Brooklyn Bridge in the summer sunshine. Picture by Nigel Duncan Media

Steve Hindy ended a tour as the Middle East Correspondent for the Associated Press, covering conflict in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Sudan, with a souvenir.

On his last night in Beirut, Steve’s hotel was hit by a mortar barrage and a piece of shrapnel ended up in his body.

He returned to live in Brooklyn editing foreign news for Newsday, and started brewing at home.

Eventually, he enlisted his downstairs neighbour, banker Tom Potter, as a helper and Brooklyn Brewery was born.

The piece of shrapnel remains on his desk as the pair developed the beer.

Brooklyn’s past history has played a significant role in their philosophy.
It has long been the home of immigrants, movers, artists and creatives and was one of the most productive brewing centres in America the 19th century.

A total of 48 breweries in the area once churned out ten per cent of America’s beer, mostly brewed with hops and grains from New York State.

Brooklyn now has a strong portfolio and are now exporting. Their flagship is Brooklyn Lager, a smooth, refreshing drink with a wonderful colour and great head.

Ours was beautifully poured and ideal for a thirst-quencher after a stroll in the evening sunshine along Princes Street.

The portfolio of Brooklyn has grown into a wide-ranging collection of beers including hoppy Defender IPA, tart Bel Air Sour or roasty Brown Ale.

BLAST!, East IPA, Sorachi Ace and Pilsner are also available in selected outlets like Indigo Yard in central Edinburgh.

Seasonals include Brooklyn Summer Ale and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, like a Porter but surprisingly refreshing and light.

And so to our tasting. Brooklyn Scorcher IPA went well with pork scratchings during our tasting.

Flash-grilled king prawn Saganaki with a spicy tomato sauce and crumbled feta and slow-cooked potted brisket with grain mustard crème freche and sourdough bread was well-paired with Brooklyn Naranjito, the strong but not overpowering orange nose becoming apparent as soon as you lift the glass.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace paired wonderfully with Malayan chicken with sweet potato, coriander and lime and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout was a great accompaniment for banana and orange crepes and cooling orange sorbet.

My guest, Bill, has tasted Brooklyn in New York – he believes it tastes the same on the other side of The Pond – but he and I were not aware of the range.

The tasting provided an ideal platform to showcase the collection and it proved a real eye-opener. I’m off to ASDA to buy a selection. Cheers.

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Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.