The Whale
Community Beer Works (New York) in Buffalo, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Brown Ale Regular|
Score
7.28
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The Whale is an unmistakable brown ale; smooth, surprisingly drinkable and packed with flavor. We layer distinctive English malts with a touch of hops to create flavors and aromas of coffee, chocolate and toasted grains
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6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Tap at pano's in buffalo. Pours brown with an offwhite head. Flavor is bitter coffee, roasted and roasted malt. A little ash. Nice.
Tried
from Draft
on 01 Oct 2017
at 12:53
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draught @ Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor. Murky reddish brown with very small frothy beige head, coffee aroma, medium carbonation, medium bitter mocha with creamy taste at the back, smooth body, long bitter chocolate finish. Quite smooth and easy to drink.
Tried
on 21 Aug 2017
at 19:16
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Growler from Frank.
My portion was poured into a mug.
The appearance was a dark brown color with a level foamy white head. Mild stringy lace.
The aroma had some roasty malts, good dose of nuts, some caramel/toffee maltiness, light coffee, and a little bit of dark chocolate. Some leafy hops at the very end - some light bitterness.
The flavor leaned into the roast initially and then created a nice delicate sweet to roasty aftertaste. Smooth sweet and roasty finish.
The feel was about medium bodied with a decent sessionability about it. Good carbonation. ABV felt fine.
Overall, damn good brown ale that I would love to have again.
My portion was poured into a mug.
The appearance was a dark brown color with a level foamy white head. Mild stringy lace.
The aroma had some roasty malts, good dose of nuts, some caramel/toffee maltiness, light coffee, and a little bit of dark chocolate. Some leafy hops at the very end - some light bitterness.
The flavor leaned into the roast initially and then created a nice delicate sweet to roasty aftertaste. Smooth sweet and roasty finish.
The feel was about medium bodied with a decent sessionability about it. Good carbonation. ABV felt fine.
Overall, damn good brown ale that I would love to have again.
Tried
from Growler
on 07 May 2017
at 16:59
8/10
Chocolatey brown ale. Lovely.
Tried
on 11 Apr 2015
at 19:58
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
On tap at the Hamburg Brewing Company, Hamburg, NY. A bright mahogany colour with a ring of cream head; aroma of good quality chocolate shavings; intense chocolate taste that’s quite bitter; and a dry woody, earthy, bitterness to finish. An excellent, well-rounded, beer.
Tried
from Draft
on 30 Jan 2015
at 17:28
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Draft - Toasted malts, cocoa and chocolate. Clear brown with a light brown head. Sweet toasted malts, cocoa and some light earthy hops. Easy drinking and rich.
Tried
from Draft
on 04 Sep 2014
at 12:11
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Location: Sampled at Tap NY, 4/27/13
Aroma: This one has a nice, rich nutty and malty aroma to it
Appearance: It pours a nice brown color with a tan head and medium lace
Flavor: The flavor is much like the nose, malty, toasty, and nutty, minimal bitterness
Palate: The body is medium, it smooth and creamy mouthfeel, and a nice drinkability
Overall Impression: I thought this was another tasty offering from Community Beer Works. It makes for a top notch brown ale.
***Photo from 5/3/25***
Aroma: This one has a nice, rich nutty and malty aroma to it
Appearance: It pours a nice brown color with a tan head and medium lace
Flavor: The flavor is much like the nose, malty, toasty, and nutty, minimal bitterness
Palate: The body is medium, it smooth and creamy mouthfeel, and a nice drinkability
Overall Impression: I thought this was another tasty offering from Community Beer Works. It makes for a top notch brown ale.
***Photo from 5/3/25***
Tried
from Draft
on 19 Aug 2013
at 19:53
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Very good for style. Smells of smoked malt. Pours dark brown with medium lacing. Very heavy on nose, just wish it followed through a little more. Taste is bitter with smoky crispness. Palate dies out pretty quickly, thats the beers biggest shortcoming. On tap at coles.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 Nov 2012
at 18:38
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught, Cole’s. Dark brown. Thin head. Looks great. Big aroma, lots of nuttiness, some toffee and rich dark sugars. Hints of toastiness lends good bitterness to this. Really nice brown ale.
Tried
on 20 Jun 2012
at 11:00