Local 1
Brooklyn Brewery

Local 1Local 1
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From:
Brooklyn Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
Ranked #11
ABV:
9%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,323
Avg:
4.12 | pDev: 11.65%
Reviews:
934
Ratings:
2,119
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 15, 2022
Added:
Feb 18, 2007
Wants:
  192
Gots:
  402
Brewed with German malts and hops, first-pressing Demerara cane sugar from Mauritius, and a Belgian yeast strain. 100% bottle re-fermentation; OG=18.5; AE=1.7. Classified as a "strong saison" by Garrett Oliver.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StoutHunter:
Photo of StoutHunter
Reviewed by StoutHunter from Michigan

3.77/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I picked up a bottle of Brooklyn's Local 1 a couple months ago for $8.99 at The Lager Mill. I've only tried one of big corked and caged bottles from Brooklyn and I thought I would give this one a try, so lets see how it goes. 2014 Vintage. Poured from a brown 750ml corked and caged bottle into a Belgian tulip.

A- The label looks nice, it's got a nice design to it, but it isn't that eye catching. It poured a pretty hazy yellow color that took on more of a golden color when held to the light with two and a half fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left a little bit of sticky lacing behind. This is a good looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the Belgian yeast being the first to show up and it imparts more of a spicy aroma with some cloves seeming to sticking out the most. Up next comes the malts which impart some bready, a little doughy, pale malts and slightly grainy aromas and it's followed by a nice fruity aroma with some pears and apples coming through. This beer had a pretty nice aroma that was true to style.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma, but a little lighter and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with the belgian yeast being the first to show up, but it imparts a lighter spice aspect this time with no single spice sticking out the most. Up next comes the malts which impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma with pale malts seeming to sticking out the most and it's followed by just a little bit of those fruity aspects that I got in the aroma. On the finish there's some earthy hops and a higher amount of low bitterness with a pale malt and fruity aftertaste. This was a pretty nice tasting beer, the flavors were a little lighter than I expected.

M- Fairly smooth, very crisp, prickly, pretty dry on the finish, medium bodied with a high amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel was pretty nice and it worked well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and i thought it was a nice example of the style, sometimes it can be hard for American brewers to do these Belgian styles justice, but this one seemed to have just about everything that the style should have. This beer had ok drinkability, it was fairly smooth, very crisp, prickly, pretty dry on the finish, not too filling and the taste just did an ok job at holding my attention, half the bottle is enough for me, anymore than that and the carbonation might start to wear on me. What I like the most about this beer was how true to style it was, it's just what I expect from a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. What I liked the least about this beer was the taste, it wasn't bad, but I thought it was going to be a little brighter than it was. I might buy this beer again if I'm in the mood for the style and I would only recommend it if your a big fan of the style. All in all I liked this beer, but it was still just a little rough around the edges, but I think for an American example of the style it's better than most. It's not a favorite beer from this brewery and while it's not a favorite of the style, it was one of the better american ones I've had. Nice job guys, this was a solid Belgian Strong Pale Ale, keep it up.
Feb 26, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.81/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml "champagne"-corked bottle, shared at local tasting, thanks to Sigrid S. ABV is 9%. Pale golden colour, large white head. Sweetish and spicy aroma, some stale notes. The flavour is better, spicy notes, not too sweet, very drinkable.
May 15, 2022
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Unknown vintage (most likely 2014-2016); drank 6/28/21 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy dark orange appearance with champagne bubbles throughout.

A slow pour yielded a nice, noisy white head; almost no lace.

Apple juice & library book notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Apple juice, library book & apple cider flavors; a nice carbonation bite and a hint of booze heat.

This has aged nicely into a stately experience. I'd love to try a fresh one, but I'm not sure they even make it anymore!
Jun 29, 2021
 
Rated: 4.15 by GaryM6 from New York

Jan 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.87 by SViterileroux74 from Texas

Jan 09, 2021
 
Rated: 4.18 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jun 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.14 by StoutBoi from New York

Jun 05, 2020
 
Rated: 4.8 by Unitspin from Massachusetts

Mar 29, 2020
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled mid August 2018, purchased at The Market in Bantam.

A clear golden orange with a large white head with excellent retention and lacing this looks great. The nose is soft, spicy, mildly floral with a light citrus, honey, a light toasted grain, mild nutty note, a light grains of paradise note. Moderately yeasty with some and a mild bubblegum note. The palate opens mildly yeasty with spicy, mildly bubblegum like with a blend of grain, light toast, a light floral honey note and a grainy and spicy bitterness. Light cumin and grain of paradise spicy flavors, along with a faintly smoky note. Highly carbonated, this beer is light in body and mildly sweet. Effervescent, this pairs well with the festive season.
Jan 01, 2020
Photo of mothmanscott
Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From notes 5/1/12: Pours a hazy gold with 1.5 inches of white, fluffy, lasting head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma is fruity and peppery. Taste is apple, pear, peach, pineapple, honey, pale malt with a low level hop presence and a dry, sweet, well maybe bittersweet finish. Alcohol while well-hidden does add a spiciness and slight, smooth warmth. It's presence does increase as the beer warms. This brew is sweet and the balance suffers some from the total lack of bitterness. Mouthfeel is light-medium with high carbonation, smooth and dry.
Oct 23, 2019
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4.09/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
At least medium body with above average carbonation.
Aroma is clove,banana, bubblegum, yeast and candi sugar
Taste is similar to aroma, nice balance between sweet and a gentle hop bite.
This was an excellent surprise that I would look to try this again
Oct 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.43 by gooddaydiablo from Texas

Sep 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4.2 by Luckydog91 from Texas

Apr 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.3 by KiwiBrent from New York

Apr 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by wroywel from Massachusetts

Mar 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.98 by solarbrad from Texas

Mar 03, 2019
Photo of RockHop
Reviewed by RockHop from Massachusetts

4.27/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Highly carbonated. Cork pops like a rocket. Nice malty, yeasty, estery flavor profile. Peach cobbler and apricot on the nose and tongue; changes with every sip and swirl. Spicy and prickly feel. Notes of champagne and dry finish. Deep orange/amber and gold color. Some sediment haze at the end of the bottle.
Feb 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by heysuz from Indiana

Jan 13, 2019
Photo of sunsjammer
Rated by sunsjammer from Arizona

4.27/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Undated 1 pint 9 oz bottle from Craft Beer Quik Stop purchased Nov 2018.
Dec 29, 2018
Local 1 from Brooklyn Brewery
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 2119 ratings