THE BEER O’ THE IRISH (Brooklyn Brewery’s Dry Irish Stout at The Brazen Head)

My search for the best beer in New York continues….

I’ve been trying to visit a different bar each time I taste a new local beer on this journey. However, The Brazen Head was nearby and I was looking for a specific beer to taste. Since St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow (and I like to avoid overcrowded bars on the big day), I wanted to hunt down Brooklyn Brewery’s limited seasonal beer, their Dry Irish Stout. Thanks to Beer Menus, I discovered that The Brazen Head (which I visited a few months ago) was serving it on draft.

The place was a little more lively on this second visit, but I was able to score a table near the window. Since it was before 6, I also got a dollar off the beer.

The stout was dark brown with a tiny white head. My guess is that this style of beer would benefit from a larger amount of foam. Perhaps it was because it was on cask. That definitely contributed to the warmer temperature and restrained carbonation. I did find this to be a lot more pleasant than the recent casks I had tried at Birreria.

As expected, the beer smelled of chocolate and coffee with some buttery notes. The flavor pretty much matched the nose with hints of hazelnut and yeast coming through, but it had a dry (as advertised) and hoppy finish. The alcohol content was low (4.2% to be exact) and the body was nice and light.

Brooklyn’s version was not as creamy as say a Guinness, but it’s lightness and dark flavors make it very drinkable and a perfect drink of choice on the day of the Irish. Now if only they bottled this because you won’t catch me anywhere near a bar on March 17. Not even The Brazen Head.

Is Brooklyn Brewery’s Dry Irish Stout the best beer in NY? It’s a wonderful beer for the season that is full of flavor and easy enough to drink multiple pints. That deserves an 8 out of 10!