Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Brooklyn Pilsner

Brooklyn Pilsner
Bought this beer in tribute to MCA (a.k.a., Brooklyn native and Beastie Boy Adam Yauch), then couldn't find time to write about it for a week. Nice hoppy character. Cloudy golden color. Wheaty flavor in the finish. Decent scent, although nothing spectacular. A solid, if not transcendent, beer.
--

The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

King of the Case: Brooklyn Brewery

Wherein I will buy a variety case and decide what the best beer in it is.

Brooklyn Brewery

Brown Ale
A smooth yet complex ale. Includes hints of caramel and a healthy application of malt flavor. There's a nice finish with a bit of subtle smokiness. Almost has a bit of a porterish feel, but not too much in the chocolate/coffee department. Has a slight bitterness and maybe a tiny bit of a lasting aftertaste.

East India Pale Ale
A pleasing beer, but maybe a little too subtly hopped. It has a nice floral scent and certainly isn't a bad beer. But it isn't terribly distinctive either.

Lager
This has a lot more depth and complexity than your usual lager. The malt is fairly heavy and, again, there is some of the caramel that was detected in the Brown. It all combines for a vibrant flavor, one that exceeds the expectations of the usual lager.

Pennant Ale '55
Brooklyn Brewery seems to really stress the malt in its recipes. This one, which is dedicated to the 1955 champion Brooklyn Dodgers, features a sizeable amount, but it's pretty much all there is. Seems to be aiming toward an Oktoberfest, but falls somewhat short.

The Labels
Like the earlier reviewed Flying Fish, Brooklyn Brewery's labels stress brand recognition over adventurous design. Three of the four bottles feature a cursive B in a circular foundation. Surrounded by stars, the only difference is color combination. The Pennant Ale is the only variation, with the circle becoming a baseball and the background becoming a blue-and-silver stripe pattern. I'm going to go with the Brooklyn Lager. The green-and-black color combo is just really classy.

The Winner
It's a close one between the Lager and the Brown. In the end, I am going to go with the Brown, simply because it was both delicious and more complex. However, the Lager is certainly a classic of the genre and one that would make for an exceedingly enjoyable session beer.
--

The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

New York Edition Tale of the Pie: Max Brenner

Not a pizza shop, I know. But we did have a slice ... of chocolate pizza to go.

As Saucy mentioned, our NYC weekends once consisted of leisurely Saturday afternoons at the Brooklyn Brewery and Sunday evenings at the Blind Tiger. With a toddler in tow, grabbing a dessert to go from Max Brenner is more our speed these days.

Not that I'm using the nibble as an excuse for slobbing on a slice of absolute decadence in the middle of Broadway. As a true chocoholic, I was happy to leave Saucy and the nibble outside and sneak into the extremely crowded restaurant/chocolate shop to check out their offerings. Almost instantly, I spotted the chocolate pizza. Melted chocolate and toasted marshmallows on a pizza crust? Uh, one slice to go, please.

The wait for our pizza slice was at least 10-15 minutes, a bit longer than I expected. But it was freshly made, with piping hot chocolate and marshmallows oozing over all three sides. So rich, so flavorful and so delicious. And as the three of us stood there chowing down without a word, faces covered in chocolate smears, I thought to myself that this new sort of NYC weekend isn't that bad after all.

Max Brenner
(212) 388-0030East Village
841 Broadway (between 13th and 14th)
New York, NY  10003

Apparently, there is also one in Philly (for our local readers) at 1500 Walnut St. (15th St. between Walnut and Locust).

--


The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Growler Wars: Sixpoint vs. Weyerbacher

Two growlers. Two beers. Two frosted glasses. One winner.

Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA
A very hoppy IPA with a floral - almost citrusy - scent. A crystal-clear, golden appearance leads to an easy finish with no hint of an aftertaste. The rare beer that would be just as suitable either with the leaves falling or the sun shining brightly. Simply a sterling selection by the "other brewery" from Brooklyn.

Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Brooklyn Oktoberfest
Some suds experts would say that it's too early for an Oktoberfest beverage. I protest. My palate knows no calendar. Especially when the beer is by Brooklyn Brewery, makers of my favorite specialty beer of all time, the incredible Smoked Weissbock. This amber boasts an impressively potent, almost Porterish wallop.

Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Blanche de Bruxelles (White Beer)

Blanche de Bruxelles
Spectacular specimen! One of three beers that I can remember where I had it the first time. This? St. Stephen's Green in Philly. The other ones would be a Brooklyn Smoked Weissbock (General Lafayette Beerfest) and Chimay Premiere (Manayunk's Flat Rock Saloon; vommed all night afterward...in a good way).

Booze...in 50 Words or Less: Brooklyn Brewery Local 1

Brooklyn Brewery Local 1
Tough to write 50 words here. My lady drank almost the entire 25.4 ounce bottle. That's fair! I bought it for her. I did get a couple nice sips. It's a surprisingly easy-to-drink Belgian style ale. Get to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and try one. Or visit the Audubon Ale House!