Brooklyn Lager

It seems like the fight between David and Goliath, but in reality it’s just a battle between beer brewers. Obviously, there are the megabrewers like Anheuser Busch and InBev which generate beer as a branded commodity and target the mainstream market. Then there are the smaller brewers who craft their beers more as an art and target people who appreciate variety and flavour. Brooklyn Lager obviously falls into the smaller brewer category, but they are a growing by leaps and bounds and are now considered one of the top 40 breweries in the US. Also, they just recently entered the Ontario market with Brooklyn Lager. I was happy to pick up a six pack to see what's brewing in Brooklyn.

The trend in beers, after prohibition, has been to become lighter, less bitter and cheaper. The use of corn and rice adjuncts in beer has grown significantly, resulting in beers that seem to have more in common with water than beer. Luckily there are a number of good craft brewers heading in the other direction. They are creating beers with flavour, colour and are using hops at a level that a real beer drinker can appreciate. This applies to Brooklyn Lager, a Vienna style lager. If Budweiser or Coors Light is your beer of choice, you might not appreciate this beer.

Brooklyn Lager Review

Appearance: Clear amber brown colour

Nose: Malt and hops, some caramel.

Taste: This has a nice malty base with some good bitterness. The finish is sweet caramel with lingering hops.

Comments
Unlike the Pilsner type lagers, this is a classic Vienna lager. It's sweeter and hoppier than a lot of lagers. It has that pronounced caramel flavour in the finish which quite interesting. This is a beer that goes well with company, meaning you can enjoy this beer slowly.

The one thing I like about small breweries is that they have personality. Steam Whistle is a beer I espouse a lot about, but it's because the beer is good, but they also care about stuff, like the indie music scene and the environment. Steam Whistle uses Enwave's Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) system for its refrigeration systems. The Brooklyn Brewery also does good things for the environment, including being powered by 100% wind generated electricity. Good beer, good people, what's not to like.