Brooklyn Brown Ale

On tap @ Bishops Arms, Karlstad. Nice aroma of chocolate, coffee and hops. Taste is quite hoppy with citrus, but also roasted malt, chocolate and caramel/toffee. As with most beers from Brooklyn this is great and it did taste even better on tap.

This brown ale is ok. It seems well balanced with maltiness and some hops in the background. The one I had though was bordering on a diacetyl defect. It was there and was almost too much.

As soon as I opened my bottle, I was hit with coffee and some chocolate aroma, and seemingly solid amount of hops. The color is pretty dark, but reveals more of cola-like appearance in the light (mentioned by deft). The flavor sits more on the chocolate side of the fence, yet finishes with more coffee accents. I would describe the palate as full, creamy, and lively to keep it simple. Overall, a nice, solid brown ale with plenty of character.

Bottle at the White Horse, 12th July 2008 with renffisch. Pours a solid mahogany colour with a strong aroma of typically American hops and malts. It’s got a huge malty taste and a full-bodied, perhaps even overly hefty, palate. It delivered exactly what I’ve come to expect from an American brown ale. I just can’t make my mind up as to whether I like the style or not!

My first exposure to brown ale a few years ago was Newcastle on draft. My next brown ale was Samuel Smith’s Brown Ale, and then as I started to dapple in the domestic craft and micro brew scene, the Samuel Adams Brown Ale. All lip smacking good of varying degrees, though the Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale made the number one spot not too long ago. Best brown ale I have ever drunk.
That being said, I can’t just ignore the temptation of a brown ale I haven’t tried, so, it is with great pleasure, I dip into the Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale.
She pours dark viscous amber brown. A slight head from the 12 oz bottle to my ale glass which leaves a lingering edge of foam around the glass. The rich aroma of roasted malts mingles with a sweet hint of caramel in my nose. While I taste the cloying sweet of toasted malts, a minor hop presence tingles on the sides of my tongue. While I smelled more caramel in the nose, the taste is very minor. The Brooklyn Brown Ale balances the malt with a dryness that lingers on the middle of my tongue, reminding me of the dryness that a Guinness stout leaves. She has had a few minutes to adapt to room temp, bringing out some bitter nuts to mingle with the malt and caramel. Overall, a good example of brown ale.

Dark brown pour with a foamy head. Standard Brooklyn Brewery label. I had this a little colder than is proper for a brown ale due to the midsummer heat. Sweet, full aroma of grains and hops. Hints of chocolate, coffee, and caramel in the taste. Like the label says, it is more sharp and hoppy than your typical nut brown, but it still retains the character of the style. Fairly fizzy and easy on the palate. A nice ale.

Dark brown with a nice light brown head, looks a little like coke... Sweet malty aroma, hops, some... earth? Am I fooled by the looks or can I feel the coke in aroma too? Taste is even sweeter and maltier, also with hops, a hint of burnt/roasted. Lasting aftertaste and thick in mouth. Not really a fantastic beer but I can definitely have more of this.

Bottle at Newark airport. Pours dark brownish/ruby red with a nutty head. Aroma is malty and barley, roasted and nutty. Taste caramel / malt, light coffee and nuts, roasted and lightly hoppy. Possibly my fav. Brooklyn beer so far.