I have written a good couple hundred articles on beer so far. By my count, every five articles or so I take the piss out of American lagers. They are made by old companies who survived prohibition and the second world war. Companies which moved from making hand-crafted beer from the Old World, and turned instead to chemical processes and corn syrup. These lagers, only identifiable by their light, yellow complexion and barely-present flavour. Sometimes they’re referred to as “pilsners,” which should make any person from Plzen livid.
It isn’t as though North America can’t make good lagers, obviously. I’ve had a good number of dark and amber lagers which are very tasty. Pilsners are also common enough, their bitterness and clarity accentuated by America’s fine strains of hops. Most of these craft lagers come from a desire to redeem the perception that North American lagers are, for the most part, terrible.
One possible redemption came in the form of a new lager brewed back in the 1980s. Brooklyn Brewery, out of Brooklyn (obviously), started in 1984, right when the waves of American craft beer were starting to take root. Brewers and beer-lovers were making brew for themselves, their friends, and a few customers, to get away from the doldrums of light lagers. The guys at Brooklyn Brewery were in the same boat, and their business was one of the earliest craft brewing enterprises in the US.
One of their early beers was a hopped, amber lager, the exact release date being a little hard to find. However, it has apparently stood the test of time, as I was able to find one just recently. The beer stands as a direct contradiction towards the light lagers I have tasted. As an amber, hoppy lager, it promises to have deeper malt flavour and a nice bitter finish. I hope. It could also be boring an uninteresting, as with any beer.
But with that intro, do you really think I’m about to be negative?
Brooklyn Lager
Appearance
The beer itself has the company logo and branding on it, and that’s about it. The can is pretty normal, all things considered. The type of beer and the alcohol percentage are anything if normal. I wish there was more to add, but with many of the oldschool beer companies, they tend to stick to classic branding and labels, rather than attempt some sassy artwork. Not a criticism, just an observation.
The beer, though, is brilliant. It’s orange/amber hue is clear and full of bright carbonation. The head is lumpy but lasting, giving this a classic amber lager appearance. It looks tasty, and I’m eager to have a nice balanced lager.
Taste
This lager has the aroma of a hop-forward beer. It smells like citrus and spruce, signs of good american hops. The aroma is pretty good. It avoids the cereal and straw notes that some beers can get, indicating that Brooklyn Brewing wanted to make something that had the strength of a half-decent IPA. Though if the malts don’t stand on their own, the hops here could be overpowering in a hurry.
Luckily, the malts are actually rather potent. There is a good caramel and toast flavour on the entry, which is encouraging. It matches well with the hop aroma, and stands up on its own rather well. I prefer malty beers, or at least hop-forward beers with decent malt backbone, so this one tastes great for me.
The finish is rather bitter and hoppy. It has a good hit of spruce, mild grapefruit, and a little bit of the oiliness that bitter beers can get. It is pretty good, and doesn’t overpower the malt too much. Overall, this lager is balanced rather well, the hops and malt standing up to one another to create a decent beer.
Mouthfeel
The texture of this beer is smooth and creamy, which the appearance obviously indicates. The finish is a little cloying, a little sticky, and so the bitterness lingers a tad. It isn’t too bad, at least not as bad as other beers I’ve tried. It’s mostly clean, but could be cleaner.
Verdict
This beer is a fine example of what an amber lager from the states could be like. Hoppy, but with a backbone. Tasty and well balanced. A total lack of sweat, pee, and straw flavour. It is a great lager, and well worth your attention.
Ingredients
- Barley Malt
- Hops
- Water
- Bottom Yeast
Quaff Thine Bev'ridge 