The weather and the mugs are frosty!
Brooklyn drinkers seeking an antidote for winter weather can discover a new option on the shelf. Brooklyn Brewery has switched up its seasonal offering this year, replacing its usual Winter Ale with an Insulated Dark Lager. The new brew was designed for drinking from late fall through early spring, but it truly shines now that winter grips the borough of Kings, said the brewery’s founder.
“Insulated is a lighter in body, but it’s got much more pronounced roasty and chocolatey flavors to it,” Steve Hindy said. “We were looking for a little more of a richer beer — something nice and bracing when you’ve just come into the house after walking home in 20-degree weather.”’
The brewery’s previous cold-weather brew, the Winter Ale, had been in production for 10 years, and Hindy felt it was time for a change.
“We like to change things up and give our customers something new,” said Hindy. “And of course our best selling beer is Brooklyn Lager, so I’ve always wanted to do a dark lager.”
Generally lighter than ales, lagers are a Brooklyn tradition. There were four dozen breweries in Brooklyn in the 19th century and most were run by Germans making a strong, traditional lagers for their fellow immigrants, said Hindy.“We based Brooklyn Lager on what they were brewing here, and Insulated Dark Lager is in that tradition,” Hindy said. “They are great companion beers.”
Words like “insulated” and “dark” may evoke thoughts of a heavy-in-alcohol brew, but Insulated Dark Lager’s 5.6 percent alcohol by volume content is right on par with most of the brewery’s year-round brews, and it is lower than the Winter Ale’s 6.1 percent. So even if you fill up on a few, you can trek into Brooklyn’s wintry wilderness while still being quick on your feet.
But Hindy does not have to venture into the snowy streets to get some of the new brew. He has Insulated Dark Lager on tap at his Gowanus home and is making good use of it — he is on his second keg of the winter.
Brooklyn Brewery’s Insulated Dark Lager is available at basically every grocery store in Brooklyn.
