First Posted: 8/28/2014
Description – Brooklyn Blast! pours a slightly hazy golden amber color with frothy white head that sticks around for a while leaving behind a thick web of lacing on the glass. The aroma is full of delicious biscuit and caramel notes up front with a wonderful hop aroma dancing in background bringing a bouquet of earthy and citrus hops forward, the hops are slightly restrained in the aroma. The taste follows the nose, but in reverse. Instead the hops hit the palate up front with strong citrus notes of oranges, grapefruit, and even a hint of lemon leaving no doubt that the aroma was a bit deceiving, but soon sweet biscuit and caramel malt follow and leave behind a refreshingly dry finish. The medium body and moderate carbonation create the perfect canvas on which to paint with these beautiful hops. This is a decidedly east coast styled IPA, meaning it is not aggressively hoppy and instead is more subtle in its hop usage which makes Brooklyn Blast! an extremely easy drinking beer and a must try for all IPA fans.
Food pairing – As with all IPA’s Brooklyn Blast! is best served with very spicy foods. If you are a fan of Thai dishes such as Tom Yam Goong, Gaeng Garee Gai (Yellow Curry with Chicken), or Mussaman Curry this is the perfect beer to have on hand for a pairing. This is also a great beer with spicy Mexican food, the spicier the better! The hops in Brooklyn Blast! will grab onto the spices and never let go and the sweet malt bill will follow quickly and put out the raging fire occurring on your palate, so do not be afraid to put a habanero in your burrito, this is a beer that can handle it! If you aren’t much of a spice fanatic this is also a great beer to pair with everyday foods like hamburgers, pizza, BBQ, whatever you prefer, this is a beer with a strong backbone which makes it great to use for experimenting, so try pairing Brooklyn Blast! with your favorite dish!
The Final Word – Brooklyn Brewery is a brewery that needs no introduction to craft beer lovers. They have long been in the forefront of the craft beer scene and are still one of the reigning champs in the craft beer industry. Many of their beers continually win awards throughout the world. Brooklyn Blast! is yet another fantastic beer from a fantastic brewery, not only is it a highly drinkable Double IPA, but it is incredibly smooth and gives no hint whatsoever to the 8.4% ABV locked inside. This second fact also makes it a dangerous beer though, so take it easy when drinking it. Brooklyn Blast! has all the great qualities of a DIPA but without the overly bitter hop bite that some tend to have, instead it is very inviting and welcoming to beer drinkers of all backgrounds. So whether you are new to IPA’s or a hop devotee Brooklyn Blast! is a must try beer!
Rating – WWWWV
Where can I get it? – Currently available in 12 oz. bottles at: Backyard Ale House- Scranton; Exit 190 Beer Deli- Dickson City; Wegman’s- Dickson City; Sabatini’s Pizza- Exeter; What’s Brewin’ 6 Pack Ale Shoppe- Old Forge. Currently available on draft: Backyard Ale House
Remember, enjoy responsibly!
Cheers- Derek Warren
Derek Warren is a beer fanatic, avid homebrewer, and beer historian. Derek can be heard weekly on the Beer Geeks Radio Hour on 102.3 FM Saturdays @ 10 AM and his beer blog found @ IdTapThat.org
