 nimbleprop (552), Washington, Washington DC, USA
May 18, 2008 Sampled at the Savor DC event. Pours a translucent amber brown with a wispy white head. Sweet, malty, sugary, inviting aroma. Flavor has plenty of malt, chewy grains, toffee and nuts. Finish is clean and dry. Solid, drinkable session beer.
argo0 (6019), Washington DC, USA
May 17, 2008 (Savor, 22oz bottle) Clear copper body topped by small white head. Aroma is medium sweet, caramel, grapefruit, some chocolate. Taste is moderately sweet, raisin/fig, some chocolate, caramel. Light-medium body, somewhat watery.
partyninja (16), Portland, Oregon, USA
Apr 27, 2008 Definitely not a British style Brown, much more complex and large. A little bitter and chocolatey at the end - probably the most challenging brown I have had. Excellent brew.
AlabastorJones (622), Eugene, Oregon, USA
Feb 17, 2008 dark brown big head, hopped and ready for swill, malt nose, a little dry, supple wood notes and lightly smoked, a big brown ale
DarkElf (2453), La Jolla, California, USA
Nov 7, 2007 21-May-07 (22 oz bottle: Purchased at the brewery) A quick update on how this beer ages. This is at least a two-year-old bottle, and because the hoppiness has expectedly mellowed, this is very much a malt-forward beer now. Rich, mildly sweet chocolate, earth and dark-brown toast dominate with more deep malty intensity than before. While this beer was thoroughly enjoyable when it was fresh, it has evolved into something absolutely delicious.
16-Dec-05 (22 oz bottle: Purchased at the brewery) A true west coast brown ale, this is a nice change of pace from the mainstream brown ales out there. Plenty of hops and roasty malts make this a fairly bitter brown ale, and the hops aren’t just contributing bitterness, I can really taste the hops, even through the roast. Possibly the hoppiest brown ale I’ve run across. The beer is only lightly sweet, and the chocolate flavor typically front and center in this style is far in the background here. There is also a slight sourness and chalkiness in the flavor, neither of which is a negative to me. Hops and roast in the nose, again with a subtle sourness. Substantial body for a brown ale, at least medium-full to me. Moderate carbonation and significant roast and hoppiness provide for a lively, long-lasting, somewhat crisp and dry mouthfeel. The slight chalkiness of the flavor also shows up in the mouthfeel. Light-medium brown in color, but fairly cloudy, even though there is no sign of bottle conditioning (i.e. sediment) in the bottom of the bottle. The light tan head pours small, perhaps a bit more than a quarter inch, but shows good retention by never fading below a thin, filmy layer. Only a few spots of lace are left on the glass though. I may not be enjoying this any more than the best brown ales that follow a more standard recipe, but I sure do appreciate not following the norm, and Pelican has brewed a brown ale with some gumption. Very well done. (7, 3, 7, 4, 15 = 3.6)
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