Brooklyn Brown Ale

Date: October 17, 1998
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brewfest, Real Ale Festival
Appearance: deep brown
Aroma: pleasant hoppy aroma on a slightly sweet malt base
Flavor: light toasted malt flavor, dry finish, just a hint of bitterness, would make an excellent session beer

Date: March 11, 2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Aroma: lots of floral hop aroma on a chocolate malt base
Flavor: lots of rich chocolate and toasted flavors, touch of sweetness well balanced with a lingering bitter finish

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Score: *4

Nice dark color with a medium tan head. Lots of Malty chocolate flavor with a very pleasant lasting finish but too hoppy for a brown ale. Still a nice beer.

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a shaker. This brown ale poured a dark, slightly translucent brown, with a one-finger thick dark tan head that quickly faded away into a thin layer of foamy bubbles. Some faint lacing was left around the glass. The aroma was made up of light notes of chocolate malts, maple, and also some nutty undertones. The flavor included chocolate, nuts, maple syrup, and just a touch of light hops at the finish. The mouthfeel was light to medium-bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. A decent brown ale.

Bouteille 12 oz, courtoisie de Hogtownharry. De couleur brune et transparente. Nez malté de caramel rôti, de houblon herbeux, terreux et aux notes citriques (pamplemousse), moyen de toffee sucré, et de fruits (raisins), léger de noix et de chocolat ainsi que des notes de fumée de tabac, de biscuits et de café. Moyenne-mince en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture crémeuse et aux notes sirupeuses. Goût moyennement amer de houblon terreux et aux notes citriques (pamplemousse, qui dure toute la gorgée) ainsi qu’un moyen goût de noix et un léger goût fruité (raisins) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute rapidement un goût malté rôti, léger de toffee et de caramel sucré avec des notes de biscuits et de chocolat puis en finale l’on retrouve un goût de houblon plus herbeux et asséchant accompagné d’un goût de fumée de tabac et des notes de café (traces boisées). Post-goût long-moyen et plutôt sec, moyennement amer de rôti, de houblon herbeux, terreux et légèrement citrique avec un léger goût de café et de chocolat ainsi que des notes aigres de fruits (moût de raisins) et des traces de tabac.

Tap at RFD Washington. Somewhat clear chestnut pour with bright orange edges. Aroma of wild rice and earth, soaked in a bright, fresh maple syrup. Tastes creamy and fruity with hints of hazelnut and caramel. A very sharp suggestion of temporanillo red with mineral water slowly dominates. Dark, fruity, and sugary with somewhat poor attentuation. Simple. Smooth palate with a reasonably long life, finishing on a dry, woody note. Quite a lot of tangy honey hangover. Nothing unexpected.

Chocolate and dark fruit aroma. Slightly alcoholic. Dark bown, small creamy head, little lacing. Milk chocalatey taste. Coffee notes in the finish. Average palate, not too bubbly.

On tap. Complex aroma and flavor: rich, malty, with a little roast...a fair amount of the sort of very coarse, dark, grainy malt that hovers just on the border of being sour without actually being sour. Not very sweet, fairly bitter. This was one of the best brown ales I have ever had, and one of the best beers I’ve ever had. I continue to be impressed with what Brooklyn Brewery has to offer.

Brown/chestnut with decent head. A bit hoppy for a brown ale with kicks of roasted coffee, chocolate and nuts. Creamily bodied and robust this brew has a piney, floral fortitufe belying its lingering sweetness. Not bad, but certainly not the best brown out there.