April192012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
As I mentioned when I reviewed Winter Hook, Red Hook is a brewery that seems pretty solid to me, though I haven’t tried very many of their beers. I’m always a fan of brown ales, though I tend to shy away from the Nut Browns. In any event, gotta try something new, and this one shows promise, so here goes!
This ale pours a surprisingly-transparent (especially when compared to my last brown ale) medium brown with half a finger of nice white head, quickly settling. The aroma is light in the extreme, reminding me of nothing so much as a darker commercial lager. As I take my first sip, the first thing I notice is that is that the ale has a bit of a bite to it; the second is that the body is rather light, even thin. As it warmed, it got more of a caramel and malty character, but the taste never really came together for me. As much as I love my brown ales, and as much as I would really like to love Red Hook, I’d have to say give this one a miss.
April92012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I suppose I should thank Dogfish Head for somewhat self-consciously leading the craft beer charge for all these years. They make some great beers and they’ve got a lot of goodwill from me, even though I’ve not tried many of their offerings. I try to make it a point to go to their tavern outside of DC each year while I’m in the area. I suppose the main reason I haven’t tried a great many of their beers is because their ingredient choices are sometimes off-putting to me, and this coming from a guy who has ordered pizza with conch and figs. Nonetheless, apart from their odd ingredients and sometimes gimmicky brews, I’m expecting great things here - according to Beer Advocate, this is a world-class brew in my favorite style, so let’s dig in.
The pour is a near-black brown with an finger of tan, rich foamy head. Very pleasant aroma with biscuty malts - which really make a brown ale for me - featuring prominently. Overall, there are many enchanting grain aromas in the nose - perhaps there’s some rye in there? Earthy, tangy coffee notes take the lead upon tasting, followed with a strong and continued presence of roasted malts. This brew had a substantial hoppiness for a brown ale, but the bitterness is balanced and rounded out very nicely with citrus flavors. The body is medium to light, and normally I wouldn’t really find that substantial enough for a brown this dark, but I think there’s enough complexity in the flavors that I’m happy to let it wash over the tongue a bit. On the whole, this is a great brown ale, though maybe not something I’d personally reach for first - the coffee and hops get a little too much for me as I go along.
March232012
Official Site - Beer Advocate
I’ve got to support my hometown breweries, so of course I have to review Legend Brown. As I said when reviewing their Maibock, “Their brown ale was one of the first craft brews I had that propelled me to finding so many others, so I feel I am too kind to their brews, perhaps as a show of my gratitude.” That probably still holds true, but I think consensus is that Legend’s Brown is well worth a try, so I should only be overselling what really is a quality product.
It pours a nice, dark earthy brown with great head retention - I couldn’t help but sample a bit to get that toasty, biscuity malt flavor that’s so prominent in the aroma. The best part about this beer is its well-rounded flavor profile - beyond the hearty maltiness which I’ve mentioned, molasses notes smooth it, caramel notes brighten it, and a just-enough-hops finish gives it a perfectly refreshing finish. I suppose the only thing I might be wanting to try for comparison would be a heavier-bodied or higher-carbonated version of this same beer, both are on the mid-to-light side. On the other hand, perhaps I only wish it would linger more because this is a beer which leaves you wanting another taste, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s a brewer’s job done right.
To follow up my first unequivocal pass, I’ll have to give this beer my whole-hearted seal of approval. I don’t think I could say it’s the very best brown ale, and I don’t think I could even say it has any real distinctive character. It is, however, a very solid Brown - a great place to benchmark the style from, in my book. If any non-local readers were willing to trade local brews, feel free to contact me and we’ll figure something out. It’ll be worth your while.
