My Imperial Brown Ale

Tap at Winterbierfestival 2015, Gouda: Clear dark brown colored brew with an nicely sweet bitter taste, hints of caramel, roasted malts and some chocolate.

Bottle. Dark brown color. Caramel, roast and cinnamon in the aroma. Caramelly sweetish, roasty flavor with cinnamon and cardemom. Some grassy hops. Herbal bitter finish. Buisman. Well made but too herbal for me.

Unusually strong English style brown ale - effectively turned into old ale in a certain sense. Tasted at Arendsnest. Cobweb-lacing, pale yellowish beige, creamy head over a hazy burgundy brown, translucent beer with mahogany hue. Aroma of coffee liqueur, fine espresso, orange zest, toasted brown bread, cappuccino, whisky, caramel candy, chestnut, dried fig, black pepper corns, fudge. Subtle dried banana and raisin sweetness in the mouth, refined, with a sourish undercurrent and medium carbonation; light minerally accent forms a bridge with a lovely nutty and lightly chocolatey malt middle. Finishes with dried grapefruit peel-like hop bitterishness, soft but effective and dryish, as well as warming bourbon-like alcohol. Nice take on this style and a deep, rich and complex beer, hugely enjoyed this.

Tap at Arendnest, 16th June 16. Pours dark brown. Aroma is hoppy, dark malts, some floral. Taste is hoppy, some malt, dark chocolate. Good, but I preferred the Old Skool Brown, was more hoppy.

33cl bottle from RW80, as part of the Euro Local Swap, many thanks! Pours dark orange brown colour with a huge most good lasting tan head. Aroma of dark malt, chocolate, caramel and nuts. Taste of roasted malt, chocolate, nuts and vanilla.

Bottle from Derat, Utrecht, Netherlands, Thursday 1st October 2015. Really meaty aroma, like oxo or some such beef stock cube. Traditional beer, but very good. Some caramel even a little meaty in the mouth, chewy, tastes easier drinking than it should, good stuff. Sat chatting to Eric (owner) whilst supping this, good beer and a great bar, pleased to revisit this place. A7 A4 T7 P3 Ov14 3.4

Bottle at home. Hazy chestnut brown with short lasting fizzy beige head. Coffee, brown sugar, very herbal hops with a soft lemon peel touch. Light cocoa powder and soft spices. Overall quite dominated by roasted malts and interesting hops. Medium sweet and bitter. Medium bodied with quite some carbonation and a bit watery feel.

Bottle @ Vlaamse Reus. Brown colour, beige head. Nose of roasted malts, chocolate, bit of coffee, dusty, grainy. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, bit of caramel. Roast bitterness, low-med carbonation. Finish is slightly bitter. Long bitterness. Good stuff.