 otakuden (567), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Aug 9, 2009
Boulder Brewing has a quaint little motto for their hometown of Boulder which is replete with snow bunnies, snow buffs, thrill seekers, and many year-round beer-drinking residents. Drinking problems? Paf! Boulder is a drinking town with a skiing problem; someone needs to get those crazy cold-loving skiers the professional help they need. Find them a warm cozy bar quickly followed by a brimming pint of damn good beer. Craft and import beers; what started as a very small niche whose motto is and will always be quality, not quantity, has matured nicely into a national and international movement towards not just quality of beer but also quality of life. To celebrate their many-splendored birthdays, Boulder Brewing has released their Flashback Anniversary Ale, an India Brown Ale of tasty proportions.
Sporting the funkadelic retro 70s artwork that has been symbolic of their Flashback series of beers, this year’s Anniversary Ale India Brown Ale is no different. She pours quick and clean into my glass where deep browns, burnt embers, and old mahogany shimmer beneath a supple coppery head. Her head fades in rocky patches, leaving scattered clumps of tempting attire as I savor her aroma. Hops. Green, dewy, grassy and freshly mown with just a touch of astringent swampy funk before stepping aside for fresh almonds, toasted whole wheat grains, burnt brown sugars, and esters of char that are most evident in the very back of her nose. Rather tantalizing, if I do say so myself. My first quaff is green grass damp with dew and slightly sticky from having just been mown. A touch more earthy moss and swamp float atop a medium-bodied mouthfeel while hop cones linger in the finish with enviable freshness. Slightly sticky, she coats my lips and tongue just in time to great wonderfully crunchy toasted nuts, melba, and brown sugars. Slivers of crunchy sweet and slightly burnt caramel are the perfect final accompaniment to her palate before the next quaff arrives with more fresh hops. Like an old friend whom I haven’t seen in years, it takes no time for us to get reacquainted, and I gaze forlorn at my empty glass.
Boulder is an underdog brewery. They brew good beer, really good beer, and yet I tend to ignore them, forget about them, or even say they hail from, say, Denver. I know someone somewhere in Boulder is going to read this and at that moment, I shall have to enter protective custody. Geography lessons aside, if you come across any Boulder beers sitting lost and lonely on a store’s shelf somewhere, be sure to do your Good Samaritan’s duty and give them a loving home.
jake65 (1760), Williston, North Dakota, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Jan 6, 2010 Bottle: Beautiful amber pour with a finger of creamy tan head. Rich aroma is ripe with citrus hops, caramel, toffee, and candied sugar. Kind of vinous; it has that aged barleywine feel. First sip is a huge mouthful of citrus and floral hops, yet not any lingering bitterness. More caramel, toffee, and sugary aged vinous notes. A little later in the glass I notice a chocolate presence and even some earthy notes. Still, the lingering taste is sweet aged citrus hops. Delightful!
lithy (1860), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| 3.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 29, 2009 Copper red, beige head. Aroma is spicy, woody, malty, nutty, sweet. Taste is sweet ,nutty, spicy, piney, woody hops.
ders0 (21), , Minnesota, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 2/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 27, 2009 Poured pretty dark. Nice hoppy nose and nice bitter taste. Finishes nicely as well. Pretty impressed with this beer. Probably the best beer I got in the sampler 12 pack.
arminjewell (229), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 12/20 |
Dec 23, 2009 I am a big IBA fan, and this one is a decent one. Prominent hop nose and chocolate malt aroma gives rise to a nice chocolate/bready malt taste that is surprisingly lacking in hoppiness, with little to no bitterness. Has the makings of a really good brew, but lacks in certain areas.
bretupdegraff (183), Fishers, Indiana, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 22, 2009 I don’t like Brown Ales- but a India Brown Ale- this is pretty good. ARoma is strong roasty and spice / licorice but not too much. The flavor is smokey, roasty, licorice, hoppy, nutty but not too much, palate is perfect carbonation and oily- very nice.
Toxygen (414), Sanford, Florida, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Dec 19, 2009 (br-btl yw/pu-lbl)
lct-cpr, ribg-wh-hd, med-full-body, med-co2.
sweet-crml-malt, citrus-hops.
lots of flavor hops but bittering-hops are well balanced out, so it’s very hoppy but not overly bitter.
esjaygee (1600), Oak Creek, Wisconsin, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 19, 2009 Clear mahogany with a large beige head that leaves web lacing. Aroma of molasses, brown sugar, citrus, and caramel. Taste of citrus, pine, molasses with a moderate bitter finish. Mild nuttiness comes through but this is mostly an IPA with the addition of the evil dark sugars you can find in my pantry. I enjoyed this one, have to try and hunt down more.
darn1207 (669), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 9, 2009 12oz bottle from ABC Liquor in Tallahassee. Amber brown pour with a finger off-white head and a ring of lacing. Big sweet toasted caramel malt and honey aroma with a heavy helping of floral hops. Nutty caramel taste with a roasted cocoa vibe - backed up again with the floral and pine bitterness that knocks down the typical sweet brown tastes fairly quickly. It’s a strange mashup for sure - but I don’t like the overly sweet brown sugars typical in the style - and I’m a big bitter ipa fan... so it works for me.
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