Anglo-Saxon style brown ale by one of London’s leading postmodern (US-inspired) craft breweries in the heart of the ‘Bermondsey Mile’, apparently one of their more elusive offerings, very rarely exported to the continent, if at all. Thanks Craftmember for sharing. Thick and foamy, clearly hops-enhanced, paper-like lacing, pale greyish beige, stable head, clear deep bronze-brown robe with mahogany glow. Aroma of toasted bread having been toasted a tad too much, dried grapefruit peel, dry old marijuana even, roasted walnuts, nutmeg, wormwood leaf, toasted onion, bitter unsugared chocolate. Dryish onset, clean, some dried fig and unripe peach perhaps but low in both sweetness and esteriness, medium carbonated with slick mouthfeel; toasted nutty and toasted bread-crusty malts, bitter with faint sweetish caramelly core, but the malt bitterness nicely connects with a leafy, peppery, eventually wormwoody but still elegant hoppiness, with both ‘parallels of bitter’ aptly filling and prolonging the finish. Brewed in London, so one might be easily fooled to think that this is a southern brown ale, but like all postmodern craft beer styles, American brown ale (the much hoppier version, dating back to the eighties but largely overshadowed by other styles now) can of course be brewed anywhere, even in the heart of what was once its predecessor’s homeland. And American style brown ale this Kernel version is, clearly.

Dark mahogany pour with a decent, lasting head. Aromas of toasted white bread, some sugar and toffee. Tastes of malt, nuts, toffee, chestnut with a decent, slightly bitter aftertaste.

Really good foam on a cloudy deep brown body. Nice molasses and coffee on the nose, clean though a little soft. Taste is hoppy biscuit, caramel, chocolate icing hints. Finishing smooth and full. a real treat, excellent.

On tap. Pours a dark brown with full head. Aromas of toasted malts, dry raisins, and a bit of copper. Flavors follow same with with less copper. Nutty finish. Easy drinker

bottiglia 33 cl, 2020 Edition Mandarina Bavaria 5,6% ABV, bel cappello di schiuma beige fine persistente, colore ambrato carico/marrone velato, al naso intenso luppolo agrumi malto tostato zucchero di canna, in bocca caramello marmellata di pesche mandorla amara scorza d’arancio leggero tabacco, corpo medio, carbonazione decisa, amaro accentuato lungo nel finale. Una Brown Ale moderna. Eccellente. c. Cantina della birra 19.03.21

Bottle from Geers. Hazy dark brown, stable, foamy, tan head. Aroma of toast, roasted chestnut, burnt caramel, dried tea leaves, fig, tobacco, dried orange peel. Taste has sweetish fig & plum over a dry, peanutty, hard-caramel-like malt body, bit toasty bitter & herbal. Earthy hoppy finish, dried orange peel returning aromatically, bit piney, nutty. Medium body, creamy texture, soft carbonation. Rather classic but with elegant, subtle hoppiness.