Dicks Working Mans Brown Ale

Name: Brown Ale
Date: September 09, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Bottleworks, Seattle
Appearance: clear daek amber, frothy beige head, streaks of drippy lace.
Aroma: musty cheese and chocolate aroma
Flavor: sweet chocolate and butterscotch flavor, light earthyness
Aroma: 4/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 4/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 7/20
Rating: 2.2/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *+ /4

Second Dick’s beer of the night. RIP. Clean dark amber body, small white head. Lavender caramel aroma, sweet and bright. Medium roast, full bodied, ample leafy hops. Great for my tastes.

Ontap at Dick’s. Two things keeps this from being outstanding brown. A little more body, just a little. And less hops. Too hoppy for a brown.

12 oz bottle from Huckleberries in Spokane. Not all that good of a brown. Not smooth enough, and overall, I have to give this one a thumbs down.

12 oz bottle from Market of Choice. Pours a clear, light brown with a big fluffy tan head. Aroma is earthy, cocoa, caramel. Flavor is caramel, biscuit, very small cocoa and a bit of strange fruitiness. Palate a little thinner than I’d prefer.

I love brown ales, and I’m a fan of Dick’s, but something here isn’t right. Light, not all that complex. Malt taste fades to a syrupy-alcohol finish. Maybe it was just the bottle I had; I’d like to try this on tap, but the first impression wasn’t all that impressive.

Bottle poured a clear reddish brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of carmel, cocoa, nuttiness and a hint of earthiness. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of cocoa, carmel, light nuttiness and a hint of earthiness with a smooth malty finish.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours a dark amber with a thick yellow head consisting of very big bubbles. The flavor has some toffee to it. The palate is thin and boring. Perhaps a mild roasted finish.