Brooklyn Lager

Today's offering is an again from the Brooklyn brewery

 

 

 

Appearance:

Slightly cloudy amber with nice white head

Aroma:

Floral hops with a hint of pine and a juicy malt.

Taste:

Malt comes first with a floral sweetness and spicy hops and a tangy pineyness. The finish is long not so strong and is a balance of malt and bitter hops with citrus notes.

Overall:

A really good lager with a nice sweetness and floral hops very moreish. If this was on tap at my local it would be my lager of choice.

8.5/10

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Today's offering is an American Imperial stout and yet another beer I got from Stirchley wines in Birmingham.

 

 

Appearance:

Black with khaki lasting head

Aroma:

The aroma is dark chocolate, roasting coffee and a slight bitterness coming from the hops.

Taste:

Dark burnt grain with a spicy hop and a hint of the chocolate and a vinous fruitness. The finish is liquorice bitter spicy hops and bitter burnt grains and a nice warmth from the alcohol.

Overall:

This is an almost beer but I find the burnt taste over the top and unpleasant personally but if this area could be toned down it would be very nice idea, nice idea better execution needed.

6.5/10

Ommegang Abbey Ale

Today's offering is an American Abbey Ale, with a reference to Duvel on the bottle? and another beerI got from Stirchley wines in Birmingham.

 

 

Appearance:

Deep red brown with a very large of tan head

Aroma:

The aroma has several different facets of stewed pears, spice, malt and a touch of hops

Taste:

Caramel sweetness with toffee overtones, coco powder underpinned by a hint of malt and bitter hops. The finish is strong, very dry, long and very complex containing grape like fruitiness, peppery hops, grain and a underpinned by just the right amount of bitterness with a touch sourness.

Overall:

I understand abbey beer/trappist beers may be hard to find in the US but this ranks as a good as any of the Belgium, Dutch or Austria beers available to me. It is truly wonderful beer and I urge any Americans to try this beer and also anybody else that can find it. For Phil they do also do a crown of Thorns beer.

9.5/10

Lion Dark

Today's offering is a Sri Lankan stout, my first beer I got from Stirchley wines in Birmingham

 

 

Appearance:

Dark brown or black with large lasting tan head

Aroma:

Molasses and a slight acidity with a hint of roasted grain

Taste:

The taste is roasted grains with cappuccino with acidic black treacle. The finish is complex warming, roasted grains, spicy slightly bitter hops and like a sweet liqueur cappuccino.

Overall:

Very different with the acidity almost like a vintage or aged beer. It is very heavy and has a lot of flavour which means can probably compete with spicy tamil dishes.

7.5/10

Goose Island Honker's Ale

Today's offering is a Chicago interpretation of English bitter. I first came across this beer when I lived in Iowa and was presently surprised.

 

 

Appearance:

Mid cooper with  small off white lasting head

Aroma:

Lightly roasted malt, a touch of nuts and a slight amount of spicy hops

Taste:

The taste is rich malt with a citrus tartness and bitter hops. The finish is tangy citrus and bitter hops with a touch of nuttiness underpinned by lovely juicy malt.

Overall:

This is like a bitter but lighter but not in a bad way it idea for summer drinking if you drink bitter in the other seasons, draft sometime is over carbonated. But if you are in the windy city this is a beer you should try

8.0/10

Meantime London Porter

Today's offering is a London Porter brewed in London

 

 

Appearance:

Very dark chestnut brown with off white lasting head with large bubbles

Aroma:

Rich roasted malt with choco powder, coffee, liquorice a burnt note and underpinned by bitter hops

Taste:

The taste is bitter chocolate a touch of fruitiness and ferric bitterness and underpinned by a sour note. The finish is very complex with burnt malt, liquorice, coffee, dark chocolate and bitter hops and leaves a dry mouth so you want more, with a pleasant warmth from the alcohol.

Overall:

This is a really complex beer and the best meantime by far packed full of flavour good in the summer but it would be great in the Autumn/winter.

9.0/10

Brooklyn Brown Ale

Today's is a little unusual a brown US beer

 

Appearance:

Chesnut brown with large white lasting head

Aroma:

Rich roasted malt with chocolate, a burnt note and underpinned by hops

Taste:

Taste is a little disappointing compared to the aroma, it is just a little watery. Roast malt and chocolate dominate the taste with a hint of burnt caramel. The finish is quite dry with malt and chocolate dominated by tart hops.

Overall:

Slightly disappointing especially given the aroma, however it not bad but promises more. It is also slightly over carbonated.

7.0/10