Tag: brown ale

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Review – 32 Via dei Birrai Atra

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I am feeling anxious because there is only 1 more 32 beer left in my ‘fridge now.  But I am thankful to the fine folks at 32 Via dei Birrai for supplying me with such a generous amount of their finely calibrated beers.

That being said, we move on to Atra, A bit of a gusher when the cork popped but maybe that was me being too anxious. This is more a light Belgian amber. The flavors persist after each sip. I get some plum notes and raisin from this cola hued beer. Some zucchini notes too. Easy to drink.

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Here is what their website describes the beer as….

“Appearance:
beige, compact, fine and persistent head; brown; fine perlage.

Bouquet:
roasted, with hints of coffee, chocolate, locust bean, walnut-flavoured liqueur, and touches of damp barrel staves, light liquorice, ripe medlar and caramel.

Flavour:
gently bitterish due to the roasted barley, which also imparts aromas of coffee, caramel and chocolate. Beer with typical Belgian light watery body.”

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Review – Port Brewing Board Meeting Brown

Board Meeting is one of those great beer names. Either you need this brown ale after escaping a Dilbert-esque hell or you are relaxing on the shore after a session on the surf.

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This newly bottled offering from Port Brewing pours a black with a foamy tan head. A bit of dark rum in the aroma and when you taste it you get milk chocolate and a skosh hit of coffee. Full bodied but not heavy.

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Here is the word from Port on this brew, “Port Brewing beers are typically boldly-flavored American and hop-forward West Coast style ales or lagers, and Board Meeting Brown Ale is no exception. An amplified brown ale, the beer is brewed with liberal additions of coffee from local San Diego roasters, Ryan Brothers, and cocoa nibs sourced from famed San Francisco chocolate maker TCHO.”

 

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Video Review – Midnight Sun Kodiak Brown

March brings two video reviews of brown ales and we start with a canned version from Alaska.  How it ended up in sunny L.A., I do not know but let’s see what Kodiak from Midnight Sun tastes like….

The brewery describes it this way, “Rugged yet smooth, Kodiak Brown Ale balances caramel and roasted malts with enticing Northwest hops. Perle and Willamette hops accent without overpowering this American brown ale’s intrepid maltiness. The result is uniquely delicious.”

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Manzanita Brewing


Near San Diego, in the town of Santee is Manzanita Brewing. They are a small-batch brewery with five year rounds beers and a few seasonals tossed in throughout the year.

We are a Small-Batch Craft Brewery in Santee, CA. We are passionate about Quality Craft Beer. We will have 5 year round beers and many seasonal beers available throughout the year.

Here are two beers that caught my eye….

Gillespie Brown; “a malty and sweet brew followed by a toasted chocolate flavor. Its dark brown appearance and deep roasted aroma translates into a smooth warm distinct finish.”

“A pint of Manzanita Horizon Red Ale is guaranteed to deliver a great initial malt flavor with a roasted grain aftertaste and dry Irish finish every time.”

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new from Upslope

Though I would have expected a brown can to match the name. I am glad that Upslope is growing their canned beer offerings.

“Upslope Brown Ale. It’s an English-style Brown Ale with an American twist in that its sweet roasted-malt base is offset by a pronounced hop bitterness and higher alcohol content — about 6.7 percent by volume — than its counterparts brewed across the pond. It has a well-balanced character with a clean, dry finish that makes it easy to kick back several in one sitting.”

Read this update from the Boulder Camera to get the full scoop on this Colorado brewery.

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Alaska Brewery # 4

One of the new terms craft beer terms of 2010 is Nano-Brewery. And Baranof Island, fits that bill in my mind.

Here is their main list:
Silver Bay IPA
Lord Baranov’s Dark Ale
Baranof Brown Ale
Halibut Point Hefeweizen
Redoubt Red Ale
Peril Strait Pale Ale

They are based in Sitka and they brew with a 1 3/4 barrel system and handcraft their beer in 45 gallon batches. They sell growlers to go too!

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50 from 50 – Wyoming

It was a dark and stormy night… actually it has been cool by LA standards but this is still a sun city and when I find flavorful session beers of any style, I am happy. And I found one in the organic OB-1 from Snake River Brewery. Now I am 74% of the way to my goal with 3 1/2 months left!

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A tumble with Sierra Nevada

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Sierra Nevada Brewing has sidelined Anniversary Ale and instead will use the fall release slot for Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale later this year when the leaves are turning brown.

It appears to be part of the strategy that heralded Glissade in spring to bookend the tremendous 30th Anniversary brews. The second of which, the Imperial Helles, should be on finer beer store shelves now.