Garrett Oliver's Local 2 for the Brooklyn Brewery has been a long time coming, as I thoroughly enjoyed the Local 1 upon it's release a couple of years back. So, let's pop the cork and see what we've got:It pours a deep brown color with a puffy off-white head that has a bit of creaminess to it. As it dissolves an almost soap-like residue is left on the glass.
Aromas come through as fruity with a bit of tartness. There's a bit of alcohol here, along with some honey and maybe a touch of floral notes, but darker fruit dominates.
The honey squeaks through much more in the flavor but still doesn't overcome the darker fruit notes. That said, the two provide a nice counter for each other and are also balanced by more of a general malt flavor than expected. It's earthy, with a bit of a toasted bread taste as well. The finish has a touch of what seemed to be brown sugar and left a bit of an alcohol taste lingering at the same time.
Not bad. I think my expectations were a bit high after the Local 1, and while I wouldn't put the Local 2 on that level, it is still a nice beer. I would absolutely drink this one again, but if you put it and the Local 1 in front of me and told me to pick, then I'd end up grabbing the Local 1 just about every time.
