Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale

Name: Backdraft Brown Ale
Brewery: Hook and Ladder Brewing Co.
Date: 04/06/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brewfest, Classic City

Appearance: clear dark brown, frothy tan head,
Aroma: dry dark chocolate and caramel aroma,
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, nice nutty character, touch of dark caramel sweetness, light earthyness for balance,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Dark ruby brown with a small head. Rich malty aroma, toasty and slightly caramel. Flavor is semi-sweet, quite toasty, with a slight burnt bitterness in the aftertaste. Quite enjoyable for the style.

Draft... Clear, dark brown ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Great retention. Decent aroma and flavor. A bit nutty, but mostly nondescript. Light to medium-bodied with a watery, fizzy mouthfeel. Short, crisp, bitter finish.

On tap, fall 2008: Pours a transparent dark copper mahogany with a small, off-white head. Mild aroma of toasty caramel malt and nutty character without much hop presence. Body is about average with some semi-sweet maltiness and nutty flavor before a thin, but smooth finish. Pretty drinkable, but could use more assertive character.

12oz bottle-pours a foamy light tan head and brown color with red tint. Aroma is medium/dark malt-chocolate, molasses, dark fruit. Taste is husky medium/dark malt-chocolate, molasses, dark fruit, secondary earthy hops. OK carbonation. Dry finish. Thanks jwc215 for picking this out.

These two beers are all over my area. On draught at the local watering hole. My understanding is that the reason it is on draught is because of the brewery’s pledge to donate $4 a barrel to a firefighter’s burn unit fund and because of the amount of firefighters in my area who lost their lives on 9-11. Not sure how I feel about that. Pours brown with a thin white head. Smells lightly roasty and malty with some caramel hints. Taste is on the watery side with some creamy roasty hints, but otherwise, pretty basic. Decent but not earth shattering.

Cask at Brazen Head. Deep brown beer. Aroma is lightly toasty with a bit of brown malt sweetness. Very light caramel and toasted malt. A light lingering cocoa sweetness. Pretty nice really.

Bottle from Sal’s Beverage World in Elmhurst, Illinois, carefully poured into my Choc Beer glass: This poured a clear chestnut body with a slender beige head. No lace. This had an aroma of caramel, soft nuts, and a splash of runny chocolate. The flavor reflected the nose but had a touch of mineral water to it. Not bad, but a bit over-carbonated.