Andrews Northern Brown Ale

Brewed by Andrews Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Lincolnville, Maine USA

Pours brown with a tan head. Smells nutty and caramelly with some peppery splashes. Tastes of caramel, nutty, earthy, some peppery splashes.

My Bottom Line:
Wooden hops and lightly caramelized nuts scent this clean and rustic Brown Ale, before an earthy hop bitterness suggests the next sip.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A thin veil of foam skirts the light brown.
-Dark malts are not too defined in the flavor profile, which is this beer’s main disappointment for me.
-The smooth bubbling and lean body make for a very drinkable vehicle.
-This is of course very approachable, but there is nothing compelling enough in it for me to want it again.

Bottle.

(12oz bottle) Rocky, large beige head atop lightly hazed dark brown body. Aroma is medium sweet, nutty, caramel, light earthy. Taste is medium sweet, caramel, nutty, some chocolate, earthy/floral. Light-medium body, quite drinkable.

On tap at the brewery. This beer pours a dark brown with a nice cloudy appearance. This beer is pretty nice, moderately hopped with a cross breed hop from WA. Dry and bitter finish rounds out the flavors and makes this a more english interpretation of a brown rather than the honey brown amercian styles. Solid brew from a great maine brewer.

On draught and in bottles, July 2005 at the brewery, while talking with Andrew. Nice to have these beers in good company. What a great tour and charming little brewery, but I’ll try to save that for the brewry review. Anyways, of the four ales he regularly produces, this one is my least favorite. It’s funny, because for what it aims to achieve, it does so very well, that being a Northern Brown Ale modeled after Newcastle. Same tawny, yellow and caramel color, hazy, with sediment at the bottom and unpasteurized. Big off-white head forms and is well-retained. Smells of sweet caramel, hay, fresh wort and green barley, a touch of raisins and almost now hops bitterness with just a touch of fresh hops flavor (grassy/hay-like). Quite dry on the end, with some nutty or biscuity like malt, light tinges of caramel sweetness playing over the palate. Bottle conditioned, the carbonation is initially quite strong, but dies off well to just a low tinging as it goes down. Quite watery, but to be expected, flavor is not thin, however. Some yeast dullness on the end, and almost a cola-like flavor lingering. You can purchase all of their beers in six packs (mixed or straight) from the brewery, if you can find it!

Light chestnut. Nutty aroma, slightly spicy, earthy. Krausened for moderate carbonation. Depth of nutty, toasty flavours. Full finish of toasted grains, spicy (cumin, allspice). Off-dry.

Deeep Brown color with little head. Sweet malty aroma with fruity accents. Slightly sweet and malty with hoppy accents and finish.

Not as good as OPB Brown Ale, but up there. Very enjoyable; too bad its hard to find. I *think* you can get it bottled...