Signature Series Double Brown Ale
Dry Dock Brewing Co.

Signature Series Double Brown AleSignature Series Double Brown Ale
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From:
Dry Dock Brewing Co.
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.95 | pDev: 8.86%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
32
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 19, 2020
Added:
Aug 27, 2014
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by PassMeAZima:
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Rated by PassMeAZima from Kentucky

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jan 04, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.09 by cd34 from Illinois

Apr 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.89 by Akeah from Colorado

Jan 06, 2017
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Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
BOTTLE: 750ml. Brown glass. Gold foil-ed over pry-off crown cap. Classy shiny brown/gold label. 2014 vintage.

Reviewed live as a whiskey barrel aged brown ale. Served chilled into a Guinness goblet and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption. Expectations are moderately high; it's rare I find a brown ale that's exceptional, but I do respect Dry Dock.

HEAD: 1/4" thick. Khaki colour. Somewhat creamy. Not real frothy, soft, etc. Recedes fully within 30 seconds, leaving no lacing. Disappointing...

BODY: Murky pale brown. Gives off a weak overall appearance. I see no yeast within. Nontransparent. Translucent.

Appears aptly carbonated. Admittedly, it's not much to look at.

AROMA: Rustic whiskey, faint peat, caramel, vague nuts. I find none of the walnut, plum or chocolate promised on the label. It's pretty restrained for a whiskey barrel aged brew, to be honest - especially considering it spent 10 months in barrels. Hopefully the taste is more interesting than the aroma, though hints of charred oak and marshmallow do stand out.

Aromatic intensity is below average.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Flat, both in terms of carbonation and depth of flavour. Surprisingly shallow for a barrel aged beer, with a hint of whiskey and that's it. In terms of the whiskey character itself, all I find is a flat almost cardboardy whiskey with no vivid notes of peat, vanilla, spice, oak, et al. A generic malt sweetness forms the core of the uninspired brew, with simplicity reigning supreme. Luckily, there is a hint of marshmallow that stands out.

10 months in barrels yielded this?

Texture is smooth, wet, flat, and of moderate thickness & weight. There's no harmony of texture and taste. It dries at the end, resembling cardboard and discouraging subsequent sips.

OVERALL: Dry Dock is a brewery I know and respect, but this is subpar work. Neither the barrel aging nor the base beer characteristics will be of interest to the discerning drinker, and the ABV is poorly concealed. A swing and a miss within the style, but not undrinkable. The nutty profile they were clearly after is nowhere to be found.

High C (2.95)
Dec 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by Bitterbill from Wyoming

Jul 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.89 by WiggyKGB from Illinois

Apr 11, 2015
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Reviewed by Mebuzzard from Colorado

3.05/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
This beer pours a murky dark brown; melted caramel and molasses . Zip on the head. A couple of bubbles burped to the surface

Egads! That's a whiskey aroma right there. Smells hugely boozy, but it's only 9%. Which whiskey barrel is used? No idea. I guess it doesn't matter, just dump the beer into a barrel and sit on it seems to be the norm nowadays

Flavor is whiskey up front. Slight vanilla, strong sweet caramel. A bit nutty, but who could tell underneath the whiskey barrel?
The flavor gives way at the end to a tea-like tannin. Alas, this thins out to a watery drip. If the barrel was not used, this beer would probably be a mess. Can't really tell, though. Would like to get an idea of the brewers' craft. Too bad.
Jan 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Blazer22 from Colorado

Dec 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.08 by kmanjohnson from California

Dec 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.11 by BAsbill from California

Dec 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by EnojysAnyBeer from Colorado

Dec 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by McNazz from Colorado

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by drewone from California

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ucsbmullet from Colorado

Dec 04, 2014
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Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

3.99/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle label date: none noted

Hazy, deep brown body with a thin head. Roasted nut aroma with a twinge of bourbon lurking around. Caramel sweet; brown sugar and plums; bourbon whiskey warmth; a smattering of vanilla and cocoa. Smooth and heavy feel.

Although a tad thin on looks, the flavor is deep and impressive. Rich and chewy and jam-packed with dark malt goodness, this beer delivers a bold, delicious malt-forward taste experience with just the right amount of bourbon edge. Very nice...
Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by GRG1313 from California

Dec 02, 2014
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Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.92/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

2014 vintage.

Pours a murky dark orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, toffee, vanilla, whiskey, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with caramel, toffee, vanilla, and whiskey flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of wood bitterness and an alcohol kick on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with nice caramel and toffee aspects mixing with the barrel aged qualities.

Serving type: bottle.
Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.85 by Wowcoolman from California

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.8 by Rado from California

Nov 30, 2014
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Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
really really good brown ale here, we need more of this kind of thing. its big and rich, lighter than chocolate brown, and pretty hazy for the style. there is a decent but short lived head here. the nose is lots and lots of vanilla, confused like i was drinking the double vanilla stout edition. chocolate cocoa powder and oak from the whiskey are prominent in the taste as well as the nose. what i love is the base beer, so i was surprised to see it as covered up as it is by all the time in the barrel. the whiskey dominates the nose and taste, even the booze is sharp. i have to imagine this is a little stronger than they list it, it really is strong, but i almost like it cutting the sweetness. fuller than medium body, but not huge like the stouts are sometimes. its a great format for the barrel, vanilla in the finish, oak heavy, rich but drinkable. definitely a bottle to share, or you can do like i did and drink a bunch of them in one sitting. this is a great beer, one of colorados best brown ales, but i like the hazelnut version even better.
Nov 23, 2014
Signature Series Double Brown Ale from Dry Dock Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 32 ratings