December 18 - Brooklyn Brewery Insulated Dark Lager

Little Buffalo Covered Bridge all lit up for the Christmas Light Trail

Finally some cold weather in PA!  Just got home from taking the kiddos to see the Little Buffalo State Park light trail for the year and had an awesome time.  What better beer to warm up with than Insulated Dark Lager by Brooklyn Brewery?  My thoughts, exactly.  

For some reason, I tend to pass up the Brooklyn beer line.  Don't get me wrong, I've never had a beer from them that I hated, but maybe it's the branding.  I'm a sucker for a cool label and these are pretty bland.  I probably should stop judging a beer by its label.  Especially after this tasting...

Speaking of first impressions, let's get to the beer!

Pouring into a standard pint glass, this beer was a deep mahogany color with a creamy tan head on the top that lasted through the tasting.  The aroma was very pleasant sweet malt with hints of bitter citrus hops.  This beer was made with dark barley and the roastiness comes through in both the aroma and the flavor. 

Taste and smell do NOT go together here at all...

The flavor is a conglomerate of a roasted-malty-bitter-coffeeish-chocolate one with a citrusy hop finish.  At 5.6%, this beer is crushable for sure and still perfect for the winter months to warm up to.  I didn't expect too much here from this brew, but I definitely got my money's worth and more!  

Dear Brooklyn Brewery,

From here on out, I'll definitely be coming back to your beers because what you save in printing labels and new, fresh artwork, you clearly make up for in beer and the attention you put into brewing.

Sincerely,

Bryan

PS - 

I give you a 4 out of 5 for this delicious beer tonight...thank you!