Manzanita Gillespie Brown Ale

Brewed by Manzanita Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Santee, California USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Shaker

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Draft @ the brewery. Pours a dark amber brown color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty hoppy caramel chocolate aroma. Roasted malty caramel chocolate hoppy flavor. Has a roasted malty caramel hoppy finish.

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle. Brown-red with a white head. Aroma is full of toffee and chocolate. The flavor is exactly the same with some nice milk chocolate notes, as well as some toffee and caramel. The alcohol is well hidden. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

On tap. Brown pour with a frothy tan head. Aroma is light chocolate and slight coffee with a bit of roast. Taste is light chocolate roast with coffee and fairly heavy sweet malt and trailing alcohol. Clean mouthfeel. Not bad but a lower ABV would greatly improve the beer IMHO.

Tap @ Crowne Plaza Sushi Bar - San Diego: Murky thick brown color with not much head. Spicy, malt aroma followed by a full bodied flavor. Alcohol, hop presence, and some cardboardy bitterness are all present. I really enjoyed the bit more bitterness than in most browns.

Dark chocolate, coffee and alcohol rise off a medium brown body with a wispy tan head. All of those aromas follow straight through to the first sip which grows with a very dry, woody taste to complement the French roast coffee and balance the sweet chocolate. This beer does not try to hide it’s alcohol (which is now listed as 9.5% ABV), but it’s a nice counterbalance to the other flavors and only occasionally seems a bit high. There are also some earthy, catty and quite bitter hops in here, but there’s so much going on that you almost don’t notice them. Finishes dry and woody with a slight tobacco flavor and lingering dark and bittersweet chocolate. A big beer with a lot to like.

Bottle. Pours darkest brown with tan head. Nose/taste of burnt nuts, burnt earth, molasses, toffee and roasted dark malt. Medium body. Dry burnt earth finish.

The new Manzanita Brewing Company on July 15, 2012. Draft into pint glass. Black color with light shades of brown. About two fingers when I got it. Frothy thick white lacing with great retention all the way around. Smelled dark chocolate malts. Also toffee, hints of coffee beans and roasty malts. Tasted similar to the smell, but just a tad bit stronger. Got bourbon, dark chocolate, coffee, roasty nuts, fudge and toffee. Reminded me slightly of a Russian Imperial Stout. Full body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Smooth, but bitter long finish. A decent beer overall and one that I’d have again. Surprised it’s taken me this long to try it.

I like ales but this one is somewhat bitter in aftertaste. Decent appearance and tolerable. Not one of my favorites.

Draught @ Manzanita. Clear brown pour, lighter brown head leaves decent lacing. Malts, touch of fruits, roast, coffee, something earthy. Medium body, pretty strong carbonation.

CBC reception on tap-pours brown with a thin light brown head. Aroma is roasty medium malt-molasses. Taste is roasty medium malt-molasses, 2nd earthy hops.