A quick pour of this beer and I was already making faces. Nice essence of caramel from nose to mouth, but the bubbles were as tight and harsh in the mouth as coco-cola without the sugar. Not the way I like my brown ale. Fizzy is certainly the word I would use to describe this beer.
Don’t get me wrong – I like brown ales, but I like them more aligned to something “cask conditioned” than the way this poured and tasted in the mouth. I like a good brown ale because it is actually by default, a beer that is brewed in balance with good but noticeable hops and excellent malts that lend their colour. This is a beer that has both those attributes. The colour of this filtered beer in the glass is gorgeous and intense and the hops are certainly pronounced as they finish in the mouth. Indeed, the malts are probably the best feature of this beer bringing out a bit of chocolate and definitely a bit of coffee at the back of the tongue, but beyond this, the mouth is awash in those damn bubbles and there is, overall, a lack of structure to the beer. Great with fish and chips and a nice malt vinegar, but if I hadn’t acquired this as part of a craft pack, I don’t think I’d drink it again.
Stats: Brown Ale. 5% ABV. Aldergrove, BC.
Colour: Dark, walnut aka “nut brown.”
Mouth Feel: Medium-high carbonation, fizzy, tight bubbles, but little to no head.
Purchased: Beer Store
Pairings: Fish and chips
70 points
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