Today, I’m going to review a beer that I always see sitting on the shelves when I visit the liquor store.  It’s a beer that I always pick up, look at, ponder over, then set it back down and never buy.  Well… this time I took the plunge and bought a bottle.

I’m speaking of the Brooklyn Local 2 brewed by the Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York.

I wanted to start with the Brooklyn Local 1, but they were sold out, so I just got the Local 2 instead.  Anyhow, I’m glad I’m finally getting around to trying it.

The website, brooklynbrewery.com, had this to say about the Local 2.

Available all year round.  Here in Brooklyn we’ve combined European malt and hops, Belgian dark sugar, and raw wildflower honey from a New York family farm to create Brooklyn Local 2.

Our special Belgian yeast adds hints of spice to the dark fruit, caramel, and chocolate flavors.  After 100% bottle re-fermentation, the beer reveals a marvelous dry complexity, enjoyable by itself or at the dinner table.   

That’s a pretty enticing description.  Let’s get it in a glass. 

The Brooklyn Local 2 comes in a 25.4 oz bottle and has an ABV of 9.0%.

The brew poured a hazy, dark brown, rusty, copper color with several burnt orange highlights at the bottom of the glass.  The head was an off white color that was smooth, creamy and soft looking.  Mostly average in size and retention, however it did leave some attractive lacing on the sides of the glass.   Once the cap settled, it left a thick film right on top.

The nose began with a rather spicy clove followed by a sweet, dark grape tone.  It smelled rich and fruity.  Very similar to a “red” wine.  The hops seemed to be both earthy and floral.  In some ways it smelled like freshly cut roses.  I think I may have even found traces of fig in the bouquet too.  As it warmed, an alcohol zest started to show itself with more confidence.

With the first sip, I obtained a dark grape savor with a very yeasty astringency (also congruent with a wine profile).  Again, it was sweet, rich and mostly robust.  Some touches of the alcohol are also present in the taste.  After a few minutes it got a bit tart and sour with the sweetness.  A sugary/bready “pie crust” type of flavor was stumbled upon that I found to be very interesting and good.  The description mentions “honey” and “chocolate”, however I never found anything, in the smell or the taste, that I thought represented that.

The mouthfeel was medium, slightly sharp and dry with a good amount of flavor left behind.  Some welcome warmth was felt along with a touch of “burn”, which really opened the sensors.

This is a well made beer.  I can tell that much.  It’s sweet, bold, rich, and complex, however it wasn’t too easy for me to drink.  I did finish it and enjoyed it for the most part, but it may have been just a tad rich and sweet for me.  I did find that as I worked my way through it that it became a lot more tolerable and enjoyable.  I could have it again, but it’s not a beer that I would want on a regular basis.  With that being said, for sure give it a try.  It has received some very high marks from other reviewers.  You never know, it may be the beer that you are looking for.

Now I just need to try the Local 1!!!!

Thanks for reading and commenting guys.  As always, I really appreciate it.

Score:  3.75 out of 5
Grade:  B