Brooklyn was once a proud city unto itself with its own brewing tradition and a few breweries. It was incorporated into New York City and over time the breweries started shutting down, though one thing had nothing to do with the other as Brooklyn has always remained proud of who it is. By the late 1970s, the brewing scene in Brooklyn was all but gone. Until the 1980s when Brooklyn Brewery was born, though it wouldn’t be until 1996 when it moved into an actual brewery. It might have started small but Brooklyn Brewery is now a fairly major player in the beer market with a wide range of beers. Today, we review their Sorachi Ace.
From the bottle, it is hard to really tell what Sorachi Ace is. There is no info on the bottle itself and the label is just the name in a playing card style. It looks cool but I had no idea what to expect. The beer poured a beautiful hazy yellow amber. The haze prevented many bubbles from being seen but there was a nice, one-and-a-half finger thick white, foamy head. The aroma was one of malt, yeast, and some slight citrus. Without even taking a sip one could tell this was a saison ale.
The first sip follows the nose but with some added features. You definitely notice a little malt, yeast, and a hint of citrus. However, there are notes of pepper that give it a little kick and life. This was the first time I have ever had a beer brewed with Sorachi Ace hops so I had no idea what to expect. It has a nice medium body with moderate carbonation, like you would expect with a saison. It finishes dry with a little citrusy, peppery kick. The brew maintained a nice layer on top as it drank and laced the glass beautifully.
Overall, this was a lot of fun to drink. Saison is always a nice brew to break up the flavor profile. Sorachi Ace is a unique take on a style that can be very accepting of flavor. This was a lot of fun to drink. The Sorachi Ace hops are fun and unique and give this brew life. At 7.2% ABV this might not be something you want to drink all night but it can be a good beer to sip and to break up the night. IT is definitely worth trying if you like saison-style ales.