Brooklyn Local 2

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

I poured a 750ml bottle into a Trappist chalice.

Appearance: Slightly hazy dark purple/blood red color. Forms a large, foamy/soapy off-white head. It fizzles almost completely away but does retain somewhat and even leaves some lacing on the glass.

Smell: Very similar to a Trappist quad or a higher-end Belgian strong dark ale, only muted. Dark fruits, candy, a hint of chocolate and biscuity malt smells all are identifying in the nose here. No alcohol presence, which is fine.

Taste: From the look, feel, and initial taste, Brooklyn Local 2 does a great job of replicating an authentic Belgian strong dark ale. The first few sips are reminiscent of Chimay Blue and a laundry list of similar Belgian beers. It’s a mildly sweet, authentic-tasting melange of fruits and fruit-flavored candy. Plum, raisin, black cherry and confectionary sweetness emerge right away. The middle is a bit more bitter with a biscuity malt taste and slight dryness. The end finishes where it began, but instead of tasting like fruits, it’s more akin to candy.

The taste here is very pleasing and the complexity makes for an interesting drink. There’s nothing overtly "American" about this beer, other than the fact the robustness seems to be a bit dialed-down. Compared to a Belgian brew of the same style, this seems to have all the same components, but with a little less energy.

Mouthfeel: Soft and gentle with only medium thickness. Much less fizzy across the tongue than an actual Belgian strong dark ale.

Drinkability: This beer weighs in at 9% ABV and comes in a 750ml bottle. When brewers package beers like this it’s their way of implying such a beer should be shared, but I had absolutely no problem handling the entire thing over the course of 60+ minutes. The potency is technically heavy, but the beer never tastes or feels like a heavy hitter. The alcohol is non-existent in the smell and taste, and didn’t overwhelm me after the fact. What’s interesting is that as soft as the mouthfeel is and as smooth as it goes down, Brooklyn Local 2 is highly carbonated and the gas tends to get stuck in the throat and we all know what that leads to.

Overall, this is a very good beer and quite an accurate adaptation of a Belgian beer, only with less chutzpah. I think it’s a perfect introductory or gateway beer for mainstream drinkers looking to get into the style.

courtesy of fiulijn - slightly hazy dark brown beer with a little beige foam; aroma of citrus, spices and yeast; fair notes of honey; full-bodied and highly carbonated; pretty sweet with a decent bitterness; long honeyish and quite spicy finish - very nice

Very easy to drink, incredibly smooth, but where this one lacks is in the flavor. I don’t wantna Belgian that knocks you over the head, but I don’t want to be searching for the flavors either. A little timid, but easy.

750 ml bottle. 2 years old. Rich chocolate, spice, yeast, aroma with sugar and honey. Pretty dark brown with orange and lace. Flavors of raisins, vanilla, orange, later on ther’s coconuts. Soft carbonation—very silky. A very nice, smooth, flavorful beer.

Bottle: pours dark brown with a foamy head, aroma is malty and sweet, taste of dark fruits, maybe some other stuff but I can’t tell because this beer is way overcarbonated.

Very nice looking bottle. Average colour, avarage smell. Taste is a bit better than expected from the smell. Mouthfeel is pretty nice.

Bottle at Copenhagen Beer Festival 2011. Dark amber colour with a beige head. Aroma and flavour of caramel, malt, fruit and spice.

The beer pours a dark amber color with a tan head. The aroma is caramel and toffee malt with a little bit of alcohol mixed in. The flavor is heavy on the caramel malt with some dark fruit and honey mixed in. The beer is fairly sweet and the alcohol is fairly well hidden. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.