Time for another craft beer review guys.  For today’s review I’m going to be trying the Local 1 produced by the Brooklyn Brewery located in Brooklyn, New York.

The Brooklyn Brewery continues to churn out solid brews and, unfortunately, I have only had this brew once before (from a shared bottle), so I’m really eager about giving it a go and giving it a proper review.  

Here’s the commercial description of the Local 1 from the website, brooklynbrewery.com:

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we forge barley malt and hops from Germany, aromatic raw sugar from Mauritius and yeast from Belgium into our latest  beer, Brooklyn Local 1. Behind the full golden color you’ll find an alluring  aroma, a dynamic complex of flavors, Belgian flair, Brooklyn fortitude and a dusting of our special yeast. To create this beer, we use the old technique of 100% bottle re-fermentation, a practice now rare even in Europe. It gives this beer a palate of unusual depth. Enjoy it locally or globally, as an aperitif or with your favorite dishes.

Let’s pour.

The Local 1 has an ABV of 9.0% and it comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle.

Poured into a chalice, this brew showed a hazy, orangish to yellow color.  A white head of very nice size was produced from a medium aggressive pour.  The collar was soft, smooth and kind of creamy.  The retention time was good and the lacing looked great.  It really hung onto the sides of the glass.  After it settled, a thin film stuck around on top of the liquid for most of the drink.  Also, the foam was easily regenerated with a quick swirl.

The nose was very yeasty and very bready.  It smelled similar to sour dough bread actually.  It was quite earthy and herbal too.  Spices of clove mixed with bits of pear and banana.  It also had a smell reminiscent of vanilla wafers.  Only the smallest amount of alcohol was detected deep within the aroma.  This bouquet was super well balanced, even and round.  I thought this was a beautiful smelling beer.

The taste brought forth more yeast and breads.  Spices of cloves and pepper and maybe even a bit of coriander.  Again, touches of pear and banana along with some sweet candied sugars.  It seemed to be a tad musty and herbal, but that only complimented the overall seasoning.  Like the fragrance, the taste was very well balanced with little to no alcohol present.  An extremely nice flavor in my opinion.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied, smooth and quite creamy.  It was rather dry and a touch chewy as well.  The carbonation was of medium standing and a small amount of warmth was felt from both the spices and the alcohol.  A decent amount of flavor was left covering the roof of the mouth and the tongue after each sip.

Well, we have a very, very good beer right here.  When I sampled this brew before, it was good, however I think this bottle, which had about 1 year of age on it, is much better.  It seemed to be a lot smoother, round and “calmed down”.  The drinkability is much better now too.  It has really developed into a wonderful beer that could be enjoyed year round.  I do believe that this is now one of my favorite beverages produced by the Brooklyn Brewery.  I would highly suggest that you give the Local 1 a try if you have yet to do so.  It’s a treat to drink that’s for sure.  Be sure to let me know what you think when you try it too.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  Remember to look me up on Twitter (@BeerApprentice) and/or on Google+ (Scott Shrewsberry) if you’d like.  I’d really enjoy the interaction.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.3 out of 5
Grade:  A