This is a delicious dark beer that is the closest thing you’ll get to a Gouden Carolus Grand Cuvee Van De Keizer (Blue), plus, it’s cheaper! I just haven’t found out if it’s only made and released once a year in honor of some dignitary (given that it is brewed in Brooklyn, there probably aren’t any keizers around and Brooklyn royalty Larry King is, as of this posting, still alive). If it is brewed only seasonally, I really am in trouble. Robert and I bought a case of the Gouden blues because we love them and knew that time was running out. We have four left and they must last until next February. We probably won’t make it. So, after trying all of the other dark beers, we stumbled across this one at a Sprouts. It was nestled in between Budweiser (US urine) and Corona (“Mexican” urine). The name Brooklyn harkened me back to the days of 9/11, and so being the great amd patriotic American I am, I said, “Hell, yes, I am getting this $9 bottle of strangely sentimental-sounding beer!” Then I picked up my pack of dehydrated snap peas and organic muesli and made my way to the checkout (just kidding, the snap peas weren’t dehydrated!)
What we like about the Gouden is present in the Brooklyn 2: it is sweet and malty with hints of caramel and chocolate and it has a sweet finish. It produces a good head, which stays around for a few minutes before retreating. The color is a beautiful, dark amber–somewhat darker than the Gouden.
This beer gets an A for now.