Welcome to The Lager Room Guys' “In Style Reviews” with Jersey Johnny. For this monthly* series we review several beers in the same style, or beers that have other similarities, all from different breweries. There will never be any ratings given, just a reviewing of the style and some tasting notes, while hopefully attempting to grasp each breweries vision for that beer. (*monthly depending on how many beers to be reviewed)
In this month's review we are drinking Brown Ales. Brown Ales are one of my favorite styles. This should be fun, so let's get to it!
Northway Brewing Company - Glens Falls, New York
Little Maggie - Brown Ale - 5.6% ABV
Appearance - Deep brown w/ a tan head
Aroma - Caramel & cocoa
Flavor - Big toffee, mild dark chocolate and a subtle earthy bitterness
Finish - Nice and dry
Other notes - A walk through the woods in Fall!
Lost Tavern Brewing - Hellertown, Pennsylvania
Clusters - Toffee Almond Nut Brown Ale - 4.8% ABV
Appearance - Deep Brown w/ a full tan head
Aroma - Big nutty almonds
Flavor - Toffee, chocolate, almonds, vanilla and subtle cinnamon, mild sweetness
Finish - Clean w/ slight lingering toffee
Other notes - Nutty desert in a glass!
Kane Brewing Company - Ocean, New Jersey
Drift Line - American Oatmeal Brown Ale - 6.2% ABV
Appearance - Dark brown w/ a tan head
Aroma - Chocolate, subtle coffee and dried fruit
Flavor - Cocoa, coffee and toasted oats with a smooth body
Finish - Dry w/ slight residual bitterness
Other notes - This has become one of my favorite Kane’s! A go to for sure!
Source Brewing Company - Colts Neck, New Jersey
Proper English - English Brown Ale - 5.2% ABV
Appearance - Ruby brown w/ a beige head
Aroma - Nutty caramel and chocolate
Flavor - Notes of toffee, bread, nutty caramel and a subtle roast
Finish - Nice and dry
Other notes - Balanced w/ a super smooth body, decent lacing!
Southern Grist Brewing Company - Nashville, Tennessee
Chop It Up - Brown Ale w/ Lactose, Coconut, Hazelnuts & Cacao Nibs - 5.4% ABV
Appearance - Deep brown w/ a beige head
Aroma - Big nutty coconut and chocolate
Flavor - Subtle bitterness opening up to sweet coconut and chocolate with hazelnuts
Finish - Hazelnuts present as it fades off dry
Other notes - Good use of lactose, not over the top!
Southern Grist Brewing Company - Nashville, Tennessee
Bean There, Brown That - Brown Ale w/ Lactose & Vanilla - 5.4% ABV
Appearance - Dark brown w/ a thin tan head
Aroma - Big vanilla and chocolate
Flavor - Sweet vanilla, chocolate, nutty caramel and subtle coffee
Finish - Somewhat dry with lingering vanilla
Other notes - A creamy, nutty, sweet (not too sweet) coffee(ish) Brown Ale!
Mayflower Brewing Company - Plymouth, Massachusetts
Pursuit Of Sappiness - Maple Syrup Brown Ale - 7.0% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a slight, mocha tinged beige head
Aroma - Toffee, brown sugar and maple
Flavor - Notes of caramelized brown sugar, subtle maple and molasses
Finish - Dry w/ bitter chocolate
Other notes - One of my favorite styles w/ one of my favorite adjuncts! Ahh, Maple Brown Ales!
Four Quarters Brewing Company - Winooski, Vermont
French Toast Great Bear - Brown Ale w/ Oats, Chocolate Malt, Smoked Malt, Maple Syrup & Cinnamon Sticks - 6.0% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a thin tan head
Aroma - Big maple nose w/ subtle caramel and vanilla
Flavor - Maple way out front (in a good way, I love maple) and notes of caramel, subtle vanilla, and cinnamon w/ a whisper of chocolate
Finish - Dry w/ a touch of chocolate and super subtle smoke
Other notes - I love French Toast for breakfast. If only French Toast tasted this good!
Coastal Days Brewery - Fort Meyers, Florida
Beach Hound - Brown Ale - 4.7% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a tan head
Aroma - Earthy caramel nose
Flavor - Subtle nutty caramel w/ balanced herbal hops
Finish - Slight lingering bitterness fading to dry
Other notes - Interesting play between the earthy hops and the caramel malt!
Jackalope Brewing Company - Nashville, Tennessee
Bear Walker - Maple Brown Ale - 5.1% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a tan head
Aroma - Sweet toffee nose
Flavor - Maple candy and caramel upfront, followed by a subtle nutty bitterness
Finish - Dry w/ just a hint of maple
Other notes - Big maple candies and toffee for dessert!
Long Trail Brewing Company - Windsor, Vermont
Harvest - Vermont Maple Syrup Ale - 4.4% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a beige head
Aroma - Sweet, toasted bread nose
Flavor - Maple syrup and maple candy fading to toffee
Finish - Finishes a bit long with maple, but in a good way
Other notes - Been enjoying this beer from Long Trail for a long time!
Mechanical Brewery - Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Broach - Brown Ale - 5.0% ABV
Appearance - Light brown w/ a beige head
Aroma - Subtle caramel and fruit nose
Flavor - Earthy hops, fading to subtle caramel with a mild effervescence
Finish - Dry w/ a slight bitterness
Other notes - Interesting play between the earthy hops and the caramel malt in this one as well!
Bradley Brew Project - Bradley Beach, New Jersey
Basic Beer Season - Imperial Brown Ale w/ Pumpkin Puree, Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon, Ginger, Vanilla & Blackstrap Molasses - 10.0% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a thick, beige head
Aroma - Bread, subtle earthiness, and autumnal spice nose
Flavor - Caramel, nutmeg, and ginger dominate in the first sip, giving way to a nice blend of vanilla, toffee and molasses
Finish - Dry w/ a bit of lingering, bitter autumnal spicing
Other notes - A big, autumnal spiced Brown Ale!
Jersey Girl Brewing Company - Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hunker Down Brown - American Brown Lager - 4.0% ABV
Appearance - Medium brown w/ a light tan head
Aroma - Subtle earthy bread nose
Flavor - Toasted caramel and subtle chocolate notes
Finish - Dry w/ slight lingering bitterness
Other notes - Nice, flavorful Brown Ale with such a low ABV!
Jersey Girl Brewing Company - Hackettstown, New Jersey
White Out - Brown Ale w/ Chocolate Malt - 7.0% ABV
Appearance - Dark brown w/ a thick beige head
Aroma - Sweet bready chocolate nose
Flavor - Bittersweet chocolate and toffee w/ slight nuttiness
Finish - Soft w/ a bit more toffee
Other notes - Nice warming, winter treat!
Surly Brewing Company - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coffee Bender - Brown Ale w/ Coffee - 5.5% ABV
Appearance - Deep brown w/ a light tan head
Aroma - Big coffee / cold brew nose
Flavor - Big creamy, roasty coffee
Finish - Dry w/ slight lingering roasty bitterness
Other notes - Would you like some Brown Ale with your coffee?!
Hi-Wire Brewing Company - Asheville, North Carolina
Bed Of Nails - Brown Ale - 5.5% ABV
Appearance - Deep brown w/ a tan head
Aroma - Bready caramel w/ a subtle hoppy nose
Flavor - Caramel, bread and earthy bitterness
Finish - Dry w/ a slight residual bitterness
Other notes - Solid, true to style Brown Ale!
Destination Unknown Beer Company - Bay Shore, New York
Double Barrel Brown Ale - Imperial Brown Ale Aged In Two Different Bourbon Barrels - 10.0% ABV
Appearance - Deep brown w/ a dark beige head
Aroma - Dark, bittersweet chocolate and boozy nose
Flavor - Earthy, bitter chocolate and huge bourbon notes
Finish - Finishes w/ more chocolatey bourbon fading out
Other notes - The bourbon and chocolate are amazing for a Brown Ale! The 10% obviously helps!
That was definitely fun! I love Brown Ales! Join us next month (or so) for our next "In Style Review"!
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