Brooklyn Local 2

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

Bottle shared with the guys at the Inglorious Emergency Tasting. Clearish reddish brown pour with solid ring of tan head. Lots of boozy alcohol with complex blends of belgian candi sugar and dark malts. Very sweet and meant to be savored. Good brew.

750ml bottle numbered 0079. Pours a dark brown with only a thin spotty layer of tiny bubbles. Aroma is spicy with sweet malt in the background. The malts aren’t sticky but sweet. Nice flavors that are quite complex, actually difficult to identify. Sweetness, earthy, lightly citrus. Challenging and interesting.

THOUGHTS: Great beer. Mr. Oliver did it again. This could have been made in Belgium if I didn’t know better. Hid alcohol fairly well. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured an extremely dark red that looked brown in the glass and bright red in light with an average sudsy, off-white head that mostly diminished. Once the yeast was added it was cloudy. The aroma was caramelized sugar, slight chocolate syrup, light to moderate doughy yeast that increased as it warmed, a little honey, dark candy sugar, dark fruit, and orange peel that became stronger and stronger as it warmed. By the end it was quite fruity. The initial flavor was sweet and acidic; while the finish was rather sweet, acidic, slightly bitter and a little sour win an average to long duration. There was caramel, spices, slight chocolate syrup, a little orange peel in the finish, some dark and sour fruit, yeast, then lots of honey as it warmed and a little tea too. The medium body was a little syrupy up front and then very dry with very fizzy carbonation and and a dry, lightly alcoholic and moderate to heavily astringent finish.

Very weak raisin and brown sugar aroma. Cloudy brown, thick tan head. Well balanced malt and raisin flavor. Harsh mouthfeel, rotting fruit finish. Disappointing to say the least.

Bottle. Moderate aromas all around, with roasted, caramel and milk chocolate for the malt, orange for the hops, musty horse blanket for the yeast, and date, toffee and honey in the background. Head is average size, frothy, light tan with good lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is hazy dark reddish brown. Flavor starts moderately sweet and acidic, then the long finish is lightly sweet, acidic and bitter, and a touch acetic. Palate is medium, creamy with a lively carbonation and a moderately alcoholic finish. Three of my favorite malt characteristics in a beer are in this Belgian Strong Ale. It’s bold, well rounded and taste great.

Mondial 2009, Montreal. Haven’t tried the Local 1 yet. This one is cloudy brown with a huge head. It smells like candi sugar, ripe fruit, caramel, and spice. The flavour mirrors the aroma, with the addition of something herbal. Slight bitterness and alcohol in the finish. Good, not great.

750ml bottle purchased at Whole Foods in Portland, Maine. Pours a murky red-brown body with nearly two inches of persistent khaki-colored head. Citrus and pith come through loud and clear in the aroma, with hints of brown sugar, chocolate, and toffee. Citrus and pith hit early, with a sweet orange juice quality, followed by some brown sugar with chocolate notes and a tinge of roastiness to balaince things out. Medium bodied with full effervescent carbonation (no doubt from bottle conditioning). Relatively dry and clean toward the finish. Overall, a great Belgian strong dark. Not the best I’ve had, but an extremely good drinkable one (despite the complexity and ABV), and a suitable follow-up to Brooklyin Local 1! Awesome

Impressive for a dark belgian. Sweet and fruity aromas. Full of warm and dried fruit flavors. Explodes in the mouth with a great finish.