Eats Writes Shoots

Living & Tasting Life's Passions

  • Home
  • Eats
    • Beer
      • Hopped & Bothered Reviews
      • Beer Reviews
        • Amber/Red Ale
        • Bitter
        • Blonde
        • Brown Ale
        • Farmhouse (Saison)
        • Pale Ale
          • India Pale Ale (IPA)
          • Double (Imperial) IPA
          • Imperial Black IPA
          • American Pale Ale
          • English Pale Ale
        • Lager
        • Scotch Ale
        • Seasonal and/or Specialty
          • Beer with Fruit
        • Stout
          • Imperial Stout
          • Milk Stout
        • Wheat Ale
        • Winter Beers
    • My CSA Challenge – 2013 Edition
    • Recipes
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Baking
        • Dessert
          • Cookies
      • Drinks and Cocktails
      • Egg
      • Fish
      • Gluten-Free
      • Lunch
      • Mains
        • Asian
          • Thai
        • Barbecue/Grilling
        • Beef
        • Fusion
        • Greek
        • Italian
        • Lamb
        • Mediterranean
        • Mexican
        • Pasta
        • Pork
        • Poultry
        • Veal
        • Vegetarian
      • Preserves
      • Salad
      • Side Dish
      • Soup
  • Writes
    • Canadian Food Experience Project
    • Poetry
    • The “Benjamin” Project
  • Shoots
  • About the Author
You are here: Home / Beer / Beer Reviews / “Moroccan Brown Ale” (Brown Ale), Spearhead Brewing Company

“Moroccan Brown Ale” (Brown Ale), Spearhead Brewing Company

August 10, 2013 by Dale Leave a Comment

Spearhead_Moroccan_Brown_AleOne of the first beers I reviewed and still one of the best I’ve tasted was Spearhead’s Hawaiian Style Pale Ale. What most impressed was its ability to incorporate the flavour of the pineapple into the beer in a subtle but unmistakeable way that doesn’t leave you with a sickly taste in your mouth going “ew-www – that’s a dumb idea.”

After completing that review, I learned that their next experiment was a Moroccan Brown Ale (here reviewed) that at the time hadn’t been bottled and was only available locally in Toronto in the pubs serving it there. Again, their ambition was to take a traditional beer, this time a brown ale, and infuse it with non-traditional flavours which included raisins, dates, figs and cinnamon. The question is: could they pull it off as well as they had with their inaugural creation?

The answer is more or less “yes.” True to the label, the beer has “a complex character with notes of dried fruit, plum and brown sugar.” The flavours are intoxicating and lovely, subtle and definitely unusual with just the right amounts of sugars so that even at only 35 IBUs, this beer has a nice, dry, and relatively hoppy finish. Very refreshing even in the peak of summer.

Moroccan Brown Ale Poured to the LeesIt is, however, a nuanced reference to the fermentation method that really defines this beer and leaves me a bit on the fence, at least with respect to what it tastes like poured from a bottle. The back label says it’s been “naturally carbonated” and that because it is unfiltered to “pour gently to leave sediment at the bottom.” For those who have read many of my other beer reviews, you’ll likely be deducing the same as myself: that these words imply that that beer has been brewed sur lies … in other words, it is “bottle fermented.” Apart from the cloudiness you see by pouring it out to the lees (see picture to the right taken after emptied the bottle), there is no other reason not to pour it all. The fact is, no matter how hard you pour this beer, I don’t suspect you’re going to produce any head or lace. I expect the caution is purely based on the expectation that the average Canadian Anglophone would be surprised (and dismayed) at the cloudiness of it otherwise. I know that when I started down this road a year ago, I didn’t much know what “sur lies” meant either and was curious at the connection between cloudy beer and the fermentation method.

Details aside, what this is all means – and explains – is that the beer smells yeasty from bottle to glass to nose. It take a good 30 minutes for the residual yeast aromas to dissipate – and while this does mean the beer comes closer to temperature (e.g. 10˚C), the dissipation improves the beer because before this, I think the yeast takes away from its other graceful notes including an alarmingly beautiful clear colour (if you don’t pour out the yeast) and a splendid and creamy mouthfeel. The natural carbonation is a technique that is to be relished because it produces a tight carbonation that fills the whole mouth. And I would say, there is a lot of it … perhaps even a wee bit too much. So while I approve of the bottle fermentation method, I think Spearhead put a bit too much emphasis on this in the bottle and I wonder if it is a bit more balanced when it is served on tap.

All in all, I strongly recommend a close encounter with this addition to Ontario’s beer landscape which can be enjoyed in all four seasons with great enjoyment. For a great treat, however, I recommend a glass of it with a hearty meat dish that has some sweetness such as my Moroccan tagine or my barbecued pork ribs with root beer sauce.

Stats:  Brown Ale. 6% ABV, 35 IBUs. Toronto, Ontario
Colour: Dark red-brown. Unfiltered.
Mouth Feel: Medium-high carbonation upfront, creamy and refreshing finish.
Purchased:  LCB0
Pairings: Baby back ribs with root beer sauce.

82 points

Share this:

  • Share
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Beer Reviews, Brown Ale, Eats Tagged With: beer, bottle fermented, Brown Ale, dates, food, Hawaiian, Hops, IPA, microbreweries, Moroccan, Ontario, Review, ribs, Spearhead, sur lies, Toronto, West Coast Hops, yeast

« Barbecued Ribs with Root Beer Sauce and Baked Apples
Avocado-Chimichurri Sauce »

I would love to read your comments ....Cancel reply

30 Poems in 30 Days – Global Poetry Writing Month (2022)

  • A Love Song

    A Love Song
  • Chosen

    Chosen
  • Wormwood

    Wormwood
  • Bashert

    Bashert
  • Lumber Dog

    Lumber Dog
  • Aisling for the Land

    Aisling for the Land
  • Hard Boiled Boy

    Hard Boiled Boy
  • The Blasted

    The Blasted
  • Sense of Time

    Sense of Time
  • We Reflect

    We Reflect
  • A Family Grown

    A Family Grown
  • Fly — Away

    Fly — Away
  • Curtains

    Curtains
  • A Question Heard

    A Question Heard
  • The Storm

    The Storm
  • A Dis-Ode to the Mushoom

    A Dis-Ode to the Mushoom
  • Bun in the Oven

    Bun in the Oven
  • The world don’t owe you nothing

    The world don’t owe you nothing
  • the syrphid

    the syrphid
  • Osborne

    Osborne
  • Love is not a Word

    Love is not a Word
  • Meta

    Meta
  • Super-Pop

    Super-Pop
  • footprints on the sands of time

    footprints on the sands of time
  • Spring Grows

    Spring Grows
  • Neptune’s Recline

    Neptune’s Recline
  • Red Light, Green Light, Stop

    Red Light, Green Light, Stop
  • Wuthering Heights

    Wuthering Heights
  • Afterwinter

    Afterwinter
  • The Story of a Dog

    The Story of a Dog

Recent Posts

  • A Love Song
  • Chosen
  • Wormwood
  • Bashert
  • Lumber Dog

Join My Community

Simply enter your email address and never miss another post.

Join 827 other subscribers

2012-2022 © Dale Schierbeck.

All rights reserved. All material and content is the original property of Dale Schierbeck and “EatsWritesShoots” 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author (“Dale Schierbeck”) and the site (“EatsWritesShoots”) and with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Connect with Me on Facebook

Connect with Me on Facebook

Top Posts & Pages

  • Recipe for Low-Phosphorus Dog Food ~ Caring for a Dog with Chronic Renal Failure
  • Homemade Super Dog Food ... aka Ben's Breakfast
  • Tuscan Chicken with Olives and Bacon ... and Wine
  • Duck Breast with Blackberry and Chambord Sauce
  • My Canadian Eyesight

Join the Conversation

  • mb on Ben ~ In Memoriam
  • Dale on Ground Beef Tacos
  • Nicholas Robert Parkes on Ground Beef Tacos
  • Molly on Recipe for Low-Phosphorus Dog Food ~ Caring for a Dog with Chronic Renal Failure
  • Dale on Chosen

RSS Feeds

RSS feed RSS - Posts

RSS feed RSS - Comments

Archives

Categories

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d