Christmas in July at Taco Mac! Isn’t that special. The place is decked out with trees, wreaths and string lights everywhere, which to me is pretty cool indeed. I’ve been drinking some great holiday brews here my friends, though I’m a little puzzled at how Brooklyn Bel Air Sour is a Christmas beer. Yet, there it is, released as part of Taco Mac’s Christmas in July promotion.
I can tell you this is more of a light refreshing summer brew than one I would recommend during the (December) holiday season. It’s part of the Brooklyn Brewmaster series, draft only you see, so the fact I am lucky enough to try it might be construed as a Christmas gift. Perhaps that’s the connection….
From the Brooklyn website:
What is it that we love so much about our favorite cars? …..In between surf sets, our lab manager, Drew, dreamed wistfully about his old car as he worked to isolate our unique Brooklyn souring lactobacillus. When the beer was finally done, what would we call it?
Well, Bel Air, of course - Drew’s beautiful old car….a thrilling jolt of tartness up front opens onto a riot of tropical fruit, courtesy of our lacto, our ale yeast, and a generous helping of Amarillo dry-hopping. Soft barley malts and wheat keep things dry and refreshing, and the whole thing comes together like a blend of Champagne, hops, and an unusually good pineapple.
Ingredients, also from the website:
Malts: 2-row, pale wheat
Additions: Lactobacillus, cultivated in our lab
Hops: Challenger, Perle, Mosaic, Amarillo
Yeast: Our House Ale Yeast
Brooklyn Bel Air has an alcohol content of 5.8% by volume. And I paid $5.75 for a full 20-ounce mug.
My mug of Brooklyn Bel Air Sour arrived a bright yellowish color with a moderate head of foam and a tart acidic nose that hints at passion fruit. Taking a sip. I get tart wheat upfront with a hint of caramel (just a hint), then a tart vinegar sourness dries the beer while hints of tropical fruit poke through as it progresses.
A wonderful summer refresher from Brooklyn, one of America's best breweries!
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft