Before beginning to write this very blog post, I knew next to nothing about Brooklyn Brewery. My wife confirmed that it was indeed in Brooklyn, at least at one point, on a trip to New York City several years back to visit a friend. They stopped at the brewery and its taproom and enjoyed all the wonders on offer there. In addition to knowing the easy bit, I knew that the brewmaster is one Garrett Oliver.
Oliver first came to my attention back in the aughts and likely because he was (and still is) one of the few African-American brewmasters. But his notoriety, to my mind, anyway, is based on his skill at brewing – Brooklyn has a very fine reputation – and his role as editor of the Oxford Companion to Beer. In this latter role, I recall that he took a fair amount of flak from various beer history types who spend considerable time perusing historical brewing records that are often not in English and sometimes list ingredients in obscure units of measurement that no brewer has used in living memory. But I also recall that he generally took the criticism in stride instead of ordering hits on his critics as you'd expect from a New Yorker. He's been in the business for a while and I tend to think of him as an elder statesman of American brewing, an ambassador for quality American brews and the notion that they deserve to be paired with foods of equal distinction.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that my indifference to and ignorance of Brooklyn Brewery has a lot to do with the fact that it's on the East Coast and I am a Midwesterner. I live in "flyover country". New York Times reporters visit and are shocked to find that we have coffeeshops where a fine cup of joe can be had. Coastal news organizations fly in a reporter who talks to some old duffers over the course of a few days and - voila! - they know all there is to know about the region and its tens of millions of inhabitants. And, besides, don't New Yorkers all talk with a funny accent - like the characters in Goodfellas?
We are tired of being looked down upon and being told that all things true and good come from coastal realms and that we hicks merely import them. Now, I will grant you the coasts have got us beat on fresh seafood. And New York City can boast about the quality of its bagels. But we Midwesterners brew beers that are of equal or superior quality to anything a snooty coastie can whip up.
However, to the best of my knowledge, no one from Brooklyn Brewery has ever threatened me personally nor held any malice in their heart towards the Midwest so why shouldn't I give their brews a spin? Why let regional prejudices prevent me from enjoying a cold one from the coast?
I had no idea the Brooklyn Brewery has been around since 1988 when it was founded by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter. Garrett Oliver was hired in 1994. Brooklyn was a contract brewery for the first 8 years of its existence and finally got its own brewing facility in 1996. I was surprised to learn of the brewery's international presence. Their website boasts that their beer is now available in thirty-some-odd countries. It has partnered with Carlberg, the Danish brewing behemoth, to have its beers brewed and distributed in Europe and Hong Kong. Wikipedia also notes that it bought a brewery in London in partnership with Carlsberg. Finally, it says that a 24.5% stake in Brooklyn was bought by the Japanese company, Kirin. So, there is more – much more – to Brooklyn Brewery than some brewing vessels and a cozy little taproom in the titular borough.
While Brooklyn has all the trends covered – IPAs aplenty, sour beer, hard seltzer, blah blah blah – they still advertise Brooklyn Lager as their flagship. It's readily available here in Madison, at least it is at Woodman's here on the east side.
When I first decided to give it a try, I became a bit apprehensive after seeing it described as a "Hoppy Amber Lager" on the can. Was this going to be some India Pale Lager type thing that had been hopped to within an inch of its life?
My photo does the beer some justice as it was a very pretty gold hue. I poured it poorly and only got a small dollop of white foam that went away quickly. It was clear and I could see a goodly number of bubbles inside. It looked mighty fine!
The aroma surprised me. There was honey and caramel from the malts while the hops contributed an amalgam of berry-like and floral scents. While I was hoping for a bit more bread here, the hops smelled absolutely wonderful!
Thankfully this was not to be a particularly sweet beer. Sure, there was some caramel sweetness but it was fairly restrained. A healthy fizziness helped in this department and added a slight astringency. The hops were not of IPL/kill your tongue potency but were quite noticeable with that fruity-floral combination. But I tasted a little grapefruit in addition to that pan-berry flavor.
The caramel and fruity-floral flavors faded on the finish which allowed a herbal – almost minty – hop taste to come through. Not too much, but you can taste it. This final hop appearance also made it finish rather dry.
In addition to bagels, New Yorkers can be proud to tout this brew because it is great. The maltiness wasn't overly sweet and the hops were simply wonderful. I loved the floral taste as well as how they smell one way, take on a little something else as you drink, and then leave your mouth with a wholly different flavor after you swallow.
Junk food pairing: Pair your Brooklyn Lager with the tastes of New York City and America's Dairyland together in harmony. Grab a bag of everything bagel chips and liberally apply Cheddar 'n Bacon goodness from a can of Easy Cheese.
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