Dry reedy-hopped nuttiness battles back brisk citric pining and varnished wood tones for unspecific medium-bodied dark ale. Phenolic nature and soapy undercurrent blur ashen walnut-roasted Brazil nut bittering and resinous hemp oiling.
Tag Archives: brown ale
PORT BOARD MEETING BROWN ALE
‘Amplified’ brown ale scatters judicious hop-charred bittering across dominant gourmet coffee roast. Creamy molasses-smoked black chocolate fudging and nutty cocoa nibs add further mocha splendor. Burnt caramel glazes hazelnut, cola and walnut undertones. Scrumptious espresso macchiato finish picks up wispy fresh-ground chili peppering. All in all, a robustly well-detailed dry body way beyond standard brown ale styling – comparing favorably with richer coffee stouts.
OSKAR BLUES/ SUN KING THE DEUCE BROWN ALE
On tap at Three Wise Monks, busy hybridized ‘hopped up’ brown ale collaboration pleats mocha porter sweetness to IPA-fruited dark saison souring. Chocolate-covered cherry tartness straddles soured red grape esters and ripe nectar juicing. Ashen hop bittering and chalky cocoa acridity contrast its chewy caramel core.
NATTY GREENE’S OLD TOWN BROWN ALE
Gunky peat soiling inundates dry cocoa-powdered chalking, nutty chocolate-coffee sentiment and dark-grained black breading. Coarse walnut-hazelnut smear stays ineffective.
8 WIRED C4 DOUBLE COFFEE BROWN ALE
Phenomenal Ethiopian coffee-beaned full body with bittersweet dark-roasted chocolate milking and sweet vanilla creaming perfect on its own or as a relaxing dessert treat. Oats-charred peat mossing, Baker’s chocolate respite, light espresso niche and mild hazelnut snip create busy backdrop. Compares favorably to coffee-enriched porters and java-based mocha stouts.
UNCOMMON BACON BROWN ALE
Negligible honey-glazed cured ham influence fails to adequately integrate with molasses-sapped brown chocolate spicing, astringent nuttiness and toasted buckwheat base. Strangely, Belgian-like candi-sugared fig and date sweetness picks up the slack. But phenol butternut, hazelnut and cola salting receives sour metallic solvency.
BIG MUDDY MONSTER INDIA-STYLE BROWN ALE
Happy marriage between robust brown ale and hop-centric India Pale Ale works dark chocolate nuttiness into citric-oiled hop resin and latent wood char. Burnt caramel malting picks up hazelnut molasses sweetness as recessive grapefruit, pineapple and tangerine fruiting dwells beneath.
EVIL TWIN HOP FLOOD
Ironically, Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast while I consumed this hybridized ‘hop-flooded’ amber-hazed brown ale. Grapefruit-peeled pine resin leads the way for citric-laden medium body. Fruited hop spicing heightens subsidiary toffee malting. Tertiary pineapple, prune and raisin illusions abound.
TERRAPIN/ SHMALTZ REUNION ALE (2012)
Invitingly diverted cinnamon-toasted Graham cracker frontage picks up huge dextrose-sugared cocoa nibs/ vanilla conflux for uniquely hybridized brown ale. Beneath, soft liquor-stained vodka smoothing cuts through sharp dried fruited spell and Cafe Du Mond chicory coffee niche. In deep recess, almondine, chestnut, toffee and milky Yoo-Hoo chocolate illusions add further richness.
BOXCAR BROWN ALE
On tap at Copper Mine, mildly creamed stove-burnt coffee persistence and astringent carbolic fizz outdistance anticipated peanut-shelled hazelnut-walnut roast. Brown-sugared burnt caramel, vanilla latte, toffee and almond untertones envelop grain-charred hop roast. Tertiary cedar snip and dried fig-cherry nip waver through peaty backend of resilient medium body.
OLD SCHOOLHOUSE UNCLE BIG’S BROWN ALE
Impressively nutty chocolate creaminess aligns brown-sugared vanilla, caramel nougat and coffee bean influence with hazelnut-walnut-almond conflux above oats-toasted hop roasting. Mossy tobacco leafing and musty cellar dankness drift by tertiary raisin-fig souring. Moderate-to-medium-bodied mocha splendor will appeal to wide ranging dark ale, nut brown, porter and stout fans.
THE DUCK-RABBIT BROWN ALE
Coarsely dry nut-bound medium body brings peanut-shelled walnut char and chicory coffee roast to ashen hop bittering. Raw-honeyed maple molasses sapping thickens ancillary brown-sugared chocolate malting and tertiary tar-like astringency. But advertised ‘spicy citrus bitterness’ lacks pep as a hybridized adjunct, leaving blackened grain roast to fend off latent charcoal acridity.
