I stopped at Brooklyn Brewery in, you guessed it, Brooklyn, New York. Getting here from lower Manhattan was actually easier and quicker than I thought. I only had brief walks on each end, and short subway rides on green and gray lines. The trip only cost a few bucks. And I was here in roughly 45 minutes.
Unsure what direction to go, and always up for trying various beers, I chose the OG Flight. Not paying attention, I started with beer 3, Defender IPA. So, this is crisp and refreshing. It’s not especially hoppy, at least not in my opinion. So, if you’re looking for an understated IPA this may be for you. Now I’m paying attention and I’m back to beer 1, Brooklyn Lager. This is a fresh lager. It’s crisp and clean. It’s not an amber in my opinion. When I think amber I think maltier than this. It’s amber in color but more bitter than most ambers I’ve enjoyed. Beer 2, Brown Ale is smooth and caramelly and sweet with slight bitterness. I think this may be my personal favorite so far. And I’m also enjoying beer 4, Bel Air Sour. It’s dry and refreshing. Yes, its sour but sours are all the rage these days. Every brewery has one and this is pretty good.
The brewery and tap room and operations are in a pretty cool industrial space in Brooklyn. I’m not especially well versed in Brooklyn history. The neighborhood now seems full of restaurants and residential spaces. The tap room is spacious but I bet it gets full on busy nights and weekends. I’m here midweek.
I had to try Come All You Weary, English Dark Mild style. I read about this style in my Cicerone British and Irish Beer Styles course. This is a tasty beer and also low alcohol. Only 3.4%. This beer is smooth, has a biscuity flavor and slightly both caramelly and chocolatey taste. I could drink this all evening long. Not many domestic breweries make this style. Tally Ho to Brooklyn Brewery!
Irish Stout. I went with my son, a newly minted 21 year old, to the Guinness Brewery in Baltimore a few weeks ago. Many would say theirs is the gold standard Irish Stouts. I’d put Brooklyn Brewery Black Light Irish Stout right up there with Guinness. And at only 2.2% ABV I could enjoy this all day every day.
If I had more time and if I’d planned in advance I would have registered for a tour. I’ve toured many breweries from Sierra Nevada to Stone to Allagash to Boulevard. Missed this one. Maybe on the next trip to New York if I get my act together. I heard the tour leader starting in with the 5pm group and it sounded informative, fun and engaging.
Full disclosure. I came to the brewery yesterday and hadn’t checked social media or the website and wouldn’t ya know they were closed for a private event. Personally, it gave me some good exercise because I took the opportunity to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Note to self, check brewery websites and social media before stopping in.
K is for Kriek and KO is for Knockout which is what this will do to you if not careful. Clocking in at 10.1% this is pretty heavy duty. But a beer aged in bourbon barrels I can’t resist. This is strong, boozy, cherry taste from the cherries it’s aged with; delicious. A veritable substitute for dessert or for an after dinner drink.
I also had to stop at the swag store before leaving. No beer glasses. The kitchen cabinets are full of them already. No t-shirts, the closet is full of them already. Socks, why yes! We can sneak in a pair of socks. Stickers, yes, need one for the sticker collection at home and one for the sticker collection at work. Also bought a single bottle of Brooklyn Brown Ale which I’m enjoying right now as I edit. And, I’ll place the bottle cap onto the US map beer bottle cap frame I’ve got; one closer to filling it.
