REVIEW 106: SORACHI ACE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Brooklyn Brewery

STYLE:   Saison

ABV:  7.2%

PURCHASE:  Draft (13-oz.), $6.00

SERVING:  Tulip glass. Almost an inch-high head from the tap on the first beer; roughly an inch and a half on Rounds 2 and 3. Nice fluffy head with great retention.

APPEARANCE:  Effervescent and translucent golden-orange body with a meringue-like white head. Inconsistent, blotchy lacing around the glass. Bubbling not particularly visible.

BOUQUET:  Almost dead-even hop-malt balance. Big on citrus; very lemony. Also features seeming hints of white grape--it's slightly vinous aromatically. Rounded out by traces of pineapple and various subtle spices.

PALATE:  Moderate body that starts feeling comparatively light, but seems to weigh on you toward the end. Prominent carbonation that can snowball if held too long; otherwise benign, however. The through-line here is citrus, notably lemon zest. Hoppy accents are evident throughout--these are the almighty Sorachi hops for which this beer is named. Yeasty finish. A bit peppery from mid-palate onward. There's some other spice note or two or three that are hard to put a finger on: Caraway? Dill? Allspice? But that's okay; mystery is sometimes a pleasantly good thing. Aftertaste features a welome bitterness, rife with still-present spice, lemon, and hops.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  The hops in this one are called "Sorachi," named after the region of the same name in Hakkaido, Japan. According to Brooklyn Brewery's own website, they were originally developed in the late 1970s, but were too ill-received to warrant further promotion. So, they lay dormant in laboratories--that is, until a family on a farm in the Pacific Northwest decided to cultivate it. 

Today, it is the feature attraction in a fairly distinguishable saison. Spicier than many, if not most, this reviewer has had. More lemony than many, if not most, this reviewer has had. Hoppier than many, if not most, this reviewer has had. Better than many, if not most, this reviewer has had.



GRADE:  B+