Breakfast Beer Tasting: Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

Today’s little morning perk-me-up beer is from Brooklyn Brewery. They are, of course, from New York and are one of the best known American brands on these shores. This is Garrett Oliver’s take on a classic British style.

It’s a 355ml bottle and is 6.9%. It poured light amber with good carbonation and a fluffy white head. The aroma was what you might expect: mainly earthy hops, malt and a little bit of pine. Mouthfeel was quite smooth and the flavours hit you straight away. The main hit is a surge of tingling bitterness. You certainly get the herbal characteristics of the English hops and whilst there is some biscuit malt and citrus tones, they are in the background.

The flavour surge gives way to a nice dry finish and leaves the impression of a quite pleasant English IPA. It’s not the best I’ve had-not enough balance and, if anything, tasting a little too weak despite being nearly 7%, but it’s certainly worth trying a bottle or two.