Beer #91 – April 4, 2010: Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55
To kick off baseball season, I’ll be sampling a few baseball-related beers over the next few days. Starting with the Opening Night game, Yankees vs. Red Sox, on my TV, I’m enjoying a Brooklyn Pennant Ale, a NY beer, while rooting for the Sox!
Beer: Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, New York
Style: Pale Ale
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Price: $8.99 / six-pack
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Glass Mug
Strength: 5.2% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Though brewed in America, this is not an American-style Pale Ale (i.e. big & hoppy like Sierra Nevada). This one is much more British in character, with a nice balance between caramel malt and earthy British hops.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Pours a reddish-amber hue with a foamy white head.
Aroma: Smells like a bakery: sweet and bready!
Mouthfeel: A little thin, but a moderate foamy carbonation lends body.
Taste: An initial sweet tea and mild caramel sweetness melds into a chewy, doughy middle reminiscent of a fresh soft pretzel. The hops come forward in the finish, earthy, herbal and grassy, with a touch of black-tea tannic bitterness for balance.
Pairing: Hot dogs, soft pretzels, and nine innings of baseball.
Trivia: The one and only championship won by the “wait ’til next year” Brooklyn Dodgers came in 1955 against the formidable rival New York Yankees. Three years later, the Dodgers left Brooklyn for sunny Los Angeles, leaving behind many broken-hearted fans. National League baseball returned to New York when the expansion Mets started in 1962, with their colors selected as a tribute to the two NL teams that moved from NY to California: black and orange from the Giants, and white and blue from the Dodgers.
