Brooklyn Lager is one of the flagship brands of Brooklyn Brewery. There was a time where New York City, and Brooklyn, which was its own city until incorporated into New York City on January 1, 1898. Their lager is a nod to those days. This lager is dry-hopped, a method the British use quite often, but with a recipe taken from Vienna. New York City was the melting pot of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries so Brooklyn Brewery has melted two styles together for an American twist.
The beer pours a very nice orange-amber, almost copper color. There is a decent foamy head which starts to go down rather quickly but some head does stay. The aroma is one of floral hops, caramel, and malt. The carbonation looks fairly decent with many jets of tiny bubbles rocketing to the surface.
The taste is actually pretty unique. There is a little caramel or toffee note combined with bready malt, some hops, and notes of citrus. It finishes dry with a malt and hop flourish. None of the flavors stand out but rather complement each other very nicely. The balance is very nice. The glass laces decently. There isn’t a lot of lacing but there is some.
The lager feels medium-bodied in the mouth. There is some carbonation but not a lot giving the beer a smoothness that fits perfectly. The finish is on the dry side but not quite the dry finish you would get with an IPA. Once again, it is a nice balance there.
Overall, this is a pretty good beer. I actually found this to be a pretty fun one to drink. I can almost imagine drinking this in a saloon in Brooklyn or New York City and complaining about Tammany Hall before heading out to see the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, or New York Yankees play a game. This is the beer that put Brooklyn Brewery on the map and its easy to see why. Also, at 5.2% ABV this can easily be a session beer. It is worth a try.