Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale

Bottle purchased at The Fresh Market, Mobile, AL. Pours brown with a small, fizzy, off-white head, somewhat lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (bread, cookie, straw), light hops (grass), average yeast (dough) with notes of apple and brown sugar. Medium bodied, sticky texture, lively carbonation, and a chalky finish. Average duration, light sweetness, acidity, and bitterness; nice malt flavor.

Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale is a nice, deep red-brown ale that’s very clear and dense in appearance. It’s lightly sparkling with a thin, dense, splotchy beige head that leaves nice lacing. A beautiful beer! It has a fresh aroma of chocolate and grapefruit. It has a smooth, medium body with a dry, slightly chalky, finish. It has good balance in flavor. There is a slight touch of sweet caramel and a decent amount of bitterness. I could have more than one of these. What a pleasant surprise!

6 pack. Doesn’t pour as dark as it’s picture on the brewery website. I’m always looking for a good indie beer, and I especially like the Ithaca Nut Brown in this region, so I had high hopes for this one. Kind of disappointing actually. Off white head, and the taste is kind of watery. Got some hoppiness to it, but nothing in the way of body. And I was lead to believe by the label it was local (Rochester NY) when in fact HQ is in MD. Not that that makes a difference, but I’ll take a Dundee any day.

On tap at the Empire Brew Fest in Syracuse. Not all that exciting. It’s a solid beer with some malt but it’s not really anything special and I would not buy again

Blankboys bottle, shared with HogTownHarry and indeed Paul. App: Brown/ruby with a dishwater grey head. Aroma: ’dry’ and somewhat malty. Flavour: Meh, dull, dishwatery (to match the head) with a slight malt finish.