Tasting: Bar-None Brown

So, I think I am going to start posting my homebrew reviews here as well as on the Grid. My tastings of Terrible, Dummkopf and Black Ryeday the other day were unofficial vis-à-vis my personal homebrew rating system, so you may see them referenced again.

I try to do my ratings as I would any other beer using the system they use over at Beer Advocate. Each review I do is as honest an assessment as I can give to a beer I brewed myself.

So, without further ado, The Review:

Poured from bomber into a tulip. Ultimately, I would like to compare this to a bottle of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, upon which this beer was theoretically based.

Appearance: rich, hazy, chocolatey brown which allows practically no light through. Head is two fingers of persistent tan foam; this brew got a pretty good carbonation. (4)

Smell: aroma is very brown and green: a nice, smooth chocolate and sweetish, slightly minty, vegetabley hops. It is actually rather dessert-like. (4)

Taste: chocolate up front, transitioning to floral and vegetabley hops. Bitterness really starts to come through at the end. Alcohol is also a bit noticeable. Toward the very end of the aftertaste flavor is like the aroma of crushed maple leaves from the beginning of summer. It is good but it lacks refinement. (3.5)

Mouthfeel: medium body with absolute loads of carbonation. This is just as creamy as you ever need a beer to be. Style-wise, I don't know that it is strictly appropriate, but I think the texture is great. (4.5)

Drinkability: after awhile, the raw hoppiness begins to be one-note. It is still a very refreshing beer, however, and I think it would make a good summer beer despite its darkness and high ABV. (3.5)

Overall score 3.8 (B+). This beer was an interesting experiment all-around: the addition of brown sugar, the rather high IBUs for a brown ale and the floral, sweet Saaz hops. I think for the future I might want to go with something funkier like Willamette; the Saaz are kind of cloying at the 3 oz level. I'm reminded of jasmine or lavender tea -- just too much flower. I think the malt bill is just spot-on, though, and I look forward to trying Ringwood yeast again.