Pizza Port Brown Bag Malt Liquor

Formerly brewed at Pizza Port (Solana Beach)
Style: Malt Liquor
Solana Beach, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Paper Bag, Shaker

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On tap at Pizza Port, Solana Beach... I don’t know what’s with the trend to replicate American Malt Liquor, but here’s the latest... Crystal clear, light yellow lager with a small, creamy, white head. Good, ink-blot lacing. Sour, corny aroma with notes of fuzzy fruit. Fairly nondescript flavor. Well-balanced with a blast of alcohol. Medium-bodied with fizzy carbonation. Short, crisp finish. I don’t know what to think. Not great, but not bad. About as good as an American malt liquor gets, I imagine. Eventually, I’ll try the Dogfish Head malt liquor as well, but I’m not excited about it... it's simply my duty (doody?).

Sample at the brewpub. This brew pours a lightly hazed yellow-gold color with a wispy bone white head that diminishes quickly. Spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of tart fruit and malt plus some grain. Light-bodied with a bizarre malt flavor that didn’t make much sense until learning what style of beer this was. The malt flavor has tart fruit and vegetable notes as well as some yeast. The finish is malty and spicy with a grain/corn aftertaste. While I am not well-versed on Malt Liquors, I did not enjoy this one much regardless.

On tap at brewery. Hazy yellow with a fizzy white head. Sweet fruity aroma. Sweet banana bread and lemon taste.

UPDATED: SEP 16, 2004 (Draft: Pizza Port in Solana Beach, CA) A name like Brown Bag Malt Liquor doesn't instill a great deal of optimism, and I was hesitant to order it, but wow, this beer is surprisingly delicious! The initial flavor is corn grain, but once you take a few sips, the flavor is sweet, bubblegum, alcoholic and very spicy in a Belgian way, and in fact could be classified as a Belgian golden strong ale, or maybe a spicy pale bock; Whatever it is, it's pretty good and that was totally unexpected; It has a fairly bitter finish; The palate is spicy, sweet, mildly syrupy, dense and fully coating, but also a bit harsh; Spicy, mildly Belgian nose has moderately sweet aromas; Pale yellow color; Only a few small bubbles rise through the beer; Very small whitish head on the pour is pretty much just a thin sheen that looks like sawdust; Very nice beer and one I'll not hesitate to order if I see it on tap at Pizza Port again

This brew pours with a pale yellow body topped by a thin head with little lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet yet bitter and yeasty with slight malty notes. The flavor is very similar with stonger yeast notes. Medium bodied, smooth and warming.

Draft. Clear, golden with a large, creamy white head. Sweet malty aroma with a light hop presence detectable. Sweet flavor, slight yeastiness and mild hop finish. Smooth and gently carbonated

I have to give them some major respect for trying to make a malt liqour. But there is no chance in hell that a malt liqour will ever taste good outsid of a Four O. I think good beer and malt liqour have their own places, and never shall the two meet. They did meet here, and the thing about malts that you have to keep in mind is that they are good/cool,not becuase of how they taste- its the label and the percent. A unique venture, but not good compared to their rest. Flat, watery, no real flavor- perfect for a malt liqour- but not cool name,label and real brown bag.

Very dissapointing brew here. Tasted like watered Shlitz malt liqour. Very light, easy to drink, but as far as micro malt liqours go, the bear republic JJJ would be the best bet.

Pours clear yellow with a medium white head. Strong lager smell with some banana. I also got the banana bread taste up front, but then it moved into the sugary-sweet-with-alcohol taste. Fair amount of cereal and corn syrup in the end. I haven’t had a malt liquor in a while, and don’t plan on having one in the near future, especially if Pizza Port can’t put one out that tastes good.

First things first...it's really great to try this after tasting 7 traditional malt liquors over the past month. This beer is a different experience. It pours a nice light amber color with a nice big off-white head that dissipates rather quickly. The aroma is that of a strong lager; sweet and malty with some metallic notes. Taste is quite nice with some typical lager flavors with some sweet fruit and alcohol notes. Body is appropriately dry. This was the by far the best malt liquor yet. I could enjoy this everyday. Really good stuff!