Brooklyn Lager - Brooklyn Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.7/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

starts out Ok, with floral aroma and reasonable appearance with head. First sips fine, but tires quickly. Not so drinkable. Some bitterness and balance. Malts and Ok aftertaste but just damn boring and plain. J'accuse. Least liked of the Brooklyn product line.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2005 03:04:49 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.33/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lightly dusted, amberish orange with abundant carbonation and an attractive crown that is somewhere between ivory and ecru in color. Creamy and somewhat sticky, it looks to be a more than satisfactory lace maker.

What's this? Citric hops in an all-malt lager? One deep inhale tells me that this is a hoppier than normal version. It just goes to show what talented brewers can do with what is too often a ho-hum style. Actually, the nose is more floral and spicy than citrusy. Well done Brooklyn.

Lager is an excellent lager. There's plenty of toasted malt holding down the bottom end, while a surprisingly generous hop load is free to strut its stuff on the top end. The hop bill might be somewhat unconventional (Hallertauer, Vanguard, Cascade), but it works beautifully. As in the nose, the hoppiness is floral, spicy and grapefruit citrusy all at once. Cascade plays the biggest role on the palate... which is just how I'd have brewed it.

Sweetish, biscuity malt dominates the start of each mouthful and is overtaken at the midway point by an insistent hoppiness, which hangs around to mop up on the longish finish. There's just enough sweet on the back end to offset bitter. Beautiful.

Brooklyn Lager is the second superb Brooklyn offering that I've had in the past several weeks (Brooklyn Pilsner was the other). I'll have to give the nod to this one, though. The secrets of its success include a healthy amount of malt, an even more healthy amount of hops, and an inspired hop bill of disparate, yet wonderfully complementary, flavors. I like this one a lot.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2005 14:00:31 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

amber colored lager appeared in front of me. Very clear with almost no haze visible in it what so ever, I was able to see ample amounts of carbonation coming up through the bottom of the glass. This served to reinforce the nice white frothy pillow that had formed on the top of it.

The aroma was striking me as odd when I leaned in, but no so much really in a bad way, but rather just a touch different then what I was expecting. It had a big malt character to it, with lots of wet grass, and earthy, musky smells coming through on it, however, if you looked inside a little deeper, what you found was a very nice, and light citrus noteThis was a highly drinkable session ale for me, and I am not sure what the percentage is here, but it cannot be that high. Really a very nice drinker with a nice light body and a smooth creamy finish with more then adequate carbonation. The flavor was light enough to not really overpower in one direction or the other, but at the same time, it also had more then enough going for it to keep you interested throughout. Nice bready malts popping up for me first, really earthy grainy like flavor, but this was soon passed up by a nice bright spot of floral hops. Really nicely balanced. Not sure what to call the style, other then a nice American lager. A touch sweet on the finish, before drying out and getting you ready for the next sip.

Serving type: can

06-15-2011 02:14:32 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Atwood's

A: The pour is a light amber color with about a finger of white head.

S: Starts off with quite a bit of toast and bread. Just a sweet malt profile overall. There are some floral hops and a mild grass note. The necessary lager yeast aroma is present, as are some mild esters.

T: Things don't deviate much on the palate. Sweet toast and bread malt flavors with a bit of a toffee note. Minimal bitterness with floral and grassy hop flavors. A few fruit esters give a bit of depth.

M: Light to medium in body with a medium carbonation.

O: Sort of an ubiquitous beer on the East Coast, it seems. I found it to be pretty enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 23:38:55 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle picked up at Total Wine in Alexandria. Served in a Mikasa pilsner glass.

Pour yields a brew with an amber body and a pretty big off-white head that leaves behind gobs and gobs of lacing. Head goes from a few fingers to a nice, stead half-finger. The nose has some light malt and a bit of earthiness. Nothing too complex, but it's done well. The taste improves upon this with a nice dry malt presence and a bit of light earthy hops. Slightly bitter in the finish. Seems to be part hops and part tannins. Body is light to medium. Good carbonation as well. Drinks really quite well. A solid brew that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 02:50:49 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's gonna be a photo finish, folks, as there are just days till we fly right past the "BEST BEFORE" date of June 08 notched onto the front label.

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber body supporting a hefty crest of whiteish foam.

Smell: Delicate toasty maltiness with a pleasant spicy, floral hop scent.

Taste: Crisp, toasty malt flavor with a restrained sweetness that's quickly scrubbed away by a spicy, floral hoppiness and medium bitterness. Finishes with a lingering spiciness and some sweetish grain hints.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Soft, medium level of carbonation.

Drinkability: A fine, tasty lager from Brooklyn. If only every trip to Lagertown could be as satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2008 20:12:46 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a deep orangey color lager with a nice medium foamy head with average retention. Aroma is hoppier then expected with some light caramel malt. Taste is more bitter and hoppy then I would have expected but still retain some of the light caramel malt that I love in Vienna. While this beer is interesting and refreshing, it resembles more of a hoppy ale ten a Vienna.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2007 17:11:43 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A recent brewery that has begun distribution to the Central Kentucky area. Bought a bottle of each of their offerings. The standard lager...well, it is what it is. It's beer. Though I can't detect anything that is really wrong with the beer, it is lackluster. Lightly malty and earthy hopped. Light and refreshing. Not watery, but I prefered a smoother texture. Modestly grainy and vegital like. Light notes of apple and citrus. Finishes a little abrupt and thinning. Not bad, but must be reserved for those times when out working in the backyard to truely appreciate.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2006 20:31:22 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Was suprised at the great appearance of this one great golden color,wirh a great foamy head.Had freas mowed grass fruity amoma almost like a IPA.One of the hoppiest lagers I have had if not the most.Refreshing quaffer with some substance,I can see why alot of people give this brew good marks.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2003 08:04:11 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear deep amber with an orange cast beneath a short head of ivory foam. The head retention is pretty good and it leaves some nice spots and splashes of lace in its wake.

The nose expresses floral and spicy hops spread across a caramelish malt base.

In the mouth it's medium bodied and crisp with a standard carbonation level.

The flavor delivers a combination of its floral hops and caramelish malt upfront, followed by an increase in it's hop character across the middle. The bitterness becomes obvious, but at the same time it starts to warm displaying more of it's malt. It finishes dry with some hop acidity that fades into a lingering bitterness as a note of caramel rises and then falls, leaving only the long-lasting bitterness behind.

Quite nice! There's enough complexity to keep it interesting as your tastebuds are carried on a little trip with each sip; and it's rich enough to satiate without becoming overwhelming at some point. Very nicely balanced, and quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2006 17:50:51 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear, amber appearance, under a slim, but sturdy speckled white head.

Creamy, malty nose, quite attractive...soft and flowery, pleasant esters from yeast (?)... I like it.

Taste: smooth, clean, crisp, malty. Light bodied, but nicely textured, good grit, tight balance, tidy hops meet copious malt. A streamlined beauty, full of flavor. Blend of fruit associations chimes in, some apple, melon, grape, mixed with grain.

Quite a classy lager, this one, damned good. Almost ale-like in it's display of flavors. Just goes to show what happens when a lager is done well!

Can be drunk without disappointment, and no end in sight for the taste. Very, very nice!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2006 10:17:24 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a nice dark gold color with a thick frothy white head that fades slowly to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a sweet malty scent that boasts of pale malts lager yeast and a breadlike aroma. The taste is good as well. It has a smooth malty flavor that goes down easy and finishes slightly bitter and bready. It has a bit of hops present which only adds to the taste. The mouthfeel is great. It is a low/medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is one of the best lagers I've ever had. It has great malt character and excellent mouthfeel; a great drinking lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2004 00:02:41 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer years ago and someone poisoned my experience by telling me it was the worst lager they had ever tried, right before my first sip. I recall not liking it. I've had it several times since then and each time it gets better. In the book "Beer School" about the foundation of the Brooklyn Brewery they founders said that they over sold their distant markets like Florida and unintentionally allowed their beer to go bad on the shelves. I'll dismiss my first encounter to a bad bottle in Florida and finally write this review from a fresh keg in D.C.

Served on draft at a local beer bar in D.C. Beer served in an Imperial pint glass. Beer is clear and orange in color. Carbonation is low but steady and made up of medium bubbles that expand slowly as they approach the head. The head is thin and made up of white bubble, small to medium in size. As the head falls away and as I drink, a lot of lacing is left on the sides of the glass. Looks good.

The aroma is filled with strong citrus hops but overall its subtle and not in your face as some ales would be.

Beer has a lot of malt in it and its medium bordering on high bodied. There are nice citrus hop flavors and some bitterness at the end. Ultimately the beer is a little dry. There is no aftertaste and the drinkability is high. Mouthfeel has nice connectivity and overall is a very good beer. I'm glad I've tried this so many times and in different incarnations.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2010 18:21:26 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Meddlesome Moth.

The beer pours an orange color with a smaller white head. The aroma is a lot of biscuit malt with some floral and fruity notes. The flavor is biscuit malt, flowers, grassy hops and a little bit of fruit. The beer is very clean tasting and very easy to drink. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 23:08:32 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that quickly died down but left a thin film of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are moderate aromas of toasted malts in the nose along with some notes of floral hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell except that there are also some hints of caramel malts. There is a light amount of bitterness throughout the taste.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate with notes of crispness and hints of dryness. There is a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: This beer is very easy to drink and is quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 02:10:26 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A blast of herbal / menthol hops greets my nose as I pop the tab on this can. The pour from the can produces a one-finger thick, lightish tan colored head. The beer sits in my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip with a murky amber appearance, that takes on an orangish hue when held up to the light but remains deeply hazy. I shouldn't have poured the entire contents of the can as the initial portions of the pour were quite clear. The aroma is quite hoppy; it definitely has an herbal hop focus, but there is just a hint of citrus zest here as well. Grassy grain notes become noticeable as do notes of crushed malt and soda crackers. The herbal hop component is a mix of light menthol, clean hemp oil and a fresh cut herbal note.

This has a solid bitterness to it that only becomes more biting through the finish of each sip. Grassy grain and herbal, almost grassy hop notes intertwine. A touch of malt sweetness comes through in the middle and finish, but doesn't really intrude on the hop focus of this beer. Herbal hop notes that are a mix of notes, none of which stand out nearly as much as the overall herbal presence; touches of rosemary, menthol, green hay, wild flowers and a finish of grapefruit zest. Easily quaffable, but not watery; this has a certain presence / heft from the malt, but is still quite drinkable.

This has a huge hop profile for a traditional Vienna (which of course this is not trying to be), and it is quite a nice addition, the fact that this is dry hopped comes through quite nicely with the vibrancy of the herbal / spicy hop character. This is a really nice beer, a perfect accompaniment to the 106°F / 41°C heat we have here today.

Serving type: can

06-14-2008 21:51:25 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a golden brown color with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of caramelized malt, some spice and a decent amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out very malty, with strong flavors of caramel & spice. A strong and bitter hops presence for the style quickly follows and provides a very good balance. The after-taste is bready and slightly bitter.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean and dry finish.

D: Tasty, goes down easy, not too filling, there’s a lot of substance for a beer in a style that usually doesn’t have too much of it, I expected this beer to be decent at best, but was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a very good beer. I could certainly drink a few of these easily.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2007 00:10:29 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a decent looking golden amber color with a foamy white head on top. The head settles and leaves minimal lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer had some caramel elements and some lager yeast aromas coming off of it. The taste of the beer was pretty good, it wasn't anything over the top but had a good drinkablity to it. The malts and hops are pretty well balanced in my opinion here. The mouthfeel was pretty good, nicely carbonated and fairly smooth. Overall it's a good drinking beer for anytime of the year.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 18:05:32 | More by Knapp85

Gavage

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light amber color with a inch and a half head with big bubbles. Lacing developed through the drink. The aroma was nice, as the malt sweetness and a hint of nuttiness is detectable. The flavor is basic and clean - malt is up front with some nice mellow bittering just behind it. I also detected a bit of honey flavor on my tongue.

Very smooth at first then a slight crispness hits the back of your tongue. Clean finish. Extremely drinkable and very enjoyable. One of my favorite lagers.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2004 17:08:32 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

There was a freshness label along the side, but nothing was indicated.

It poured orange/amber with a two-finger head, that, after a minute or two descended to a very well-retained one-finger head that left rings of lacing down the glass. Darker than typical for style.

The smell was of strong floral, citrusy hops with barley malt underneath. Almost like smelling an English IPA.

The hops were noticeable, and stood alone at first. Then, the malt - mainly a semi-sweet barley - came through to give it body and more flavor. Then, the hops came through towards the end again.

Medium- to full-bodied, especially for the style, it left a bitter/sweet taste. The flavors hung on pretty well.
It's flavorful - hoppy for style - and enjoyable. A good brew!

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2006 15:26:43 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a clear pale amber hue, with two fingers of foamy, creamy white head, which leaves a few specks of webbed lace around the glass as it dissipates. It smells of sweet grainy malt, and grassy, herbal hops. The taste is grainy white malt, a bit of tangy lemon, and grassy, leafy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body full, smooth, and fairly creamy for a lager. It finishes off-dry, with more sweet malt, and mildly citrusy hops.

A very enjoyable, lively lager, kind of like a hoppier version of the Oktoberfests I've been quaffing of late...

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2010 06:47:29 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a 12 oz bottle served in a tumbler. The lager is cool.

A: The lager has a strong coppery color with a small ring of head and decent lacing.

S: The beer has a biscuity malt nose.

T: The lager is malty, almost chewy in its depth. The malts are biscuity and slightly nutty. The hop presence hits you on first sip but rarely appears after that.

M: The lager's malt body has a decent flavor that is not too big.

D: Very drinkable, this beer has the good firm malt flavor of a lager and is worth looking at.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2006 01:14:18 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow, this beer really caught me off guard. When open a bottle of an all-malt lager I dont expect much in terms of flavor, but this was on par with a great amber or pale ale. There was rich caramel and fruit flavors with a nice hoppiness. Again, I wouldn't rate this so high, except that this beer is such a stand-out in the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2006 04:49:37 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Well I bought a sampler without looking at the date and it's best by date is August 2002, however it is against my religion to toss a beer without at least trying it first. Pours a beautiful amber gold with a creamy white foaming head, this beer is forming nice even rings of lace looking quite beautiful in my stemmed Stella Artois glass. Aroma is a bit musky with some mild hops and a very mild hint of malt sweetness, with all things considered mainly the age of this beer not bad at all. The taste is where the age starts to hurt this beer it still has a nice grainy sweetness with some bittering hops thrown in, but overall just a little stale. What did I expect from a lager this old. I remind you that this beer is still a cut above most beers out there, just I will definitely have to resample due to the age of the product. Mouthfeel is still very carbonated with a nice nutty malt thickness to the finish. Overall I bet this beer is really drinkable, but I am going to update this review to find out for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2003 12:00:23 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear amber with a creme head. A mild, sweet malty nose. Flavor carries some of the same character but with greater intensity. The tangy sweetness is quite high actually. Still nice though. Feel has a bit of a bite on the carbonation to it and the liquid is smooth but a bit thicker. A bit of a bite on the flavor profile slightly detracts, but there's a reason why this is a Brooklyn standard.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2008 05:06:03 | More by RblWthACoz