Brooklyn Sorachi Ace - Brooklyn Brewery

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at the Roadhouse in Brookline, MA.

Fantastic stuff. You can tell it's unique from the first sip.

A - Very cloudy with a pale yellow hue. Fluffy head.

S - Very fruity, especially citrus.

T - Soft and creamy with a lot of citrus in the finish. I kept thinking of mangoes after each sip.

M&D - Very clean and fresh as soon as it hits your mouth. A little sour but it's inviting. Very easy to drink and highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2009 19:09:48 | More by Gatch

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Gramercy Tavern.

A-Pours a clear gold with generous white head and very good lacing.

S-Crisp lemongrass, some black pepper and Belgian yeast.

T-Following the nose, lots of lemon and black pepper notes. A bit of banana peeks through in the finish.

M-Light bodied and crisp.

D-Very nice and light. A little too much lemon limits the drinkability for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2009 19:53:12 | More by sholland119

plaid75

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at The Waterfront, Brooklyn.

Poured a hazy light straw hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and very good lacing.

The smell featured a sweet lemon and robust yeast esters.

The taste consisted of a zesty lemon, light grainy malt and spicy yeast esters.

The mouthfeel was light and refreshing.

Overall a very nice summer saison. This beer should be made in bigger batches, bottled and promoted for summer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2009 16:35:23 | More by plaid75

ShareANevada

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Hopleaf.

Pleased to try this new contender from Brooklyn. The goblet simply 'glowed' with this golden elixer. A bright luminescence never seen before in a saison, more keller or wit territory here.

Lively spicing jumps out, but is overpowered by fresh citrus and yeasty tones.

Super refreshing to the tongue. Even after a few stronger beers proceeding this, the flavor is captivating and quenching. The dryness keeps you wanting to drink more. This would make an epic lawnmower beer, yet is interesting and satisfying enough to be a daily drinker.

I could put down 3 pints of this fairly easy, after that, my attention may drift, but not many can stand that test.

An exceptional beer. Glad to try something so unique and refreshing.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2009 19:43:35 | More by ShareANevada

Nickls

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(From notes)

A - Bright yellow clear gold color; pure white frothy head that stayed around a while; good lacing

S - Light citrus at first, more lemony than anything; fruity; yeasty

T - Lemony fruitiness at first then you catch a more hop driven bite; biscuity and yeasty; definitely interesting stuff

M - Medium MF and a little slick; very soft carbonation

D - Really refreshing and interesting = easily drinkable. Lovely here

Overall, quite enjoyed the Sorachi hop flavors in this and very fun beer to drink. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2009 23:52:09 | More by Nickls

gory4d

New York

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a straw yellow with a dense, two-finger head, fairly clear. The smell is honeydew melon, hay, a little funk, some barley. The taste is more grain, lemon zest, mild funk, an intense bitter finish; it gets deeper and more complex as it warms. The carbonation is full, and it's medium in body: good to start off well-chilled, in this respect, but that's kind of at odds with the temp. at which it tastes best. It's an intense but enjoyable quaff; a couple of pints are plenty.

Serving type: growler

08-08-2009 05:41:26 | More by gory4d

Brianmerrilyn

New York

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At George Keely's had to try the new Garret special and any farmhouse ale I'm game for. Serived in in a tulip glass.

A:Hazey golden two finger tight retention head and sticky lace.

S: The nose gave off a spicy hoppy smell with candy caramels following in the distant background.

M: Medium to thicker body with a mouthfeel of tart/astrigent with high carbonation.

T: Your mouth gets a relaxed malt at first and then is stung with the various spices, corriander and clove coming to mind perhaps. You will detect the citrus theme along with slight toasted bready and grassy flavor. The yeast strain is very interesting with full body but moving more the to acidic side.

D: Spicey farmhouse ale that you will find from others but still has the body with hops which I'm not sure which and a strong malt backbone. Something I look forward to trying again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2009 04:14:22 | More by Brianmerrilyn

david18

New York

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A very interesting beer made with very interesting hops. I'm not sure how many of these I could drink but it is definitely worth trying. Had a glass at the local beer bar and it definitely had great appearance and carbonation and an interesting and unique flavor. A little weaker than i expected but a very good beer to try.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2009 20:53:14 | More by david18

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

m1ked

California

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Lucky me, this is the 3rd time I've had the opportunity at this beer. I want to get as much of this as I can before it slips through summers fingers.

A- Pours a bright clear golden color with a bunch of medium bubbles clinging all over the pint glass. A good 1 inch bright white foamy head which quickly transforms into a white ring. Looks refreshing.

S- It smells just like the Stone-Mikkeler- Alesmith collaboration to me. Light belgian sugary, touch of citrus, hint of butter, herbal notes, and a twinge of alcohol.

T- Those herbal notes come out like gang busters, and quickly reinforced with the lemony zest. That zestiness remains and coats the tongue. That zest has a bitter grapefruit hint at the end. Starts herbal, but clearly the lemon/citrus owns this palate.

M- Mild bodied with mild crisp carbonation, does not finish as dry as I would have liked, but overall good.

D- MMM-mmm is all I have to say. This is a great beer that will define this summers beer for me. This is a tasty, refreshing brew that I will continue to seek out as much as possible. I will say that Farmhouse is a loose style, I would never have guessed this to be one.

Serving type: growler

08-05-2009 00:33:12 | More by m1ked

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served chilled in a tulip.

A - Hazed golden w/ a 2 finger pillowy white head, The lacing is very good and clings in rings to the glass. The bead is small

S - Like prefermented wort w/ a caramel maltiness and an herbal lemony spicy hop aroma

M - Crisp, med high carbonation w/ med body and mild astringent feel which also is contributed to by resinous/oily hop texture which has a dry spicy finish

T - The taste is filled with grainy light malt w/ a caramel note and toast element juxtapozed w/ a very herbal and lemony hop flavor that has a grassy light tannic tinge. The astringency is moderate w/ a crisp citrus finish. The balance between the Sorachi ace and yeast/malt combo is great giving a full herbal taste with a malty backbone

D - A bit highly spiced after the first and slightly acidic but plenty of malt character lends to the drinkability factor. A unique beer which I really enjoyed and could have probably handled several , very refreshing and full of flavor.

My second chance to have this great beer was at Ebenezer's Pub in Maine - served in a goblet
A -4.5 S - 5 M - 4 T - 4.5 D - 5

A - A sunny golden color w/ mild haziness and fluffy like meringue white cream w/ thick 2 fingers - the film of lace clings long after the head recedes

S - A floral -LEMONY dessert like aroma w/ herbal hop nose- lots of fruit esters from the saison yeast add depth to the smell

M - The feel is slightly, well not really slightly sweet...more sweet than spiced or bitter, but it works. herbal tinged w/ slightly spiced and tangy aspect w/ subtle astringent hop to give it depth.

T - Wow, the flavor of this is so unique like the hop it utilizes - The saison has so much Sorachi Character -and the saison yeast adds a gentle juicy qualtiy w/ herbal hop grass and light sweet malt edges it is delcious in its lemony hop and sweet saison uniqueness

D - I can't think of a beer I would want to sip on one after another more than this -wonderful drinkability - it is restrained when it needs to be and pushy in the most pleasant way. Elegant and yet dramatic with palate pleasing qualities
A kickass beer that I can't wait to try in bottles!

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2009 11:30:43 | More by Slatetank

mark1703

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer at the Vermont festival on 7/18. I was well into the festival by the time I came to this beer, so may review may be a bit off. Very aromatic hoppiness. Very floral with fruity notes. A different hop flavor or something. It was very drinkable as I spent a ticket on a second sample. I ordered a sixtel for this weekend, so I plan on getting to know this beer better. Definitely a unique beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2009 01:19:22 | More by mark1703

samoblue

California

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Kudos to rtepiak for adding this beer, a brew I first tried about a week ago and have sought out all over NYC ever since. This review comes from the pint I had at The Pony Bar in New York City on 7/28/09.

Pours a surprisngly light pale yellow, a tad brighter and more vibrant than your standard BMC but otherwise not much different. A satisfying finger of tight, creamy head crested the top of the pint glass.

The aroma is the first indication that this beer is something special. Floral notes unlike anything I'd ever smelled in a beer before--must be the Sorachi? (Which, I'll admit, I had to Google). Lemon, chamomile, and honeysuckle also contribute.

Taste is very floral and honeyed, but finishes quite dry. Carbonation is high, but bubbles are fairly tight so the bite isn't overpowering. Feels a bit thin on the mouthfeel, but for such a delicate beer that's probably to be expected, and given the heat we had last night, was quite welcome.

I found this to be a very drinkable beer (I had a full growler of it last Friday night), but at 6.5% it is NOT the session beer that its initial color might lead you to believe. Some may find it too flowery for their tastes, but I thought it was a beautiful beer in its delicacy. Will definitely look for this again, before it's gone forever.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2009 15:12:38 | More by samoblue

rtepiak

Poland

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

i'm putting this up on the basis of what i had on tap at the hop leaf. by this name exactly. i haven't had all the saisons by brooklyn so it may be differently named perhaps. so if i'm off let someone know.

"Sorachi ace is a little used hop that japanese brewers created by crossing czech saaz w/ UK brewers gold. its now grown in oregon." (some backup info from hopleaf)

the beer was an eccentric saison that pours rather pale golden murky but with a wonderful tight sticky head. nose of rich herbal lemon predominately. lemon grassy, coriander, clove, licorice, and a whole lot of dandelion. rather italian in spice. robust. palate is surprisingly meaty with a lot of chamomile and what would seem like miso soup doughy. deep greens bitter that's earthy mineral but mild when blended with the lemon. although the lemon is vibrant its not very forward. the herbal quality of the beer makes it rather dry with a soft fruit sweet and predominant herbal finish. here along with the herbs do you notice the pollen and the honey of the blend. burps up lemon grass due to the lively carbonation but not bitter. mild sweet honey finish.

all in all a very unique and balanced beer with a malt character and a carbonation that seem to work with its herbal forwardness and unique hop quality. a treat.

had it again a few days later again at the hopleaf... first of the keg.

this time much leaner and not as much murk. not as herbal but just as cream of a head. seems a bit easier to take. very floral this time around. definitely a honey saison with a twist. hops had the same lemon grassy but also very pollen and a very slight sweet pineapple. but not something that made the whole beer sweet. style a large about of flower qualities. chamomile, dandelion, and honeysuckle. much crisper though. clean with only hints of a dense herb. actually quite similar to the Bière De Miel Biologique by dupont this time around outside of the that still unique but interesting miso soup doughy i mentioned earlier. better this time around though.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2009 06:24:52 | More by rtepiak