7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 4/24/2017. Pours crystal clear deep ruby red/brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, chocolate, and cocoa; with lighter notes of nuttiness, orange peel, pepper, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, chocolate, and cocoa; with lighter notes of nuttiness, orange peel, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy hop and roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, chocolate, cocoa, nuttiness, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from roast/hop bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is good. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.8%. Overall this is a good American brown ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. A little too bitter/drying after the finish; but unique and enjoyable overall.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Feb 2017
at 18:58