Brooklyn Blast

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Brooklyn, New York USA

Thanks to Rogueone for sharing a growler. Pours a hazy yellow-orange color with a medium light beige head that diminishes steadily. Thick top ring of lacing with spots underneath. Fresh citrusy hops aroma with a bit of malt underneath. Medium-bodied and moderately bitter (not quite a full "blast") with grapefruit and hops flavors. Some piney and malty notes as well. The finish is hoppy with a lingering citrus aftertaste. Good all around.

Growler sample courtesy of Rogueone. Pours a cloudy orange copper with a medium off-white head. Citrus hop aroma with some other fruit in there as well. Hoppy flavor with tons of citrus. Definitely getting some lemon and orange peel character in there. Medium finish.

Draft at the Comet. Pours a dark gold in color with a very nice inch of head. Smell is very piney hops. Taste is more of the hops with a bit of malt and citrus. Very smooth and easy drinking. Not the palate number that I expect from my Imperial and Double IPAs. It has a very pine sol like nose. Good but not my favorite.

Draft at BT. Pours an orange amber body with a white 1 finger head. Hoppy fruits citrus, lemon. Sweet pineapple, hints of honey and light malt. Light etoh warming.

GABF 2008. Bright, orange-tinted gold, thick frothy white head. Beguiling combination of fruity (guava, citrus oil) and earthy (tea, dried leaves, loam) hops in abundance, medium bodied, dry clean finish of medium length. Decent malt support for all this hop activity. An interesting construction of what usually amounts to a cascade hop bomb of narrow (but high) expectations. I liked it for its originality as much as for its superb craftsmanship.

So, apparently there has been this little thing known as a hop shortage over the last few years. Has the price of hops gone up? Yes. Has the cost of beers gone up? Yes. It has also though inspired creativity amongst various brewers and breweries in terms of growing their own hops, and so forth. All in all, what it boils down to is that no matter the hurdle, obstacle, or difficulty that may come along, American craft brewers are resourceful and very community oriented. It is definitely all for one and one for all because, in the end, we are all just beer geeks who love beer. Not one to fall behind, and a brewery which brews great beers and also has a love for hops, Brooklyn Brewery released a very limited keg only release of an Imperial IPA called BLAST! And I was lucky enough to acquire a fresh growler of it. Suffice to say, the growler didn’t last long.
Freshly pulled from the keg at a local beerfest, my BLAST! Opened with a pop and immediately fresh oily sweet and piney hops wafted up to my nose while I poured myself a glass. From the growler to the glass, it was a veritable party of fresh hop aromas. Wet and oily, sappy and piney. I would have to say that my favorite hops and hop profile are those which immediately transport me to the middle of a dew-laden forest full of lush pine trees and all the aromas which surround me. Not to be outdone by her nose, a fluffy orange head tops off her haystack and orange colored body, fading slowly and leaving little trails of brussels lace along the way. Pausing to take in her beauty, I raise my glass to my lips and enjoy a quaff, and then two. Her body coats my mouth with rich freshly squeezed oranges which are immediately followed up by wet pine sap, pine needles and an oily viscous texture which is clean, not gritty. My BLAST! has a clean finish which only faintly dries the palate, though the succulent nature of her palate is more than enough reason to go back for more. I happily oblige, and my growler of BLAST from Brooklyn Brewery very quickly diminishes into nothingness.
A very straightforward and exquisitely balanced Imperial IPA from Brooklyn. It is a shame that it was a limited keg release because I would love to have more. She was very straightforward and wore her palate and nose well with what is my favorite hop profile - pine, sap, hop oils, and a hint of citric sweetness.

Sampled at St Pete Creative Loafing Beerfest. On draft. Incredible hops balance, crisp and almost spicy. A very well balanced imperial IPA!

Draught. Low white and quickly disappearing head. Clear light yellow body. Mild honey aroma. Mild switish hoppy honey flavor with a low carbonation and a long dry aftertaste.