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Brooklyn Brewery does good beer.  I've always been excited to try new things from their brewery, of course Sorachi Ace no exception.  A friend of mine had a box of bottle goodness at his house last night.  We were surfing through the collection and decided to make this our starter beer.  Since, we were so excited about it I also decided to make this my beer of the day (yesterday).  This is a saison (or farmhouse) style beer.  These are are mid level alcohol beers brewed in the winter time and meant to be drank in the hot summer months.  Farmers would brew this and bottle condition the brew in the cellar.  When summer rolls around and they finished their daily chores in the fields they would reward themselves with one of these nice often times complex brews.  BeerAdvocate describes this style as follows "many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness".

As for Sorachi Ace, I think it hit its mark on the complexity level.  There was so much going on with this brew I'm not sure where to begin.  Should I start with the extremely yeasty almost ester'sh smell coming from the popping of the cork?  Or should we go with the very acid lemony rind type taste that you get from the first sip?  This beer has a lot going on.  There was definitely an earthy quality to this beer as if the farmer wanted this beer to represent the fields he worked in.  It was not a bad beer in the least and definitely deserves a spot on the would try again list.  The beers name is actually the key character ingredient of this unique bottle.

The guys over at BrewDudes blog provided some information on the hop.  It was originated for Sapporo Brewery originally from Japan.  It has Lemony aroma and flavor.  With an acidity level range of 10.7 12.2%.  It is typically used for bittering.  It would be appropriate for any beer that is looking to add a little lemony goodness to it in particular the Saison style is probably.  This Sorachi Ace bottle actually states that this tastes like "sunshine in a glass".  I'm not sure that is the description I would use for this beer.  It was refreshing and light and fun.  Even with the champagne bottle conditioned yeast they used.  It was definitely well carbonated and bubbly.  The mouth feel did resemble a glass of champagne.  All in all it wasn't a bad beer.

On a side note, this is a farm house ale.  Farmers are a big part of this country and the world.  They work hard all year long to produce fruits, vegetables and meats so that we can feed our families.  They are the backbone of civilization in many ways.  When I think of Farmers and Farm Houses it usually takes me to a large family of people.  Sometimes 3 generations of people living under the same roof.  I normally envision multiple kids running around of all ages.  It just takes me to a simply time in my mind and a much quieter and calm world.  Last night, a conversion struck a chord with me having to do with our own mortality.  Dictionary.com defines mortality as "the state or condition of being subject to death; mortal  character, nature, or existence."  As I type this, I am thinking very much about my own life.  I love my wife, my children, my parents, and sister and her family, and am very blessed to have great friends all around me to enjoy this world with.  I want to send a heart felt thank you and appreciation out to them all for being there for me in the good times and the bad.  Mortality is a bitch - and every once in a while smacks you in the head.  Its a good thing though - it gives you a second to stop and appreciate everything you have and even appreciate the things you do not have.