next year though, and I can't wait for Christmas to come around again. In the meantime, I'd like to go back to one of the beers I missed reviewing from our trip to OBX.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Pauwel Kwak is it's extremely unique glass. The technical term for it is a stirrup glass, as it's similar to the shape of glasses riders used, which were designed to be held in the stirrup of their saddles while they rested. Still, that's not all that this beer has going for it.

The beer pours a nice reddish-brown color, although towards the thinner part of the glass it seemed like it was more orangish. There was initially a tan head of about one finger, but it dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. I must say that with this glass, it's definitely one of the most attractive looking beers I've seen.

The aroma is fairly light. Predominantly, I noticed a combination of grassiness and sweetness in the smell. I don't want to say it had a hay quality to the smell, but it wasn't quite a straight grass aroma either. Perhaps it was a bit of the yeast coming through. Other than that, there was a bit of an apple quality to the smell as well.

The taste was spicy and sweet. The malt was forefront, and there's little bitterness to it at all. I didn't notice much alcohol in the taste if any either. It was definitely well hidden for a beer that's 8% ABV. There's some caramel flavor in there, and possibly cinnimon.

I also noticed it was a bit thick in my mouth. The carbonation sat well, and didn't get in the way of the flavor at all. There was just a bit of tingle to the beer, and it really was very easy to get down. I also noticed that it was neither too wet or too dry, just a nice balance in the middle.

Overall it was a very easy beer to drink - too easy for it's strength. The lack of bitterness made it very easy to get down, but it may have been too sweet for more than one. I didn't bother trying to find out though. All in all, it's a nice flavor, and a pretty good drink. It just didn't have anything to make it really stand out, or too much complexity in it's flavor. I'd definitely try it again if I got the chance, I'm just not sure that it's worth the hefty price tag that comes with it.

- Adam