Brown’s Brown Ale

Brewed by Troy Pub & Brewery (Browns Brewing)
Style: Brown Ale
Troy, New York USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Shaker

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On Tap at the brewery in Troy, NY. Pours brown with long lived off-white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of nutty, caramel malt, dark fruit and hint of hops. Body is medium and smooth. Nutty, caramel malt, smoke, dark fruit and hint of hops combine on the palate. Finish is long and dry. Interesting session brew.

On draught at the brewery. Arrived a very dark brown with a thin-moderate tan head that lasted through the first two sips and left light lace. Pleasant aroma od crystal malt and mild nuts. The flavor is similar with perhaps the nuts a bit more prevalent. Mild bitterness at the finish. Medium bodied. No problems.

Brown ale is often the style of beer that gets people into craft beer because it’s sweet (but not cloying) and very smooth. And that’s a perfect description of Brown’s Brown Ale.

I poured a 22oz bomber into an official Brown’s tumbler glass.

Appearance: Dark, but clear mahogany color with little carbonation visible. Forms an average-sized, beige, foamy head which mostly dissipates and leaves trace lacing on the glass.

Smell: Stronger nose than the average brown ale. Very prominent sweet aroma of honey roasted peanuts with hints of toffee and smoke.

Taste: Brown ales, when brewed properly, can have some of the most subtle and delectable palates in all of beer. I’ve had Brown’s Brown Ale on cask, draught, and bottle and the cask version is definitely the best presentation. As soon as it hits the tongue there’s an immediate sensation of sweetness. It’s mild, but strong enough to wake up your mouth. A tasty combination of syrup-like flavors of caramel and toffee, combined with a smoky finish. There’s mild bitterness through the middle, but it’s washed away by the ending - which has more of a nutty/earthy taste than at the beginning.

In a funny way, it’s similar to a cola made with real sugar, as there is no drying or sticky sensation in the aftertaste. The draught version is a little too fizzy and tends to act as a self-cleansing palate, where as the bottle and ESPECIALLY the cask presentations are calmer to allow the sweetness to linger. Not that this is an absolute mind-blower, but definitely a beer to enjoy for its subtlety.

Drinkability: If there’s anything brown ales are known for, it’s their drinkability. While not exactly thirst-quenching, they definitely are friendly on the palate and the system. Brown’s Brown Ale is a little thicker and softer than most, but goes down very smoothly and easily. I paired this with pulled pork at the brewpub and it was a delicious combination. At only 5% ABV you can definitely drink several of these on end without worrying about it going to your head (or your waistline).

Great chestnut brown pour with minimal head. Lots of malt, some toffee and nut in the background. Finished with caramel and some light fruit alongside the malt and toffee. Drinkable, respectable, but otherwise a fairly boring brown.

Brown bottle brown pour with amber highlights and minimal head. Aroma is sweet and nutty. Nice malt notes and a medium body with a thinner texture than most browns.

A - Served a slightly clear brown-red color with a finger of white head atop. The head faded down to a ring around the glass leaving behind a bit of lace. S - Aroma is full of sweet caramel malt and some light fruity esters. There is also some nuttiness beneath. T - Starts off with some sweet toffee flavor and a bit of fruity esters. Through the middle some nutty flavors come through a bit deeper malt flavor. The finish is a mix of sweet caramel malts and some other fruity flavors that linger. M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels very smooth and crisp. There is some nice sweetness in the finish that lingers. D - Very drinkable. Feels well balanced. The sweetness is nice from start to end without being too strong. Could use a touch more flavor to distinguish it.

Had it on tap at the brewery. Pours a nice dark brown with a bit of an amber hint as well. Very thin tan head. Tastes very malty, slight hops kick as well, but also a bit watered down and bland. Goes down extremely smooth, but overall, not a great beer.

This is a great brown, the balance is amazing, goes down quite nicely. a nice NY brew

draft at brewpub- not bad at all- nice carmel toffee assertiveness up front, and the coming into a pleasent hop flavor, balanced by decent bitter finish- very drinkable.

Hazy medium brown. gentle white ring. Dusty, very earthy, wet cellar aroma. Just not feeling very clean, nor fresh. Annoying finish with growing sourness. No roastiness at all, perhaps a bit nutty, but timid even at that. Slightly toasty malts and minimally fruity, as much in acidity as in maltiness. Poor.