Brooklyn Local 2 - Brooklyn Brewery

HattedClassic

Virginia

4.7/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a beautiful brown head and leaves quite a bit of lacing. The beer itself is a nice and delicious black.

Smell: The honey really comes out very well in a chalice and combining with the chocolate and roasted malts makes for a very good treat.

Taste: Roasted malts and chocolate. The honey and citrus do not come in unless it is a little warm and makes it taste very good. The honey complements the chocolate very well.

Mouthfeel: Carbonated and a little thick.

Overall: A wonderful brew and worth having more than once and a while.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 22:08:24 | More by HattedClassic

gobseulmuhri

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

picked it up from a new liquor store that had it for an unbelievable price. the 1st time i had it was in my very early beer drinking days, and so i didn't have the palate to appreciate it much. so here we go.

a - poured slowly into a brooklyn brewery snifter i picked up on my visit. poured a black cherry brown with a 1.5 inch off white head. quite the looker. retention is just okay, and there's minimal lacing down the glass

s - bright, fruity, and pleasntly burnt. caramel, raspberry, black cherry, dark chocolate. my goodness this thing smells good.

t - tastes like the smell. lots of raspberry and chocolate with a toasted caramel malt background. some nice sour notes highlight the flavors alongside sugary, molassy esters. and like the local 1, the belgian yeast is present but not dominant, which i can really appreciate.

m - light with a healthy dose of carbonation. this thing goes down easy and would serve as a great dessert beverage.

a beautiful version of the belgian strong dark ale. this has instantaneously become one of my favorite dark ales. thanks BK brewery!

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 00:19:18 | More by gobseulmuhri

flagmantho

Washington

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 750mL corked & caged bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: deep, rich amber-brown hue which lets ruby highlights through when held up to the light. Head is three fingers of frothy light-tan foam. Quite nice.

Smell: rich, malty aroma with a lot of chocolate character. There's a little bit of earthy hoppiness as well, but this is pretty mild. Overall not bad; enticing, even.

Taste: rich flavor with chocolate right on top, followed by some light bready character and a hint of fruitiness (raisins, mostly). There's a hint of vegetal hops at the end, and bitterness is quite low compared to sweetness. Not bad, and stylistically accurate.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a great big carbonation yielding a pretty massive creaminess. Ba dow!

Overall: a tasty enough beer, although it lacks complexity. I would probably have this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 19:27:36 | More by flagmantho

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Dark almost opaque brown, with a thick tan-white head on a gentle pour rising to about 3/4".

Smell: Yeasty scent, pretty7 strong if you ask me, after laying the glass down you still feel it in your nose.

Taste: Holy yeast, little sweet light light bitterness and packing a punch with flavor.

Mouth: Medium to heavy carbonation, sharp texture which would quench any thirst. Best of all how sticky!

Overall: A real gem, It's easy to find and won't hit you in the pockets if you're already a fan of premium beers. Drink up fellas (and Ladies), Salud!

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 05:26:24 | More by BlurryVisi0n

OdinMcHaggis

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

Looking good, I really like local 1. Let's see here, nice tan head, color is brownish black and no light penetrates. Some lacing on my schooner. The taste is of strong alcohol when consumed with my pizza. Finishing the bottle the flavors are more complex, low hops profile, some burnt coffee, spice, sugar. The body is full, it's sticky and pleasant with good carbonation. Overall, the spice of this offering is where I was lost. I guess an imperial stout is what I was looking for.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 21:45:50 | More by OdinMcHaggis

RickS95

Indiana

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Quite the looker. Pours a dark burnt brown. Very rich looking, actually looks thickish. The head is also quite thick, slightly offwhite, and fluffy up top. Good retention, though lacing is lacking.

The Belgian yeast and sugars are fairly obvious to detect. Slight spiciness in the nose. Malty.

It's really good. Spice and malt up front. Belgian sugar in the middle. Alcohol and honey in the swallow.

Complex...sweet and spicy early on. More sweetness as it works its way back. The sweetness stays into the finish as a slightl tartness makes an appearance. The finish is crisp with good carbonation and heat from the alcohol.

This is a world class beer. Everything about it is top notch and it gets better as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 02:49:53 | More by RickS95

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(review from notes; tried on 02/05/11)

pours a dark brown shade with a healthy finger-plus beige head; decent retention and lacing.

nose offers roasted malt, a touch of chocolate, dark fruits, spices, and yeast. maybe a hint of hoppiness in the background. flavor mostly follows the nose. you have your traditional elements of a BSDA along with some more subdued stout characteristics. complex, balanced, and enjoyable, though doesn't move the earth.

medium bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation. whereas they nailed it with local 1 in my opinion, here BB pulls off a "mere" solid brew. that said, it's definitely worth a try.

originally reviewed: 02-08-2011

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 22:41:23 | More by BostonHops

mikeg67

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle. Pours dark brown with a long lasting off-white head and a lot of lacing. Yeasty aroma follows by chocolate, dark fruit and hints of hops. Body is full and smooth. Chocolate, dark fruit spices, Belgium yeast, brown sugar, earthy hops fill the mouth. Finish is long and very spicy. Complex, delicious brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 14:19:16 | More by mikeg67

NeutroMan

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark red/plum color with a gorgeous foamy tan head that persisted throughout.

Smell: Honey, kiwi, melons, figs, Belgian candi sugar, yeast.

Taste: Fruitiness takes on a more mature character - prunes and tart apples. Bready malts complement the dark fruit/molasses combination and give it some nice depth. Noticeable alcohol warmth combined with a surprising carbonic bite on the tongue make this one a sipper, but a pleasant one.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 21:58:37 | More by NeutroMan

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I haven't had this one in a while. Don't mind if I do!

Served in an Olde Hickory shaped glass.

A: Poured a dark brown, red, rose color, that was definitely more on the darker end of the spectrum than anything. The head was a frothy, mildy off-white one that stayed as such (like most Brooklyn beers).

S: Smelled like a honeysuckle with Belgian sugar.... straight up. Also, I got Brooklyn's signature fresh-filtered water hop profile.

T: I got some honey and Pixie Stick dust on the finish. The Belgian side of the house wasn't too "Belgian-y" at all and the floral component was quite fresh.

M: No one does the who spritzy, well-carbonated, refreshingly great high octane brews like Brooklyn. The sweetness was of the organic variety and the lacing was moderate.

O: I'll still give my love to Local 1 first, but these are TOTALLY different beers, and both very good!

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 00:42:14 | More by Chaney

dgilks

Australia

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark, opaque, brown colour with a foamy, tan head. Fair head retention and nice, but patchy, lacing.

Sharp, rich and spicy with lots of clove, alcohol and plummy fruits. Not just sugar which is refreshing.

Caramelised malt is present without being sickly or dominating. This is largely about fruit and spice with a well balanced combination of yeast character. The spice has got some nutmeg notes which are good while the fruit is quite tart and adds a nice line of acidity to balance the malt.

Medium-full body with moderately-high carbonation. Typical Belgian style.

A really nice beer. As the Belgians would say, it is digestible, while still being complex and full on good flavour.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 08:34:00 | More by dgilks

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer poured a hazy ruby brown and produced a two finger high creamy tan head. Good retention and good lacing.
The smell is a complex fruit bouquet of fig, dates, raisin, malt, caramel and yeast. Even some alcohol is in the nose.
Tasting the beer, the fruits build the front, yeast, malt and sugars in the middle and a nicely balancing hop finish.
Very enjoyable and drinkable medium bodied beer.
Great job!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 03:17:59 | More by Hopfenpeter

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled 3/16/2011. Pours very hazy dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some slight soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas of banana, raisin, plum, dark candi sugar, molasses, honey, orange peel, clove, pepper, and yeast spices. Nice and well balanced aromas with good strength and complexity. Taste of banana, raisin, prune, molasses, toasted biscuit, dark candi sugar, caramel, honey, orange peel, pepper, floral, earth, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of caramel, molasses, dark fruit, earth, orange peel, and yeast spices on the finish for a bit. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming present on the finish. Very smooth to drink but is still a sipper. Overall this is an excellent Belgian dark ale. Tons of complexity and great flavor balance; and very smooth to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 02:47:49 | More by superspak

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one during the Greenville Beer Exchange/American Grocery Beer vs. Wine Dinner! This beer was paired with a Duo of local spring lamb, fava bean hummus, harissa, and preserved lemon. The wine it was facing off against was Mount Tache 'Grower's Reserve' Fitou.

Served from bottle into a wine glass. Poured a dark ruby red brown with a half finger light tan head that subsided to a minimal amount very slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, bread, citrus, dark fruit, fruit, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, bread, dark fruit, citrus, fruit, earth, earthy hop, and sugar. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. While this wasn't my favorite brew that I've had, it did work quite well with the course that it was paired with. There were lots of nice earthy notes in this one that were mixed/blended quite well with a nice touch of bread and dark fruit. Pretty easy drinking beer here.

I voted for the beer pairing in this one, but ultimately, the wine pairing won this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 13:54:56 | More by thagr81us

DapperGrowler

District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pored into a pint glass from a 750ml bottle, corked.

A: This beer pored a dark brown with a slight ruby look.

S: No doubt that this is a Belgium strong ale. The beer smelt semi-sweet. There were also distinctive yeast, fruit and baked bread notes.

T: This beer was very sweet. There was a fruity and yeasty taste. It was bitter on the back of the tongue.

M: light to medium bodied beer.

O: This is a great beer. Noting else to it, cant wait to try Local 1.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 14:55:23 | More by DapperGrowler

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750ml corked bottle into a pint glass (I was on a train so this was my only glass option).

The cork flew out with avengeance and hit the carriage roof and was recovered a few seats away (be warned!!!).

Pours a ruby red to dirty orange/brown with a frothy off-white/tan head.

On the nose, yeast, bread, orange, clove and a little - but not too much spice.

On the palate pretty much all the flavours described on the nose and in addition maybe a touch of alcohol, vanilla, sweet molasses and honey.

Medium in body moving slightly towards full with just the right level of carbonation ie - not too much!

Overall a good Belgian style beer and would definately have it again, although from memory I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Local 1 which I had a few months previously.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 09:06:03 | More by Ruds

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 mL corked and caged bottle. label code of 3201 which I believe means 320th day of 2011.

appears a very dark brown, with ruby highlights. 1/2" creamy khaki colored head. great head retention. smells of slightly fruity yeast esters, herbal, citrus.

mild taste, biscuity malt. dry aftertaste, no real hop presence. medium body, fairly smooth, lower carbonation.

overall - very clean and mild for the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:28:27 | More by jmdrpi

fatmusic14

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - a very confusing appearance. Tons of head and retention, zero lacing. Strange color of a dark red, almost wine-like when held up to a light. If this was painted, there would be reds, purples, greens and browns.

S - awesome. Citrus, raisin, nothing like the way it looks. Slightly starchy but very "in your face."

T - more impressive stats in this category, but again, total confusion. Tip-toes the line of complex vs confused/muddled. Surprisingly light and tasty. I wish I could be more descriptive, but its one of those drinks you really just need to try.

M - very very good. Coats the tongue in a very delicious way, bubbles in your mouth and goes down smooth. Content masked.

O - one of the harder reviews I've had to write, but highly recommend this.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 21:32:38 | More by fatmusic14

PeterMacKellar

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into pint glass.

A - Extremely dark, with very slight hints of deep brown when held up to a light. Great head retention - not too much, not too little.

S - A subtle sweet smell, with bits of honey and citrus.

T - Good overall flavors, a smooth sweetness from the honey is present.

M - Smooth drinking with a nice lingering taste.

O - Very good beer, I'll absolutely have it again. High alcohol content makes it something to only have one or two of, definitely not a session.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 01:42:21 | More by PeterMacKellar

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Local 2 - 2650

A- Murky dark brown with copper highlights. Trip finger light tan head. After several minutes I'm left with a quarter inch cap and sticky lacing.

S- Bananas, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, figs and raisins. There is a slight cherry and pepper. There is the smallest hint of alcohol. This really smells fantastic.

T- Subtle pepper spiciness quickly followed by vanilla, cinnamon and came sugar. Prevalent raisins with a touch of cherries. Alcohol is almost invisible.

M- Very effervescent, it's almost like a Chimay champagne. Sticky on lips.

O- Fantastic! Much better than Local 1 in my opinion. Could probably use a touch less carbonation though.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 18:37:15 | More by korguy123

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Massive 2" tan coloured head in my Duvel tulip over black/cola coloured liquid.

S: Yeast with some honey.

T: Floral, peppery and citrus hop flavours over biscuit, caramel and chocolate malt. The fig and plum dark fruit flavours take a back seat here.

M: Medium viscosity and a medium level of fine carbonation.

O: Drinkable, but definitely an American take on the style due to the malt. They almost need to have a separate category for this and Allagash Black and others like it such as Lighthouse Belgian Black.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 04:23:26 | More by DaftCaskBC

EkimGram

New York

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: 750mL bottle poured into snifter. Colour is a hazy brown. Head is big and fluffy, dissipates quickly leaving a bit of lacing on the glass. No visible carbonation.

Smell: Sweet aromas of figs, raisins, and plums are the strongest. There is some brown sugar followed by yeast and alcohol.

Taste: Spicy bready flavour is accented by the sweet, dark fruits found int he smell. Very mild amount of alcohol. Sadly, while these are great flavours, they hardly linger at all.

Mouthfeel: At first, this had a ton of carbonation, but as it warmed up, the bubbles died down. Medium-bodied and finishes a little sticky.

Overall: A fantastically solid beer. The tastes leave something to be desired - there is a complexity missing that would make this brew truly excellent, but alas. Still, it is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 08:01:12 | More by EkimGram

FirstBrewsoon

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 750ml bottle into snifter for this live review.

A - Hard pour yields 2 fingers of foam which dissipates quickly, with very little lacing. Colour is dark tawny brown with lots of particulate matter - translucent at best, and a full glass is nearly opaque.

S - Floral and complex with honey, toffee and dried fruit. I get molasses, as well as warm roastiness from the malt.

T - Raisin, dates, apricot and molasses, with burnt sugar. A nice kick of bitterness to round it out. This has a mild, subtle flavour which completely belies the 9% abv - nice! Unfortunately, the finish lacks length and complexity.

M - Stare at this beer in the glass and you'd swear it had no carbonation, but the bottle conditioning gives it a great sparkling quality and lightness. You really would never know how strong it was.

O - A sophisticated beer, perfect for relaxing at the end of a day in which you didn't advance at an audition you really wanted to win. Utterly at odds with the various massive IPAs and stouts I usually drink, and a refreshing change. I wish I'd had some mussels to eat alongside this, they'd go perfectly.

*edit - I first tasted this at probably 5 degrees C, but after having read the review of Agent1, I allowed it to warm to probably 8 or 10 before finishing it, which really improved the quality of the finish. I'll second his recommendation to drink this beer "cool".

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 23:30:33 | More by FirstBrewsoon

frogships

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a .750 bottle into a snifter.

A: In dimmer lighting it is a deep, rich, dark brown. nearly black, but certainly not. up to light it is a very deep burnt orange nowhere near see thru. A soda pop like foamy head at least 4 fingers big. dissipates somewhat quickly. virtually no lacing.

S: pretty mild citrus leading into flowery notes.

T: Citrust medley. heavy orange, mild tangerine, and a tid bit of grapefruit at the end.

Mouthfeel: light to medium bodied, easy to drink. moderate to high carbonation, but is quite nice.

O: A very tasty and good beer. I could probably crush 2-3 of these .750 corked bottles, and at 9% I'd have a real good sleep. Can not taste the alcohol at all. A well balanced citrusy ale with a touch of sweetness. Very good. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 06:39:36 | More by frogships

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a ruby red with 2 fingers of foamy tan head that dissipates slowly. Excellent clarity and moderate carbonation. Thick layer of foamy lacing clings to the glass.

N: Cherry, plum and banana along with hints of clove and peppercorn.

T: Cherry, pear, plum and dark candy sugar upfront. Banana, caramel, toasted grains and molasses mid-palate. Finishes with chocolate that is Tootsie Roll-esque, leather and spicy yeast yeidling some black pepper, clove and a dry herbal kind of note.

M: Light-medium bodied, prickly with carbonation, sticky, spicy, dry and bitter.

O: Good dark fruit and molasses aromas but the spicy yeast really takes over. Very complex but the flavors are not as finely tuned as other BDSAs. Alcohol is very well disguised. Beer is very lively and finishes earthy and dry.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 16:33:55 | More by justintcoons