Entries tagged with “Brooklyn” from Malt & Barley Chronicles

Custom-brewed for Pianos, a small rock club on the Lower East Side (NYC) that once was a piano showroom and repair shop... this is a dense Belgian-style ale with a whole lot going on.

Characteristics: Cloudy copper color, medium carbonation and head, medium-to-heavy body, grapefruit flavors (but not Cascade hops!) dominate over a sweet, slightly malty middle section before transmogrifying into an American Pale Ale (a/k/a hop-infested) finish.

Minor Gripes: For the weight of this beer, grapefruit isn't necessarily the balancing note I would have chosen. Tough to pair with anything but a lighter weight American Pale Ale. Also hints at a high ABV content that couldn't be confirmed or denied from the tap handle.

Bottom Line: Certainly a creative beer, but not always successful. Grapefruit burps and that late hoppy shift are not welcome. Worth sampling, though, especially if you're looking for a heavyweight counterpart to all those brews trying to outperform Sierra Nevada.

Rating: 4.5 / 10 (before any bonus points for creativity and local focus)

A few weeks back, I was doing a little people-watching at the Oyster Bar on a Friday early evening.  I can't think of many places in NYC that got a bigger boost from the series "Mad Men." And along with a gorgeous plate of fried oysters, I had the chance to sample a couple pints of this lovely brew that adds some rye to the barley malt.

Characteristics: Cloudy amber color; medium body; low carbonation; starts with a sharp hoppy note, mellows into a biscuity, yeasty middle and finishes slightly sweet.

Minor Gripes: Balance is a problem. The hops keeps the sweetness in check only sometimes, but the biscuity elements can be overpowered by either of the two.

Bottom Line: With bivalves, Righteous Rye is magical. The hoppy opening cuts through the brine, while the malty rye draws out the depth of the bellies. In a stand-alone setting, the lack of balance and consistency is a bit of a liability. A complex beer worth checking out for amber ale fans.

Rating: 5.5 / 10

I thought I'd reviewed this one ages ago, but the site doesn't show any entry. Pennant Ale '55 is a tribute to the old Brooklyn Dodgers and their first (and only) World Series triumph, and a perfectly reasonable entry in the Brooklyn Brewery stable.

Characteristics: Translucent copper-amber color, thin body, mild-to-average carbonation, some hoppiness in the opening (along with the carbonation) that gives way to a yeasty, biscuity malt middle and slightly sweet finish, especially when allowed to warm slightly from standard refrigerated storage.

Minor Gripes: Pennant Ale '55 has a tendency to get a little bitter in the middle and finish, as if it's pretending to be an American Pale Ale instead of a more rounded amber.

Bottom Line: Like a reliable fourth starter in a pitching rotation, it doesn't have a knockout quality but it keeps the team in the game. Nothing special, nothing terrible -- just a nice middle-of-the-road amber.

Rating: 5.25 / 10

Another of Brooklyn's seasonal offerings, this beverage (even more so than Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin) has restored my faith in pumpkin beers.  Post Road carries its excellent, savory blend of pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon flavors consistently from the first (perhaps too cold) sip to the last (approaching room temperature) without being overpowering or getting syrupy. With prime pumpkin season now over, I won't be sampling any more varieties until next fall (anything still in the stores will be suspect at best).

Characteristics: Rich copper color (tending toward brown), light-to-medium carbonation with a small head, medium body, smooth mix of savory pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg that crests just as you finish each sip. 

Minor Gripes: The season of availability is just a little too short... I was only able to score one six-pack before my local store ran out.

Bottom Line: This beer manages to replicate the experience of eating a great pumpkin pie filling without being filling.  That's quite a feat, and it will keep me coming back to this brew for seasons to come.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Boom.  My first imperial in quite a while... and while it masks the 10.6% (ABV) alcohol content well, the kick is still there -- kinda like garlic buried in a tomato sauce. Which, speaking of garlic and tomatoes, this beer can overpower even the strongest food flavors.

Characteristics: Burnt motor oil brown, minimal carbonation, thin but persistent head, medium to heavy body, slow start gives way to dark chocolate roasted malt dominance, with the alcohol sugar/burn emerging only when the beer warms. 

Minor Gripes: It's twice as strong as the average beer -- that's a major kick in the pants after a long day at work.  Rationing isn't just encouraged, it's required.

Bottom Line: As seasonal beers go, the Black Chocolate Stout is definitely a winner.  It's not for everyone, but those who can handle a heavier, darker beer should definitely give it a whirl.

Rating: 7 / 10