Brooklyn Brewery Lager

Brooklyn Brewery Lager
Style: Vienna Style Lager
Alcohol Content: 5.2%
From: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York USA
Purchased From: Tesco's

Brooklyn Brewery was started in 1987 by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter.

Hindy learned to brew beer during a six-year stay in various Middle Eastern nations such as Saudi Arabia and Syria. Upon his return to his home in Brooklyn in 1984, he and Potter, his downstairs neighbour from Park Slope, quit their jobs and founded the brewery. The pair hired graphic designer Milton Glaser, best known as the creator of the logo for the I Love New York campaign, to create the company logo and identity.
Originally all their beer was brewed by contract by Matt Brewing Company, and the pair started their own distribution company and personally transported and marketed their beer to bars and retailers around New York City. In 1996, they acquired a former matzo factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and converted it into a functional brewery.

Although the brewery looked to expand its brewing capacity in the City, originally most of the production, including all Brooklyn Lager and all bottled products, were brewed by contract in the upstate New York city of Utica, due to the limited ability to meet demand at the Williamsburg brewery, its lack of a bottling line, and the cost benefits of contract brewing. The company later sought to expand its facilities in Brooklyn, but had difficulty finding a suitable site within the borough. However, an economic recession allowed them to remain in Williamsburg and undertake a $6.5 million expansion of the brewery in 2009.

Colour: Unlike most mass produced lagers, Brooklyn brewery's lager pours a rich copper brown with a light white head. This head will slowly dissipate to leave a small amount of foam in the glass.

Aroma: I must admit, I always enjoy trying to figure out which aromas are contained in the bottle or glass before I drink a beer. So to my great pleasure, Brooklyn lager was a nasal sensation. By placing the lager close to the nose, I could ascertain sweet syrup and biscuit notes. On the second whiff, you can pick up floral, alpine notes that are cut though with notes of sour lime. To be honest, this combinations of smells pleasantly surprised me.

Body: This lager has very low levels of carbonation much like a German Pilsner. This makes this beer, very light and refreshing to drink. Once the beer hits the back of you throat, you will notice a slight sticky sensation. This highlights the quality of this brew. To be honest, it slipped down a treat while I was catching up with my cousin in Manchester. Before I knew it, I had finished three of these little beauties.

Taste: When you have your first sip, you are bombarded with pine notes cut though with a zingy fresh lime. You can also pick out notes of biscuit (possibly very similar to a digestive). On the second sip I could pick out notes of freshly cut wet grass mixed with sweet caramel malts. This makes this beer very refreshing and easy to drink. Some reviewers have suggested that the lager is a little sweet for their tastes. However, as this beer is classed a Vienna style lager, the beer is actual meant to be slightly sweeter. I personally quite like the sweetness. This beer would make an excellent substitution for a Corona when eating Mexican food, as the lime notes would help cut though the smoky fajita chicken.

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