Avery Ellies Brown Ale

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Upon first pour, you see a very dark brown, almost dark red in color when held to the light. There was a nice light tan head to this beer. The smell of this beer seemed somewhat sweet. I could really pick out the Cascade hops in this beer right away. Avery brews this beer with 3 different hops but very sparingly as the IBU is very low. That’s fine, I’m not a big hop person, but I’d like to see a bit more hoppiness in my browns than this. The first taste was of the caramel and chocolate malt. They didn’t go overboard with the malts and was noticeably lighter in taste than a porter. As a brown ale, this fits the bill nicely and reminds me of some of the other tasty brown ales I’ve sampled before. Still, I felt that this brown was not as outstanding as I’ve had before. I would say that this is an average brown. I’d like to see a bit more taste and a bit more bitterness from this. While this beer is slightly more alcoholic than a session beer, I’d probably classify this as a session brown beer. I could drink a few of these easily as I love browns.

Pours dark brown, allowing a tinge of light to play through, with a medium tan head. Light aroma of wheat bread. Flavored with notes of coffee, chocolate, and light hops balanced with a good amount of malt, but not too sweet. Palate is medium, a little light for the style, and about as drinkable as a pils. This would be a good brown to have on hand when you want a middle-of-the-road beer.

Currently my favorite American Brown Ale. Pours a clear Coca-Cola color in the glass. I have described the nose as "brown" -- hops and malted grains mixed to near-perfection. On the tongue, it’s a bit sweet perhaps, but truly great. A smooth, heavenly finish that has in the past moved me to remark, "This is beer!"

ON TAP: not much for aroma (maybe it’s this bar I’m in blocking it), beige head with medium-dark brown color. Long finish, medium body, creamy, lively, sweet flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla. Very drinkable!

Bottle. Aroma is sweet and simplistic. Bark and roasted something or another. Dark brown, a bit of creamy head, and decent lacing. Sharp and smooth in the mouth. Some vanilla, and some faint chocolate. Very drinkable, worthy of making it your session brown.

12oz. Pours dark ruby/scarlet with a small quickly diminishing off-white head. Aroma is beery, chocolate, chalky, brownies. Taste is chocolatey, slightly roasty, super drinkable and smooth. Low bitterness. Medium body. This is about all I’d want in a Brown Ale. Not that I’m a huge fan of the style but this is exactly what I’d want if I were to drink one. Excellent example of the style.

Draft. Dark with a very smallhead. Some nuts and a bit of a woody smell with a bitter finsih. I suppose it would be a good session ale but I wasn’t a big fan.

Nice, clear garnet color with a tan head that quickly fades to a ring at the edge of the glass. Nice roasted nut and chocolate smell. Medium bodied and nicely carbonated. Has a roasted malt/nutty flavor . Very smooth and easy drinking. Definitely worth a try. dec 2004