Brooklyn Ale

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: English Pale Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

12 oz. bottle. Drank some as is and then the rest topped with Guinness as a black and tan. Not a big fan of pale ales, but this one was pleasantly mild as far as hoppiness. I liked it by itself, but tasted much better as a black and tan. Flavorful, but mild and very drinkable.

Fine head, dissolves quickly. Subtly warm aroma. Amber. Crisp, bitter taste with strong overtones of liqueur.

Bottle. Pours a lovely red-amber with a light head but a lot of visible carbonation. Nose is apple, toast, and a bit of citrus. The flavor is crisp and sharp at first, then in rolls a good deal of toffee and caramel, followed finally by hops bitterness. Brilliant mouthfeel. Absolutely excellent.

A strong model of what this style should be. Sweet caramel malt aroma with a balancing bitterness. Caramel dominates the flavour, definately on the sweet side of balanced. Some fruitiness also. Very morish, very well made, but could use some more complexity.

THOUGHTS: Rather British. Nothing extraordinary, but very well made. A nice sessionable beer. Not a lot of alcohol but tons of flavor and aroma. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Label was Pennant Ale ’55. Poured a Light, orangey amber with a huge, off-white head that quickly diminished, but left a thin sheet. The aroma was moderate bread, cookie, biscuit, caramel and plain old malt; moderate to heavy floral, spicy and herbal hops; and lemony citrus. The initial flavor was lightly sweet, acidic and moderately bitter; while the finish was moderate to heavily bitter, acidic and slightly sweet with an average to long duration. There was lemon citrus, caramel malt, earthy and herbal hops, a little toffee, biscuit, bread, and slight peach toward the end. The light to medium body was a bit oily and then fairly dry with lightly fizzy and tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

10/17/10. 12oz bottle. Clear light amber pour with a small khaki head that fades fast. Sweet malty and black tea aroma with a surprising hint of alcohol. Similar flavor with more of a dry, bitter, roasted hint. Meh.

UPDATED: FEB 18, 2011 Light chestnut color with a thin beige head. Definite biscuit and bread notes in the aroma and palate, attributed to the Maris Otter malts in the commercial description. Very nicely balanced, just enough hops. The unique malt flavors feel like they are on the verge of bursting into sweet flavors, but nicely kept in check. Body is on the lighter side, a fine session beer, dangerously drinkable.

Brownish gold pour from bottle. Aroma is slightly sweet and a bit malty. Nice size head. Taste is toffee, dry and malty, with a hint of bitterness at the finish. Not Brooklyn’s best effort, but certainly a drinkable beer.