Brown Owl
Northwoods Brewing Company in Northwood, New Hampshire, United States 🇺🇸
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.49
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Classic ESB with notes of maple, toffee, caramel, and brown bread while an earthy hop profile adds a bitterness and balance.
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6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6.5
Texture 6
Overall 6
On tap at City Tap, pours a clear copper with a small white head. Aroma has lots of rye/brown bread, toffee, caramel, and English bready malt. Flavour is much the same, with lots of English bready malt, a touch of dry toffee, and fermented out caramelized sugar. Nice English malt profile. Solid.
Tried
from Draft
at
City Tap House - Fort Point (Boston)
on 04 Aug 2026
at 00:37
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Can to English pint glass.
Appearance: copper color with a good transparency about it. Finger and a half's worth of white foamy head which dissipated at a nice pace and left some light lace
Aroma: biscuits, light honey, molasses, light maple, earthy hops, subtle grassiness and caramel malts
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas together in an earthy hoppy to malty sweet sort of way; finishes semi-sweet with the maple, earthy vibes and caramel malts
Texture: medium bodied, sessionable, plenty of smoothness but a light dryness as well
Overall: I say a good ESB I would return to.
Can to English pint glass.
Appearance: copper color with a good transparency about it. Finger and a half's worth of white foamy head which dissipated at a nice pace and left some light lace
Aroma: biscuits, light honey, molasses, light maple, earthy hops, subtle grassiness and caramel malts
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas together in an earthy hoppy to malty sweet sort of way; finishes semi-sweet with the maple, earthy vibes and caramel malts
Texture: medium bodied, sessionable, plenty of smoothness but a light dryness as well
Overall: I say a good ESB I would return to.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Feb 2026
at 19:29
4.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
16oz can from the brewery pours a clear, maple brown with a nice cap of white head. That's where the good news ends. Nose has some cheap and oversteeped tea, some odd cherry notes, soggy bread, something lightly sour, paper. Flavor is just not great, a little watery cream soda, black tea, cheap crystal malt. Flabby finish. Not well executed.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Jul 2022
at 00:19
5.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 5
Still not convinced kveik translates across styles as easily as brewers think it does. Makes for a weak brown, with a mild fruity undertone mixed with gentle cocoa and caramel notes. Finishes with a white bread yeastiness and a modest tart streak. Eh.
Tried
on 04 Jan 2022
at 01:12
6.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Pours a mahogany from a can. Caramel and toast aroma and flavor. Good beer.
Tried
from Can
on 04 Nov 2021
at 00:01
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Can from the Packie Light touch of haze in a dark amber/brown beverage with a decent sized frothy off white head that slowly recedes. Caramel and toffee on the nose with a hint of earth. Flavor follows the nose and adds a hint of chocolate and clove. Pretty nice brown ale, but like most Kviek fermented brews I find a bit of phenol that some other palettes don't.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Aug 2020
at 22:08
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Canned on 11/18/19. A medium brown color. Nice hearty aroma of molasses, earthy grains, toast. Flavor follows. Nice earth and mild spicy finish. Well made.
Tried
from Can
on 09 Dec 2019
at 19:09