Brooklyn Sorachi Ace - Brooklyn Brewery

emsroth

New York

3.13/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750 bottle

App: cloudy gold with a foamy white head

Smell:strong hop presence that's herbal and lemony. Slight yeast funk. A slight husky malt.

Taste: sweet cookie like malt with butter and cream notes. Dry lemon rind and rough herb finish with a malty and hoppy bite.

Fine carbonation. A bit light for a saison (i LOVE the saison carbonation) but still nice.

A bit clean and sweet for a saison but a pleasant drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2010 00:23:17 | More by emsroth

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly cloudy pale golden yellow color with a half finger frothy white head that slowly settles into a thin lasting ring. Not much in the way of lacing.

Slightly earthy, spicy aroma with hints of peppery clove, ginger and something else I can't put my finger on. Crisp light fruit notes, mostly apple and pear along with a slight hop profile and subtle malt in the nose.

Lighter bodied with some earthy hops and zesty spice. Hints of pepper, ginger and corriander along with a slight metallic flavor which is kind of off putting. Slightly cloying with a long dry finish.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2010 07:29:16 | More by corby112

thecarster1

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

a- 750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a snifter, hazy lemon coloring, dense bright white head, great retention.

s- spicy, peppery, lots of lemon, yeast, bright and dry.

t- bitter and lemony, lemon zest, dry, easily the most lemon ridden beer i've ever had.

m- light in the mouth, slight coating.

d- good, missing something here though, didn't hit me as a terrific beer, i'd drink again, but not seek out and buy.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 21:43:14 | More by thecarster1

DawnL

New York

3.18/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pale golden color with good lacing.

The nose has a clean, crisp, soap bubble aroma. I'm guessing that will manifest itself in banana on the palate?

Banana and clove character to this brew. Definite brett flavor. This beer has bite.

This is a very surprising brew to have during a tasting. It tastes unique when paired with a line-up of session brews.

I found the brett character very similar to rye. It was a little overwhelming as I continued to drink this beer. It's still a worthwhile brew to try.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2009 15:03:10 | More by DawnL

smbslt

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

So this is what's meant by the champagne of beers.

A: Big, bright white 3 finger head with a swirling tempest of carbonation feeding it.

S: Yeasty. Picking up on some esters but not not much of anything. Head is very stable and creamy not breaking up much to smell.

T: Bitter, peppery, herbal primarily with grass and lemon as well. If this is the Sorachi hop then so be it if not the hops are lost (wasted) in the dryness and alcohol.

M: Initially the carbonation does not help keep the beer on the tongue. After the carbonation dies down a bit it thickens up and flows better.

O: I would not say this is all that drinkable. To much alcohol to be refreshing. Seems somewhat high maintenance. I could not enjoy by itself, with some cheese it was better. This should not be a sipping type of beer

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 02:30:15 | More by smbslt

sirdrinkwell

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: the pour is a murky and dull golden corn/straw color with lots of off-white head which is slow receding and which leaves moderate lacing in its wake.

S: yeasty with muted citrus aroma of lemon and grapefruit

T: very bready taste with a bit of underwhelming lemon peel and every so slight peppery bite of mild hops.

M: mild carbonation and medium body, a bit of peppery grit.

O: not a bad ale, decent for a try but nothing i'll be breaking the door down to buy again.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 00:42:18 | More by sirdrinkwell

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Bottle purchased in July in Niagara Falls, NY.

Pours slightly cloudy, pale straw yellow. Nice white head that retains, though only laces lightly. Lots of spice on the nose though accompanied by an off-putting aroma of vegetal that is quite clearly cauliflower. This is not what I'm looking for in a beer. A bit of faux-lemon in the crisp and dry body of the beer. Once again it isn't sitting well for me for what I want in a beer. The body though does have a nice black pepper taste to it... Dry and perfect mouthfeel with crisp carbonation, though the oddity of the aroma and taste knock this one right down...

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 00:36:17 | More by kjyost

BeerZack

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Light golden blonde color with a touch of haze and nice fluffy head that sticks a bit in little clumps.
Hoppy and yeasty aromas. Lemony citrus twang with some astringent bitter grassy smell and spicy phenolics.
Sweet and lemony citrus on the front with a weird almost aspiriny mid leading to a spicy and alcoholic finish.
Feels a little sharp on the palate, but not wholly unpleasant. Overall this beer kinda reminds me of one of those nefarious "Belgian IPAs" made with American hops. Pretty drinkable due to crisp light body and spicy hop finish. Not exactly what I'd call beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2010 19:28:31 | More by BeerZack

Jmamay22

New York

3.28/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Cork popped and beer poured reveals a orange colored amber beer with a slight haziness with thin head. Smells of fruity yeast and pineapple lemony hops.

The flavor is less distinct and loses some of the fruity complexity in the scent. The lemon hops, which I imagine is from the sorachi developed hops (never had sorachi before) is prevalent. While this may have been the goal of Brooklyn brewery it comes off as a one note beer without much depth. Mouthfeel is lively and the beer finishes extremely dry. It would be interesting to see wider use of the hops to offer some variety, but I have never seen another beer advertised using this variety.

An interesting beer that I'm glad I tried, but Unlikely I would purchase again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 20:38:18 | More by Jmamay22

bceagles39

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the big bottle at home.

Pours a light straw color with vigorous carbonation fizzing up to a billowy white head. Good lacing. Slightly cloudy but not as much as expected.

Subtle aroma, a little funky.

Dry. Grasslike/earthy flavors. Not very hoppy, a slight pale maltiness.

Smooth, nice finish, no bitterness; high drinkability, alcohol content doesn't seem as high as the 7.6 ABV listed on the bottle.

Honestly it drinks like a very complex light lager to me.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 00:51:29 | More by bceagles39

SirSketch

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - The bright white, shampoo foam head is a beautiful sight, and the beer itself is pale gold and fairly clear throughout.

S - Boatloads of peppercorns and coriander spiciness mixed with a grassy, vegetal hop character, as well as some lemon.

T - The taste is not what you could expect. The spice is now a bit more like holiday spice. There is a woody, tree bark flavor and a taste I can only describe as lemon Pledge, which I attribute to the hops. It's not too bad, but definitely different.

M - Crisp, but not overly dry. Fizzy, with a light to medium body.

O - The strange flavor here must be the Sorachi Ace, and I am not a fan. It would be better without it.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 02:54:50 | More by SirSketch

bigflatsbeerman

New York

3.3/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

Appearance: What I think a saison should look like, a hazy golden color.
Smell: A very pronounced lemon scent.
Taste: I liked the first half pint of the 750 ml bottle (noteworthy: this is a 100% fermented ale). The rest was a chor as I found the "lemony fresh" smell and taste to be too much (if it was a claening product it would be spot on).
Mothfeel: Light, this would be a great summer beer, which saisons were designed for.
Overall: Average, I like the fact they did a saison and 100% bottel conditioned, but I am not a huge fan of the lemon taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 23:59:30 | More by bigflatsbeerman

brureview

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a beautiful amber color with a 4 finger head.

A strong lemon smell from the head, and a well carbonated mouth feel.

The finish was very lemony, but not fruity-smooth as in other saisons, and the bitterness seemed out of place in this style.

Overall worth trying to compare with other saisons. I prefer a mellower saison with more fruited presence and less alcohol in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 02:39:15 | More by brureview

thekanna

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe; it was labeled Brooklyn "Brewmaster's Reserve" on their menu.

A: Served in a Belgian beer barleywine goblet. Hazy straw yellow, a bit reminiscent of the color of a good witbier. This was capped off with a thin white head around the rim.

S: Pear and lemon zest, a bit of funkiness; some horse blanket, grass, and medicinal aromas also.

T: Medicinal herbs, pear, lemon, generic citrus zest, slight earthiness, and some horse stall funk. Ended in a slightly bitter, herbal medicine-type hop flavor. Medicinal taste with horse blanket was a bit off-putting.

M: Medium-bodied and juicy with ample effervescent carbonation.

D: Definitely a unique taste, but I think I'm good with having it just once.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2010 15:21:08 | More by thekanna

dca1972

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sorry if Ive got this wrong ... long time member, first time reviewer.

A ... Light, golden
S ... Floral, bright, hoppy
T ... Creamy hop character
M ... bubbly, light

Has a lingering taste that changes. More Pils than Saison. Unexpected ABV @ 7.5%
Impressive offering from Brooklyn Brew
Seems to mellow as it breathes, warms

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2011 22:13:34 | More by dca1972

Wadsey

Indiana

3.35/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Served in New Belgium globe glass

A: Pours clear pale gold with 3-inch, white head that crashes quickly and leaves modest lacing. Great effervescence. 

S: White pepper and perfume/floral notes. Lot of lemon on nose, too. Some grainy malts are also evident. 

T: A touch of malty sweetness before pepper spice, grains and lemon take over.  Medium bitterness. Finish is lemon peels and lemon zest. 

M: Medium body and medium-heavy carbonation. Creamy, soft mouthfeel despite robust carbonation. 

O: Sorachi Ace hops fit well with  Saison yeast, a little too well, perhaps. This beer is quite simple, but I do find it reasonably enjoyable. 

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 09:47:25 | More by Wadsey

jamie2dope

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I have had this a couple times from the tap, but this will be my first time from the bottle. The color is golden straw, with tons of air bubbles, and a very large, frothy white head. I have to say that when I tried it last, it had a sort of burnt rubber aroma to it, which I attributed to the Sorachi Ace hops. In this case, there is still some of that, but significantly toned down, and more dominated by tropical fruit such as papaya, mango, as well as some dry grain. The flavor starts out on the sweet side, with the fruit coming through nicely, and then ends on a more bitter note from the hops. The mouthfeel is lively, and quite nice on the palate, with prickly carbonation. One glass is enough for me right now, though I will definitely be finishing this bottle over the next few days. Unfortunately, the problem with this beer is what it is centered around: the Sorachi hops. At least for me, this is not a preferable varietal. On the flip side, good for Brooklyn for jumping on this new hop strain.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 02:30:46 | More by jamie2dope

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.4/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours a very light and hazy whitish gold color with an absolutely huge white head that forms a solid sponge.

S: Smells very Belgian with apricots, figs, some pastry malts and a hint of coriander spice.

T/M: There is a very high amount of carbonation and a light hoppiness up front with some lemon and vanilla notes, biscuit malts followed by apricot bring up the reasonably clean finish.

It’s good, pretty complex and very well balanced. This isn’t the boldest of beers but it’s good. But, I mean, look at that label, huh?

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 22:46:10 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.41/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

On tap at The Brickskeller. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a light straw lemon color with some haze. Good white head. Nose is lemon, grass, and a bit of earth. The taste brings out lemon, grass, some herbs, and a hint of earth. Bitter and dry. Drinks well.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 22:27:58 | More by Thorpe429

TheycallmeTim

New York

3.43/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Growler from Bierkraft in Brooklyn poured into a Hennepin flute.

A--Bright, bright yellow--the color of Troegs Sunshine Pils--with a two finger rocky head. Lots of lacing, plenty of bubbles while sitting throughout the tasting, even in a glass without a nucleation point. Very snappy looking beer, especially in the heat.

S--Heavily floral, with an oddly biting peppery back end. This is some weird hop action. No pine, no citric notes except massive LEMON I could pick up. There's also enough coriander to make an herbal tea out of. Yeast may lend some pepper, too. Malt is non-existent in the nose.

T--And the flavor spectrum. That's ok, especially given the season. Not like I was expecting much in that dept. anyway from the color. Let's stick to the hops, since they're supposed to be spotlighted. Like the nose, the flavor is very lush floral up front immediately--just a waterfall of like rose petals. Like that scene in American beauty except with beer instead of a naked high school girl. Hops quickly pan out into something more earthy and herbal, and the peppery bite of the nose is even bigger due to the (over)use of coriander. The spice really overpowers this hop-focused saison, and it tastes, honestly, more like an imbalanced wit than a farmhouse ale. The yeast from Brooklyn is just too, um, everyday (i wanna say boring but think that's too harsh) to warrant anything Belgian about it, I feel. But the hops finish is bitter and full and satisfying.

M&D--Creamy, champagne-like mouthfeel. Excellent. Drinkability takes a hit only because I'd rather see a pale ale or something that highlights the hop more, since the variety has such a damn interesting flavor profile. I feel like its characteristics are a bit obscured because of the style the brewery chose. But it does go down smooth and easy.

A big beer, not a subtle beer--and that's where I think it falls short. Brooklyn doesn't really impress when it tries to do complex, high-end brews, because they tend to blur together. Blindfolded I couldn't say I could pick this out from a Local 1. But maybe that's just me.

Serving type: growler

08-05-2009 22:26:59 | More by TheycallmeTim

canjeeps

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very excited to pop this one with Bottlequeststeve. Picked it up at wegmans a few months ago for $12ish. Any to the brew
A- very gold to light gold color. Very well carbonated. Bubbles were sticking on the sides of the glass. Decent head

S- very Saison like. Earthy a touch of sweetness and then I got the Sorachi hop presence. Quite strong hop smell

T- the first sip was like how it first smelled. Good at first then ingot pounded by the hop bitterness. I like hops but this one was just bitter and outbid balence.

M- good, exactly what it should be for this style

O- this one was disappoint. It was just to bitter and not in a good way. Maybe with some more time the hop bitterness will fade

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 15:24:28 | More by canjeeps

PorterLambic

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Arrives clear and golden with a full finger plus of white foam sitting atop. Drops to a thickish film while leaving copious lace behind.
Smell is weak but notes of wheat, wet cardboard, oak and some faint malt and lemon.
Taste is exactly as expected with malt, wheat, oak, lemon (faint), and light spice notes.
Fairly full bodied for a saison with solid but not overwhelming effervescence throughout. A solid brew.

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2012 00:23:26 | More by PorterLambic

jsled

Vermont

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Corked+caged 750ml bottle, bought at Winooksi Beverage Warehouse, into Sam Adams Sensory Pint glass.

Appearance: slightly hazy golden straw. Thick, solid head, ~2 inches, supported and reinforced by copious carbonation.

Smell: citrus. slight barnyard funk.

Taste: bubblegum. slight funk. citrus rind. relatively balanced between initial sweet/tart bright citrus flavor and lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: slightly bitting due to high carbonation, slightly tart, but light and pleasant.

Drinkability: pretty nicely balanced, crisp and clear, a little funky for a bit too long, but it comes back into harmony.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 21:42:09 | More by jsled

Tilley4

Tennessee

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Finally getting to give this one a try after hearing some good things from various folks...

A nice cloudy yeasty looking pour topped by one very impressive head... Very much looks the part of a Saison for sure...

The yeasty aromas dominate all the way here with the slightest tinge of hop aromas on the back end... Lots of lemon or lemongrass one present... Very earthy aromas as well..

Citrusy lemony wheat flavors mingle with the yeast presence here and blend fairly well... Not sure if it's an elite Saison but a pretty good effort nonetheless...

I liked it fairly well.. Not sure if I would revisit it at the price point but I'm sure glad I got to try it out...

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 18:27:20 | More by Tilley4

kbnooshay

New York

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Big corked and caged bottle with an attractive label, especially the back. Poured a hazy glowing light golden straw color withe a billowing frothy white head that holds shape when you finger it. Shrinks in a few minutes leaving minimal spotted lacing. Smells lemony with light herbal grassy verge notes. This doesn't taste like your average saison. The citrus notes are great but the sorachi hops are odd. There is a weird medicinal earthy taste from them. Fairly bitter for a saison. Feel is light to medium. Drinkable, but again the unique grassy medicinal taste kinda puts me off a little.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 23:30:19 | More by kbnooshay