(Brooklyn, NY) – Replacing Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse as a special 750ml release in 2010 will be Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. The recipe is the same as when it first came out in the Brewmaster’s Reserve Series. The only change is that it’s going from draft-only to bottle-only. The brewery will play its Ace starting May 1st.

Here is the commercial description: “Every two months Brewmaster Garrett Oliver and company turn out a new and inventive beer. We call these draft-only releases our Brewmaster’s Reserve. The latest batch goes by the name of Sorachi Ace. Here’s what Garrett has to say about it: Most Brooklyn beers are made with a blend of hop varietals. As a chef does with spices, we look to get the best qualities of each hop and create a harmony of flavors and aromas. However, a few years ago, we ran into a hop unique enough to deserve its own moment in the sun.

A large Japanese brewery first developed the hop variety “Sorachi Ace” in 1988. A cross between the British “Brewer’s Gold” and the Czech “Saaz” varieties, it exhibited a quality that was unexpected – it smelled really lemony. The unique flavor of Sorachi Ace was bypassed by the big brewers, but we think it’s pretty cool. Brooklyn Sorachi Ace is a classic saison, a cracklingly dry, hoppy unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, but made entirely with now-rare Sorachi Ace hops grown by a single farm in Oregon. We ferment it with our special Belgian ale strain, and then add more Sorachi Ace hops post-fermentation. After the dry-hopping, the beer emerges with a bright spicy lemon zest aroma backed by a wonderfully clean malt flavor. It tastes like sunshine in a glass, and that suits us just fine, especially with seafood dishes. Time to get your summer on, people.”

Beer Stats:

Malts: German two-row Pilsner
Hops: Oregon-grown Sorachi Ace
Yeast: Our Special Belgian strain
O.G.: 14 Deg. Plato
ABV: 6.5%
100% bottle re-fermentation